How Qubes installation manages keyboard layout?

marcus_mon · August 16, 2023, 1:09pm

Question: What exactly does Qubes do if 3 or more languages chosen during the installation?

I chose only english, but I speak 7 different languages and this is fricking nightmare… I added layouts in dom0(from KDE settings), but it doesn’t work.

fsflover · August 16, 2023, 3:03pm

Did you try to do it during the installation? It should work then.

marcus_mon · August 16, 2023, 3:40pm

No, that’s why I want to know:

fsflover · August 16, 2023, 4:02pm

You will be able to choose the key combination (e.g. ctrl+shift) to go over all three languages. You will also be able to choose shortcut keys for the first and second language (like left Super key and right Menu key).

marcus_mon · August 16, 2023, 4:30pm

What I want to know is what Qubes installation does under the hood in order for this to work, so I would do that after the installation, because obviously it’s not a solution to reinstall the whole system

fsflover · August 16, 2023, 4:37pm

Ok, I created a dedicated topic for your question, so other users will be able to find answer more easily. Feel free to adjust the title.

balko · August 17, 2023, 3:46pm

As for R4.1 (and probably R4.2): the approach of keyboard layout has been changed:

There are layouts and layout switching settings inside dom0. There you should have your 7 layouts set. It does not matter if those were set during installation or after that (check docs how to manually set it, it recommended not to use XFCE layout settings for this).
Qubes (VMs) should not manage their layout themself now. When layout switch shortcut is pressed - dom0 fires window event that is caught by qubes-core-admin-client in dom0 and propagated into the active qube (sometimes wrong qube, unfortunately). The propagated layout settings inside the qube are different, they will have current layout, like fr and us if current is not us. Other 5 layouts will not be used at any moment. And layout switch/toggle options should be removed to prevent breaking things (currently they are not, but this bug is in the process of fixing).

TL;DR: Currently in R4.1 the layout switch is broken anyway for anyone, it does not work reliably as it was on R4.0 because new approach has at least 3 issues. But the new approach with propagation is really better, when layout is managed in a centralized way, so eventually it will be working properly, too.

marcus_mon · August 17, 2023, 4:34pm

R4.1 released in feb 4 '22… so since then there’s no solution to this? Is this a joke?

Please link these 3 issues if you can, maybe I missed them.

balko · August 17, 2023, 4:51pm

Most of issues and reasons are described here (link to the comment):

github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues

Layout switching eventually breaks key mapping

opened 12:28PM - 26 May 23 UTC

ya-solnyshko

T: bug C: desktop-linux P: default diagnosed pr submitted affects-4.1

### Qubes OS release 4.1.2 (R4.1) ### Brief summary Keyboard switch…ing pollutes `setxbmap` options, eventually messing up the key mappings. ### Steps to reproduce 1. Configure multiple keyboard layouts in dom0, e.g., I use the following settings in `/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf`: ``` Section "InputClass" Identifier "system-keyboard" MatchIsKeyboard "on" Option "XkbLayout" "us,ru" Option "XkbVariant" "altgr-intl,winkeys" Option "XkbOptions" "nodeadkeys,grp:alt_shift_toggle" EndSection ``` 2. Start any VM. The state of `setxkbmap -print -query` is: ``` user@disp1372:~$ setxkbmap -print -query xkb_keymap { xkb_keycodes { include "evdev+aliases(qwerty)" }; xkb_types { include "complete" }; xkb_compat { include "complete" }; xkb_symbols { include "pc+us+inet(evdev)+group(alt_shift_toggle)" }; xkb_geometry { include "pc(pc105)" }; }; rules: evdev model: pc105 layout: us options: nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle ``` 3. Switch keyboard layout with Alt+Shift: ``` user@disp1372:~$ setxkbmap -print -query .... rules: evdev model: pc105 layout: ru,us variant: , options: nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle ``` 4. Switch a couple of times more: ``` user@disp1372:~$ setxkbmap -print -query ... rules: evdev model: pc105 layout: us options: nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle,nodeadkeys,,grp:alt_shift_toggle ``` ### Expected behavior Normal layout switching. ### Actual behavior 1. First, `options` get more and more polluted after each layout switch. 2. Second, after many layout switches, the keycode mapping breaks (perhaps some overflow of options?): the arrow buttons, delete button, and some others get remapped to something random. For example, according to `xev`, the key `Up` turns into `Print`: `keycode 111 (keysym 0xff61, Print), same_screen YES` 3. Fixing the layout with `xmodmap -e "keycode 111 = Up"` fixes the mapping until the next `Alt+Shift`, then it is messed up again. Resetting the options with `setxkbmap -option` doesn't help. It seems that there is some competition between dom0 and the vm itself for handling the keycodes

Additional information can be found here:

marcus_mon · August 18, 2023, 8:26am

Thanks for that.

