Keyboard modifiers setting lost after reboot

[jammi]

File -> Set Modifier Keys.. as well as just dragging Alt vs Cmd on the mini-keyboard setting reverts to default upon boot. It's very annoying for using testing, if you are accustomed to Cmd being Cmd, not Alt. If you save your custom layout, it becomes re-enabled after reboot after you open the Keymap preferences, but not before.

[siarzhuk]

Do you using KeymapSwitcher configured and installed in the Deskbar?

[jammi]

Replying to siarzhuk:

Do you using KeymapSwitcher configured and installed in the Deskbar?

Yes, it's installed in the Deskbar.

[jammi]

Ok, now I get it. I think it should be more clear on this, or having the mapping stick to the keyboard instead of the layout. I wouldn't have figured this out on my own.

[siarzhuk]

Thanks for confirmation. That is known issue using the KeymapSwitcher. The problem is BeOS-Era hack that stores Alt-Ctrl swapping settings inside of the currently selected keymap file (~/config/settings/Key_map) KeymapSwitcher overwrites this file every time it have to change keymap. At every system start it reset keymap into the first one in the list of configured - thats why you observe this reset at every reboot.

Besides of fact that sooner or later Keymap Switcher will be replaced with more convenient and well-designed tool I see following ways to fix this issue at the moment:

a) Fix KeymapSwitcher to honor the "Cmd-swap flag" during overwriting the Key_map file; b) Modify keymaps handling in the Haiku to move mentioned Cmd-swap settings into the Key_map file attributes. That includes of course fixing KeymapSwitcher to use these attributes. The attribute way just less fragile than direct writing into the Key_map file;

Any opinion, colleagues?

[jammi]

My work-around was like this: I saved both modified keyboard layouts as custom, removed the originals from KeymapSwitcher and added the custom ones. Not optimal, and unless you understand what happens (well described by siarzhuk), it's just acting WTF-y, more or less a conflict between KeymapSwitcher vs custom layouts.

[siarzhuk]

I have implemented workaround with preserving "Cmd-Ctrl swap" settings on overwriting Key_map file. Please check the 1.2.7.8 version from here:

​https://sourceforge.net/projects/dotmatrix4beos/files/Haiku%20Keymap%20Switcher/1.2.7/

The version 1.2.7.8 is from 15 November. Please keep in mind that compiler version gcc2/gcc4 should correspond to your system.

Good luck!

[siarzhuk]

Fixed in hrev45188.