Setting up Compose keyboard modifier and trying to use and customize it I've find the following issue: In all tested gtk2 library applications (list of installed ones below) I: 1. Find failure with typing some symbols from standard config. For example try to type to type 'Ⓐ' (Compose → O → A) fails. Most of other Compose sequences in gtk2 applications succeed. In few present qt4 applications (net-im/psi, fb2edit) typing 'Ⓐ' also succeed. 2. Find ignore of user config (i.e ~/.XCompose). At the same time qt4 applications use settings from it. Issue presents in: app-editors/leafpad-0.8.18.1 app-editors/mousepad-0.3.0 app-office/abiword-2.8.6-r2 app-office/libreoffice-bin-4.0.4.2 www-client/firefox-17.0.9 mail-client/thunderbird-17.0.9 The only known exception (for first test) is: app-office/gnumeric-1.12.0-r1 But it's already gtk3. [I] x11-libs/gtk+ Installed versions: 2.24.17(2)(09:28:09 23.04.2013)(cups introspection -aqua -debug -examples -test -vim-syntax -xinerama) 3.4.4(3)(09:48:48 15.10.2012)(X cups introspection -aqua -colord -debug -examples -packagekit -test -vim-syntax -wayland -xinerama) $ einfo Portage 2.2.1 (default/linux/amd64/13.0, gcc-4.6.3, glibc-2.15-r3, 3.10.7-gentoo x86_64) ================================================================= System uname: Linux-3.10.7-gentoo-x86_64-AMD_Athlon-tm-_II_X2_250_Processor-with-gentoo-2.2 KiB Mem: 1794800 total, 32680 free KiB Swap: 8000364 total, 7985888 free Timestamp of tree: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 05:15:01 +0000 ld GNU ld (GNU Binutils) 2.23.1 app-shells/bash: 4.2_p45 dev-java/java-config: 2.1.12-r1 dev-lang/python: 2.7.5-r2, 3.2.5-r2 dev-util/cmake: 2.8.10.2-r2 dev-util/pkgconfig: 0.28 sys-apps/baselayout: 2.2 sys-apps/openrc: 0.11.8 sys-apps/sandbox: 2.6-r1 sys-devel/autoconf: 2.13, 2.69 sys-devel/automake: 1.9.6-r3, 1.11.6, 1.13.4 sys-devel/binutils: 2.23.1 sys-devel/gcc: 4.6.3 sys-devel/gcc-config: 1.7.3 sys-devel/libtool: 2.4.2 sys-devel/make: 3.82-r4 sys-kernel/linux-headers: 3.9 (virtual/os-headers) sys-libs/glibc: 2.15-r3 Repositories: gentoo local_hdd ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="amd64" ACCEPT_LICENSE="* -@EULA" CBUILD="x86_64-pc-linux-gnu" CFLAGS="-march=native -O2 -pipe" CHOST="x86_64-pc-linux-gnu" CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /etc/env.d /usr/share/gnupg/qualified.txt /var/bind" CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/ca-certificates.conf /etc/env.d /etc/fonts/fonts.conf /etc/gconf /etc/gentoo-release /etc/php/apache2-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/php/apache2-php5.5/ext-active/ /etc/php/cgi-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/php/cgi-php5.5/ext-active/ /etc/php/cli-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/php/cli-php5.5/ext-active/ /etc/revdep-rebuild /etc/sandbox.d /etc/terminfo /etc/texmf/language.dat.d /etc/texmf/language.def.d /etc/texmf/updmap.d /etc/texmf/web2c" CXXFLAGS="-march=native -O2 -pipe" DISTDIR="/usr/portage/distfiles" EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS="--ask --verbose --autounmask=n" FCFLAGS="-O2 -pipe" FEATURES="assume-digests binpkg-logs buildsyspkg config-protect-if-modified distlocks downgrade-backup ebuild-locks fixlafiles merge-sync news parallel-fetch preserve-libs protect-owned sandbox sfperms strict unknown-features-warn unmerge-logs unmerge-orphans userfetch userpriv usersandbox usersync" FFLAGS="-O2 -pipe" GENTOO_MIRRORS="http://mirror.yandex.ru/gentoo-distfiles/ ftp://mirror.yandex.ru/gentoo-distfiles/ http://ftp.corbina.net/pub/Linux/gentoo/ ftp://ftp.corbina.net/pub/Linux/gentoo/" LANG="ru_RU.utf8" LC_ALL="" LDFLAGS="-Wl,-O1 -Wl,--as-needed" MAKEOPTS="-j2" PKGDIR="/usr/portage/packages" PORTAGE_CONFIGROOT="/" PORTAGE_RSYNC_EXTRA_OPTS="--exclude-from=/etc/portage/rsync_excludes" PORTAGE_RSYNC_OPTS="--recursive --links --safe-links --perms --times --omit-dir-times --compress --force --whole-file --delete --stats --human-readable --timeout=180 --exclude=/distfiles --exclude=/local --exclude=/packages" PORTAGE_TMPDIR="/var/tmp" PORTDIR="/usr/portage/gentoo" PORTDIR_OVERLAY="/usr/portage/local" SYNC="rsync://rsync.mydomain.ru/gentoo-portage/" USE="X a52 ac3 acl alsa amd64 avi berkdb bold bzip2 cdr cli consolekit cracklib crypt cups cxx dbus djvu dri dvd flac fortran gdbm gif gtk iconv inotify jpeg jpeg2k lock mmx modules mp3 mudflap multilib ncurses nls nptl ogg openmp pam pcre pdf png policykit qt3support readline session sse sse2 ssl tcpd thunar tiff udev udisks unicode utf8 vorbis xcb xulrunner zlib" ABI_X86="64" ALSA_CARDS="ali5451 