Keyboard bug: Linux + Italian keyboard => no command to open console

My setup: Linux Mint 17.3 + Italian keyboard. In this keyboard layout, '~' (tilde) and '`' (grave) are not present, '^' (caret) is present, but is a shifted character. In short, none of them can be used to open the console. I tried switching to the English US keyboard layout and they do work as advertised.

However, it is rather inconvenient having to set multiple keyboards up and to switch from one to another in order to access the console.

I hope something can be done to improve the matter.

Thanks,

M.

P.S.: I tested only the single player mode, but I assume it is the same in multi-player mode.

Quote

It should be the left of the 1 which I guess on Italian keyboard is \ or |

The key at the left of top row '1' is '\' ('|' if shifted) indeed. But it does nothing. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

@red51: thanks for the reply and for taking care of this small problem. I did some tests and something strange seems to go on as far as keyboard mngmt is concerned.

The original config.properties files has
input_console=KEY_GRAVE
input_console_alt=KEY_BACKSLASH
(which I'll summarise as "KEY_GRAVE / KEY_BACKSLASH")

Your suggestion is correct in principle as, with the Italian kbd layout, ALTGR + ^ generates the GRAVE character in all text editing programmes. However, in RW, it does nothing. Note that the backslash (\) is directly on keyboard, but it also does nothing. So, I tried modifying the config.properties file, looking for non-problematic key strokes first (using JMonkey symbolic names, correct?).

A -- I tried both KEY_U / KEY_BACKSLASH and KEY_BACKSLASH / KEY_U and:
*) KEY_U does work
*) KEY_BACKSLASH does not

B -- With both KEY_U / KEY_COMMA and KEY_COMMA / KEY_U:
*) they both work but
*) using them to close the console back, the used character is entered into the console and then the console itself is closed (this was not happening in the above setting).

C -- With both KEY_BACKSLASH / KEY_APOSTROPHE and KEY_APOSTROPHE / KEY_BACKSLASH:
*) neither works

Now the fun part!

D -- I reverted to original settings KEY_GRAVE / KEY_BACKSLASH (and its swap KEY_BACKSLASH / KEY_GRAVE) and:
*) KEY_BACKSLASH now does work (KEY_GRAVE does not, at least the AltGr + ' combo does not)
*) and, again, using it to close the console, it leaves a '\' character in the console before closing it.

So, while I can consider the issue solved in practice, as now at least '\' does work, it is probably the case to investigate a little what is going on in kbd mngmt, as:

• the original setting was not working out of the box, but started working after the config.properties file was modified and then reverted;
• as more kbd short-cuts will be needed, sooner or later some of these problematic key strokes will have to be used;
• I doubt this problem is specific of the Italian kbd layout: it possibly affects any (many? most?) non-US keyboards.

Anyway, thanks for the great support!

M.

Thanks for the reply, Bogus.

Things are getting more and more 'interesting'. As at least '\' seemed to work, I removed the EN(US) kbd, as it was messing with other things and, lo!, '\' no longer works!

Anyway, I tried with the following setting in config.properties:

input_console=KEY_BACKSLASH
input_console_alt=KEY_SLASH

and KEY_SLASH ('/') does work even if, on my keyboard layout, it is a shifted character.

I thought it might be useful to know for other with a similar problem.