Xfce Forum

chang-zhao

Member

Registered: 2023-11-20

Posts: 49

xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

Until yesterday I used scripts involving things like

xdotool key F5

(e.g. to refresh Thunar window).

Now these have stopped working.

I try "xdotool key F1" in terminal, and it gets me Desktop context menu, as if Alt-F1 was pressed.

Likewise, "xdotool key F2" gives Application finder, as if Alt-F2 was pressed.

I guess that might have something to do with having upgraded system components, perhaps

upgraded xkeyboard-config (2.45-1 -> 2.46-1)

My keyboard model is "Generic 104-key PC".

Advice?

Thank you in advance.

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,356

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

I'm seeing the same. Downgrading xkeyboard-config and re-logging in makes it work again. A bug report should be filed against xkeyboard-config.

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chang-zhao

Member

Registered: 2023-11-20

Posts: 49

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

I'm seeing the same. Downgrading xkeyboard-config and re-logging in makes it work again. A bug report should be filed against xkeyboard-config.

Thanks!
Bug report:

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xkeyboar … issues/554

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,356

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

Nice. I've given it a thumbs up. Looks like they want you to fill in a template.

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chang-zhao

Member

Registered: 2023-11-20

Posts: 49

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

Nice. I've given it a thumbs up. Looks like they want you to fill in a template.

I believe the case was too simple and straightforward to use the standard template. Anyway, they answered, but the answer leaves me a bit confused:

If the key works when pressed normally, then it is an issue with xdotool or the rest of the X11 ecosystem, not this project.

I guess the bug report should go to xdotool now...

Would you like to do that?

GitHub doesn't let me login, demanding 2FA which would require a mobile phone...

Last edited by chang-zhao (2025-10-09 22:54:48)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,356

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

I don't understand how it can't be something in xkeyboard-config. Downgrading the package makes it work again. Something has changed there. Has to be a cascading effect. Let me see if I can have a closer look.

be interesting to see if anyone else notices it.

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rogue_ronin

Member

Registered: 2015-03-03

Posts: 31

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

I've been hunting for someone else experiencing this for a day now.

I use xdotool in a panel launcher to trigger a drop-down terminal (tilda) with the F8 key - it now grabs the lower right corner of the terminal with the mouse cursor - been driving me mad...

Gonna try downgrading xkeyboard-config - thanks for the hint!

(My Dymo LabelManager PNP also stopped working, wonder if this has something to do with it - this printer has weird HID stuff...)

EDIT: yup, solved my tilda problem, but nope not my printer problem...

Last edited by rogue_ronin (2025-10-10 10:11:06)

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EndeavourOS (Arch)
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chang-zhao

Member

Registered: 2023-11-20

Posts: 49

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

My Dymo LabelManager PNP also stopped working, wonder if this has something to do with it - this printer has weird HID stuff...

Your Linux is Arch-based so I'm guessing it uses pacman too.

To try to figure out which upgrade has broken something, I usually check the last upgrades, like

cat /var/log/pacman.log | tail -n 300 | grep upgrade

and then view a suspected package in PkgBrowser.
https://codeberg.org/kachelaqa/pkgbrowser
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pkgbrowser
It gives a ton of info on packages, from Description and URL to the list of files, the tree of dependencies, the log of upgrades etc.

rogue_ronin

Member

Registered: 2015-03-03

Posts: 31

Re: xdotool seems to produce Alt-F5 instead of F5

Your Linux is Arch-based so I'm guessing it uses pacman too.

To try to figure out which upgrade has broken something, I usually check the last upgrades, like

cat /var/log/pacman.log | tail -n 300 | grep upgrade

and then view a suspected package in PkgBrowser.
https://codeberg.org/kachelaqa/pkgbrowser
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pkgbrowser
It gives a ton of info on packages, from Description and URL to the list of files, the tree of dependencies, the log of upgrades etc.

Looking at the labelle changes in the AUR, it seems like it was upgraded on 09-SEP to version 1.4.2 from 1.4.1. That is probably after the last time I used the printer before yesterday but I can't use the downgrade utility to go back. I'll probably have to do it "the arch way" which I always forget but isn't difficult.

Thanks for the encouragement. I will check out PkgBrowser, sounds neat!

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EndeavourOS (Arch)
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