als4000 atiixp atiixp-modem bt87x ca0106 cmipci emu10k1x ens1370 ens1371 es1938 es1968 fm801 hda-intel intel8x0 intel8x0m maestro3 trident usb-audio via82xx via82xx-modem ymfpci" APACHE2_MODULES="authn_core authz_core socache_shmcb unixd actions alias auth_basic authn_alias authn_anon authn_dbm authn_default authn_file authz_dbm authz_default authz_groupfile authz_host authz_owner authz_user autoindex cache cgi cgid dav dav_fs dav_lock deflate dir disk_cache env expires ext_filter file_cache filter headers include info log_config logio mem_cache mime mime_magic negotiation rewrite setenvif speling status unique_id userdir usertrack vhost_alias" CALLIGRA_FEATURES="kexi words flow plan sheets stage tables krita karbon braindump author" CAMERAS="ptp2" COLLECTD_PLUGINS="df interface irq load memory rrdtool swap syslog" ELIBC="glibc" GPSD_PROTOCOLS="ashtech aivdm earthmate evermore fv18 garmin garmintxt gpsclock itrax mtk3301 nmea ntrip navcom oceanserver oldstyle oncore rtcm104v2 rtcm104v3 sirf superstar2 timing tsip tripmate tnt ubx" INPUT_DEVICES="evdev" KERNEL="linux" LCD_DEVICES="bayrad cfontz cfontz633 glk hd44780 lb216 lcdm001 mtxorb ncurses text" LIBREOFFICE_EXTENSIONS="presenter-console presenter-minimizer" LINGUAS="ru ru_RU" OFFICE_IMPLEMENTATION="libreoffice" PHP_TARGETS="php5-4" PYTHON_SINGLE_TARGET="python2_7" PYTHON_TARGETS="python2_7 python3_2" RUBY_TARGETS="ruby19 ruby18" USERLAND="GNU" VIDEO_CARDS="radeon" XTABLES_ADDONS="quota2 psd pknock lscan length2 ipv4options ipset ipp2p iface geoip fuzzy condition tee tarpit sysrq steal rawnat logmark ipmark dhcpmac delude chaos account" Unset: CPPFLAGS, CTARGET, INSTALL_MASK, PORTAGE_BUNZIP2_COMMAND, PORTAGE_COMPRESS, PORTAGE_COMPRESS_FLAGS, USE_PYTHON
Please try with 2.24.20
(In reply to Pacho Ramos from comment #1) > Please try with 2.24.20 With =x11-libs/gtk+-2.24.20 at least typing 'Ⓐ' (Compose → O → A) in text editors (mousepad/leafpad) also failes.
Try with .21 What is that compose key? I don't have it, I can use AltGr+Shift+R to get, for example, ®. Doing it with "a" gives me Æ (with gtk2, gtk3 and qt4)
(In reply to Pacho Ramos from comment #3) > Try with .21 The same. > What is that compose key? I don't have it, I can use AltGr+Shift+R to get, > for example, ®. Doing it with "a" gives me Æ (with gtk2, gtk3 and qt4) Short explanation, excuse me my english: Basic keyboard input capabilities are very poor and unsufficient. Traditionally, there two ways to extend them, describing Xorg features: LevelN modifier (standard and almost always used, but not the only one is Level2 modifier aka shift) and MultiKey modifier, usually called Compose. The difference between them is in that using LevelN modifier typing simbol is the result of simultaneous pressing of modifier and key, MultiKey use sequental typing (first press Compose key and after — proper sequence for requested symbol). For details about Compose Key you can reference to /usr/share/X11/locale/ru_RU.UTF-8/Compose For detailes about Level3 modifier you use — /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.lst I use XFce4 Desktop Environment. In this case Compose key modifier (or sequence) can be set directly via panel plugin (xfce-extra/xfce4-xkb-plugin). Further extending (setting Level3 modifier and so long): via setxkbmap utility or in server's config (10-evdev.conf). In your WM/DE they may be set in little bit different way. The list of needed (missed in basic includeing Level2 layout) symbols and keys for switching is a topic for discuss, starting from forum on gentoo.org. At least for multidot (…) and long dash (—) symbols I strictly prefer usage of Compose sequences (Compose → . → . and Compose → - → - → -). For 'æ' I find Compose sequence (Compose → a → e) also more intuitive. ☺
gtk+ does not natively support ~/.XCompose or customizable compose sequences. Compose sequences are defined statically in gtk/gtkimcontextsimpleseqs.h in the gtk+ source tarball; to add new compose sequences systemwide, you need to patch this file and recompile gtk+. As far as I know, currently the only way to add ~/.XCompose support to gtk+ applications is to use an input method that understands ~/.XCompose. For example, look at setting up xim or ibus as the input method for gtk+ in your desktop environment. Or manually export the GTK_IM_MODULE environment variable in your desktop session. If you want gtk+ to natively parse ~/.XCompose - that's a major feature request for upstream developers; please submit code patches to https://bugzilla.gnome.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=gtk%2B
