Laptops have special functions such as sleep or brightness that are implemented through either buttons outside the main keyboard or key combinations using the Fn key. These are called "hotkeys", and are typically implemented in the laptop hardware and BIOS via the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).

Contents

• Hotkey Troubleshooting Guide

• Hotkeys Architecture Overview

Todo

• Move mis-filed hotkey bugs into more correct packages:

  • https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hotkeys

  • https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acpi

  • https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hotkey-setup

  • (DONE) https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg

  • (DONE) https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xkeyboard-config

  • https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-input-keyboard

• Work through Hotkeys/Troubleshooting a few times to make sure it gives good guidance
• Cleanup and improve Hotkeys/Architecture
• Migrate key support out of acpid to more appropriate packages
• Migrate key support out of acpi-support to appropriate proper packages
• Migrate key support out of hotkey-setup to appropriate proper packages

See Also

• man xmodmap

• Laptop Keycodes

• Hotkey Research

• Multimedia Keys in Ubuntu

• Multimedia Keys in Kubuntu

• Multimedia Keys in Xfce

• KeyTouch - GUI tools for keyboard configuration

• Gentoo's Multimedia Key Page

• USB HID Usage Tables (pdf)

• Quirking keymaps in HAL

• KeyTouch utility

• The Linux USB Input Subsystem

• whot's blog - upstream X input developer

• All About ACPI