FVWM: Modifier Keys Stop Working (FVWM 2.5.31 RealVNC 5.05)

[Mark Selby]

I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.

I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.

Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100

The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.

I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is the
capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.

There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.

Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may further
troubleshoot this issue.

All and any help is greatly appreciated

[Dan Espen]

Post by Mark Selby
I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.
I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.
Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100
The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.
I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is
the capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.
There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.
Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may
further troubleshoot this issue.
All and any help is greatly appreciated

Sounds like the first question in the FAQ.
Pay attention to the numlock key.

[Mark Selby]

I did read the FAQ and I do not think that this is my problem as (1) I
have checked that the numlock key is off and (2) When my num lock light
is active the modifier keys actually work

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby
I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.
I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.
Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100
The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.
I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is
the capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.
There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.
Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may
further troubleshoot this issue.
All and any help is greatly appreciated

Sounds like the first question in the FAQ.
Pay attention to the numlock key.

[Dan Espen]

Post by Mark Selby

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby
I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.
I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.
Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100
The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.
I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is
the capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.
There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.
Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may
further troubleshoot this issue.
All and any help is greatly appreciated

Sounds like the first question in the FAQ.
Pay attention to the numlock key.

I did read the FAQ and I do not think that this is my problem as (1) I
have checked that the numlock key is off and (2) When my num lock
light is active the modifier keys actually work

To diagnose, use xev, this is a tiny application that tells you what
X thinks your keys are emitting.

Record the key values while the bindings work, then when they don't
work. There is a possibility VNC or something else has grabbed the
keys for itself.

[Mark Selby]

I am not an X expert at all but from what I can see here it looks like
FVWM stops intercepting the arrow keys. When things are working xev sees
the left and right Ctrl/Alt press and then there is a whole bunch of
focus in/out messages. There is never a KeyPress/KeyRelease event
relating to Righr/Left/Up/Down when things are working. Once things stop
working then all xev repots are 3 key press and key release operations.

Any ideas?



XEV when modifer DOES NOT WORK

KeyPress event, serial 32, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430306, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x10, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430329, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x14, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430515, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 102 (keysym 0xff53, Right), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430610, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 102 (keysym 0xff53, Right), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430723, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430729, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x14, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False


XEV when modifer DOES WORK


KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675702989, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0x0, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675703005, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0x4, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

FocusOut event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
mode NotifyGrab, detail NotifyAncestor

VisibilityNotify event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
state VisibilityFullyObscured

ConfigureNotify event, serial 35, synthetic YES, window 0x1400001,
event 0x1400001, window 0x1400001, (-826,65), width 178, height 178,
border_width 0, above 0x600808, override NO

FocusOut event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
mode NotifyWhileGrabbed, detail NotifyNonlinear

VisibilityNotify event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
state VisibilityUnobscured

Expose event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
(0,0), width 178, height 10, count 3

Expose event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
(0,10), width 10, height 58, count 2

Expose event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
(68,10), width 110, height 58, count 1

Expose event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
(0,68), width 178, height 110, count 0

ConfigureNotify event, serial 35, synthetic YES, window 0x1400001,
event 0x1400001, window 0x1400001, (704,65), width 178, height 178,
border_width 0, above 0x600808, override NO

PropertyNotify event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
atom 0x162 (_WIN_AREA), time 675703929, state PropertyNewValue

FocusIn event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
mode NotifyWhileGrabbed, detail NotifyNonlinear

KeymapNotify event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x0,
keys: 1 0 0 0 32 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

FocusIn event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
mode NotifyUngrab, detail NotifyAncestor

KeymapNotify event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x0,
keys: 3 0 0 0 32 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675704173, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0xc, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675704182, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0x8, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby
I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.
I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.
Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100
The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.
I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is
the capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.
There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.
Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may
further troubleshoot this issue.
All and any help is greatly appreciated

Sounds like the first question in the FAQ.
Pay attention to the numlock key.

I did read the FAQ and I do not think that this is my problem as (1) I
have checked that the numlock key is off and (2) When my num lock
light is active the modifier keys actually work

To diagnose, use xev, this is a tiny application that tells you what
X thinks your keys are emitting.
Record the key values while the bindings work, then when they don't
work. There is a possibility VNC or something else has grabbed the
keys for itself.

[Dan Espen]

Post by Mark Selby

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby

Post by Dan Espen

Post by Mark Selby
I am running FVWM 2.5.31 on a CentOS 6.4 (x64_64) host using RealVNC
5.05 as a VNC Server. My client is a Mac Running OSX 10.8.5.
I am having an issue whereby certain modifier keys spontaneously stop
working and the only way that I can restore their functionality is to
kill and restart FVWM.
Key Left A CM Scroll -100 +0
Key Up A CM Scroll +0 -100
Key Right A CM Scroll +100 +0
Key Down A CM Scroll +0 +100
The above are the 4 lines in my .fvwm2rc which allow me to use
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow to move my workspace in any direction that I choose.
I go along fine for a period of time and then something happens where
Ctrl-Alt-Arrow stops working and all I get when I use these keys is
the capital letters ABCD when I use one of these key combinations.
There is nothing in any log file that points me in any direction as to
what is happening.
Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on or how I may
further troubleshoot this issue.
All and any help is greatly appreciated

Sounds like the first question in the FAQ.
Pay attention to the numlock key.

I did read the FAQ and I do not think that this is my problem as (1) I
have checked that the numlock key is off and (2) When my num lock
light is active the modifier keys actually work

To diagnose, use xev, this is a tiny application that tells you what
X thinks your keys are emitting.
Record the key values while the bindings work, then when they don't
work. There is a possibility VNC or something else has grabbed the
keys for itself.

I am not an X expert at all but from what I can see here it looks like
FVWM stops intercepting the arrow keys. When things are working xev
sees the left and right Ctrl/Alt press and then there is a whole bunch
of focus in/out messages. There is never a KeyPress/KeyRelease event
relating to Righr/Left/Up/Down when things are working. Once things
stop working then all xev repots are 3 key press and key release
operations.
Any ideas?
XEV when modifer DOES NOT WORK
KeyPress event, serial 32, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430306, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x10, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430329, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x14, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430515, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 102 (keysym 0xff53, Right), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430610, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 102 (keysym 0xff53, Right), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430723, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x1c, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyRelease event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x1400002, time 682430729, (47,45), root:(94,154),
state 0x14, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
XEV when modifer DOES WORK
KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675702989, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0x0, keycode 37 (keysym 0xffe3, Control_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False
KeyPress event, serial 35, synthetic NO, window 0x1400001,
root 0x3f, subw 0x0, time 675703005, (10,-10), root:(714,55),
state 0x4, keycode 64 (keysym 0xffe9, Alt_L), same_screen YES,
XFilterEvent returns: False

Well, I was thinking about what I asked you to do.
Xev should not be able to trace the key press of Right
when Fvwm is intercepting it. So your traces for when it works
are correct. Xev can see the modifiers, but when Fvwm intercepts
the Right key, xev won't see that.

I've never seen Fvwm stop intercepting a key unless a command is
given like:

Key Right A CM -

which would remove the binding.

To see the current bindings of a running Fvwm, use the command

Printinfo bindings

The output will be where ever you have stderr directed.
Use FvwmTalk, FvwmConsole, or FvwmCommand to issue the Printinfo command.