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scriptable keyboard?

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jack99999

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  • "jack99999" started this thread

Posts: 2

Location: uk

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1

Sunday, September 3rd 2006, 9:40am

scriptable keyboard?

hi

after a couple of years of using fedora as a system for just doing backups from windows machines, i've installed Kubuntu on my main machine... been here a couple of weeks...

back on windows i use autohotkey (www.autohotkey.com) to put functions on keys. a lot of them go something like:

if MyApplication exists:
go to its window
else:
start MyApplication


...and then i have keyboard definitions all over the place. the right-control key takes me to firefox, printscreen takes me to mail, capslock takes me to my file manager, and so on. i don't use the mouse much.

since arriving in KDE-land i am using the mouse all the time!

can somebody please give me an indication of how i can put an app on a key without getting a new copy of the app every time i press the key?


jack

bram85

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Posts: 948

Location: Eindhoven

Occupation: Software Engineer

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2

Sunday, September 3rd 2006, 10:16am

RE: scriptable keyboard?

In KDE you cannot assign special functions to the right control key or Caps Lock. You can only attach something to Print Screen.

First off, you should write a Bash script. I'll take Kopete as an example.

Source code

 
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export DISPLAY=:0
if pgrep kopete; then
  dcop kwin default setCurrentDesktop 3
else
  kopete &
fi


A second note, which is really worth mentioning, is that it is not possible to move to the right desktop with a given window. In the script, I assume that Kopete always should reside on desktop 3. You can enforce Kopete to start there with window specific rules (right click on random title bar, Configure Window Behaviour->Window Specific Settings).

Once you created the script, add an entry for this in the K Menu. Run kmenueedit, create an entry pointing to that script. There you can also assign a shortcut.
Bram Schoenmakers
KDE Netherlands (www.kde.nl)

jack99999

Beginner

  • "jack99999" started this thread

Posts: 2

Location: uk

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3

Sunday, September 3rd 2006, 12:23pm

hi bram

that's pretty good and i can work with those restrictions.

what would be nice is to be able to give focus the to the target application. is that possible? in other words, if i have more than one application open on a desktop, changing to that desktop takes me to whatever application had focus the last time i was there.

but you've got me started :)

many thanks


jack