How to use multiple keyboard layouts

[taradiddles]

EDIT: a draft doc is available at https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/localization/keyboard-multiple-layouts.md ; with enough interest and testing, it may get into the official qubes doc

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Qubes OS version:

R4.0 (should be applicable to R3 too).

Background:

The official docs only cover how to change the layout globally - ie. both for dom0 and VMs, with a single layout [1]; issue #1396 mentioned in the FAQ entry is only about keyboard layout propagation from dom0 to VMs.

Using multiple keyboard layouts and being able to quickly switch between them (*) isn't covered. One would imagine that this use-case is ubiquitous amongst qubes users communicating both in a language with a non-latin alphabet (eg. cyrillic) and in English.

(*) changing layouts has to be fast: for instance when writing mixed cyrillic/latin emails I always have to switch back and forth between layouts at least a dozen times a minute.

[1] https://www.qubes-os.org/faq/#my-keyboard-layout-settings-are-not-behaving-correctly-what-should-i-do

Proposed improvements to documentation:

1. Maybe we should have a page dedicated to keyboard layouts (or maybe more generally, to internationalization) and have the keyboard FAQ point to it.

2. The following solutions exist for the multiple layouts use-case:

   1. Change the layout in dom0 with localectl ; it's a no-go as it requires a reboot
   2. Change the layout in dom0 like I suggested in #1396 with setxkbmap -layout "us,bg(phonetic)" -option "grp:shifts_toggle". This workaround proved to work more or less OK over the past 2 years but wasn't optimal:
      • there's no way to know which layout is used when typing the screensaver's password
      • sometimes the keyboard layout would not be propagated to one of the VMs, requiring a reboot of the VM.
   3. Configuring a keyboard shortcut in dom0 that would issue qvm-run vname 'setxkbmap...' to the VM whose window is under the mouse pointer (using xprop -id $(xdotool getactivewindow) ). I tried it, it works, but is a bit convoluted and qvm-run is sometimes slow when the system is under heavy I/O usage, so the layout switch doesn't happen immediately which is annoying.
   4. Best option IMO - issuing the setxkbmap ... command in each VM. This works surprisingly well. The downsides are that:
      • it requires modifying the user profile in each VM to issue the setxkbmap command, or tweaking the VM's template(s). Alternatively, maybe there's a way to issue the command from dom0 after the VM is started (I didn't investigate that yet).
      • only one layout in dom0 (since using setxkbmap... in dom0 would probably interfere with the VMs).

ideas ?

[shunju]

Why not use the Xfce Keyboard Layout switcher?

To add it, right-click on the top panel > Panel > Add New Items. In the opening window, pick “Keyboard Layouts”.

Customize the switcher by right-clicking > Keyboard settings. In the opening window, pick Layout tab. There you can add new keyboard layouts, define the order in which they can be scrolled though and even define a keyboard shortcut for switching layouts.

Edit: After trying this out, I realized that this will only be a solution once #1396 is solved.

[shunju]

Why not use the Xfce Keyboard Layout switcher?

To add it, right-click on the top panel > Panel > Add New Items. In the opening window, pick “Keyboard Layouts”.

Customize the switcher by right-clicking > Keyboard settings. In the opening window, pick Layout tab. There you can add new keyboard layouts, define the order in which they can be scrolled though and even define a keyboard shortcut for switching layouts.

Edit: After trying this out, I realized that this will only be a solution once #1396 is solved.

[taradiddles]

Why not use the Xfce Keyboard Layout switcher?

As you saw, it doesn't work :)

But if #1396 is solved the graphical switcher would likely fall under case 2. ii.

[taradiddles]

Why not use the Xfce Keyboard Layout switcher?

As you saw, it doesn't work :)

But if #1396 is solved the graphical switcher would likely fall under case 2. ii.

[hugoncosta]

I believe I've found a way around this. Follow me:

1. Go to Settings - Keyboard. Make sure you have at least 2 types of keyboard.

2. Set the "Change layout option" to something, I chose alt + shift because windows.

3. Click on "Use system defaults"

4. Restart VM

Seems odd, but it has worked for me.

[hugoncosta]

I believe I've found a way around this. Follow me:

1. Go to Settings - Keyboard. Make sure you have at least 2 types of keyboard.

2. Set the "Change layout option" to something, I chose alt + shift because windows.

3. Click on "Use system defaults"

4. Restart VM

Seems odd, but it has worked for me.