So how do you use multi-language keyboard layouts at the moment, what’s the workaround?

I tried multiple ways, none of them worked for me, sadly.

marcus_mon · August 18, 2023, 8:32am

I also just tried to re-install the system with pre-installed languages.

I updated all the templates through through the qubes-manager.

I installed KDE as it says in the docs: KDE (desktop environment) | Qubes OS

Launched Personal qube and keyboard layout doesn’t work.
It does work in the dom0 however.

simasj · August 18, 2023, 8:51am

I have added additional keyboard layout after installation (Q->System Tools-> Keyboard->Layout → “Add” button) and using them for quite a while (more that a year). Switching between layouts with Left Alt + Left Shift and do not experience any issues. The only problem is that Qubes does not show anywhere what layout is currently active, but as I have only two layouts, it is not a problem for me.

P.S. Now when I think more I’m not sure if I have added it during the installation or after installation…

szz9pza · August 18, 2023, 9:27am

The installer (anaconda from fedora) modify this file:
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf
e.g. from https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xorg/Keyboard_configuration#Using_X_configuration_files

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "system-keyboard"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        Option "XkbLayout" "cz,us"
        Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
        Option "XkbVariant" ",dvorak"
        Option "XkbOptions" "grp:win_space_toggle"
EndSection

The documentation that Balko reffer to is keyboard-layout-settings-not-behaving-correctly.
And as he said, there are sometimes some issues (see the links he posted for more details).

You can add an new item in the panel.
Right click on the panel > Panel > Add New Item > Keyboard Layouts

As the doc recommend:

leave the checkbox “Use system defaults” checked. Do not customize the keyboard layout here.
Set the system-wide layout and options for xorg with the localectl command in dom0.

See the archlinux wiki link I posted just above.

marcus_mon · August 18, 2023, 9:28am

I switched to XFCE just to make sure.
Fun fact: I can use second language in AppVM, but I can’t use any other(5 out of 7).

I use KDE and it’s my preferable DE, but I tried gnome as well and it’s the same as KDE - keyboard layout doesn’t work at all in AppVMs.

That’s just crazy, if indeed this is the behavior, very disappointing. Didn’t expect this kind of bugs for a released version that is available for over a year and a half.

marcus_mon · August 18, 2023, 10:54am

sometimes is not the case, it just doesn’t work as intended for me all the time.

I tried many things already, but none of them worked.

From a fresh install with 7 selected keyboard layout languages, what exactly I should do for this to work in AppVMs?

szz9pza · August 18, 2023, 11:11am

With only 2 layouts, it does not always fail, just sometimes.
With many, indeed it always failed when using the keymap to switch layouts.
(I’ve used only one keymap to switch between all layouts).

I tried with 4 layouts and the keymap failed (it always block on the third and get stuck).
When using the ‘keyboard layouts’ item from the panel, it did works.
I haven’t tested this extensively, but you could give it a try.

marcus_mon · August 18, 2023, 11:25am

Thank you and other members for trying to help, but I think I’m not gonna use Qubes. The idea is amazing, but it’s buggy and limiting, even with simple things like this one with the layout.

balko · August 18, 2023, 11:36am

KDE 4.0 (aka not KDE 4) also had keyboard layout switch broken for a year or so, if I am not mistaken.

But yes, I agree that issues like that should be blockers for new releases.

szz9pza · August 18, 2023, 11:50am

I think that should works with the panel item.

Also, from this comment: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/8035#issuecomment-1682418329,
the issue with a toggle keymap (e.g. grp:win_space_toggle) should be fixed.
But not yet with some other shorcuts like shift_caps_switch.

You can already do the fix by looking the commit (or wait an update).
You can also thanks Balko, as he’s the one (with others too) who are debugging this issue.

Notice that the Qubes OS team is small and there is a lot of work to do.

balko · August 18, 2023, 2:37pm

Thank you, that’s appreciated.