Keyboard Preference Tool
Use the Keyboard preference tool to set and customize keyboard preferences such as the keyboard model, layout, and variant. You can also customize additional advanced keyboard options such as autorepeat preferences and typing break
settings.
Choose System → Preferences → Keyboard to display the Keyboard preference tool.
Keyboard preferences are activated by default. If more than one keyboard layout is selected, the Keyboard Indicator applet automatically appears in the right corner of the panel.
General Keyboard Preferences
Use the General tab to set general keyboard preferences. The following
table lists the keyboard preferences that you can modify.
Table 27 Keyboard Preferences
| |
|---|
Key presses repeat when key is held down
| Enables keyboard repeat so that when you press and hold a key, the action
associated with the key is performed repeatedly. For example, if you press
and hold a character key, the character is typed repeatedly.
|
Delay
| Sets the delay from the time you press a key to the time that the action
repeats.
|
Speed
| Sets the speed at which the action is repeated.
|
Cursor blinks in text fields
| Causes the cursor to blink in fields and text boxes.
|
Speed
| Specifies the speed at which the cursor blinks in fields and text boxes.
|
Type to test settings
| Provides an interactive interface so you can see how the keyboard settings
affect the display as you type. Type text in the test area to test the effect of your settings.
|
|
Keyboards Layouts
Use the Layouts tab to set your keyboard's language, and set the make
and model of the keyboard you are using.
These following settings enable you to make use of special media keys
on your keyboard, and to show the correct characters for your keyboard's language:
Keyboard model – Use the Browse button (labelled with
the currently selected keyboard model) to choose another keyboard make and
model.
Separate layout for each window – When this option is
selected, each window has its own keyboard layout. Changing to a different
layout will only affect the current window.
For example, you could
type with a Russian keyboard layout in a word processor and then switch to
your web browser and type with an English keyboard layout.
Selected Layouts – You can switch between selected layouts
to change the characters that your keyboard produces when you type.
To
switch between keyboard layouts, use the Keyboard Indicator panel applet.
To add a layout to the list of selected layouts, click the Add button.
In the Layout Chooser dialog that is displayed, select a layout by country
or by language. You can have up to four layouts. To remove a layout, select
it and click Remove.
Click Reset to Defaults to restore all the keyboard layout settings
to their initial state for your system and locale.
Click the Layout Options button to open the Keyboard Layout Options
dialog.
Note - The setxkbmap command enables you to set and
customize all keyboard layout settings in the X Server from the command line.
For more information, see the setxkbmap(1) man page.
Keyboard Layout Options
The Keyboard Layout Options dialog enables you to set the behavior of
keyboard modifier keys and certain shortcut options.
A label in bold indicates that the options in the group have been changed
from the default setting.
Note - The options shown in this dialog depend on the X Window system
that you are using. Not all options might be listed or work on your system.
The following table describes the keyboard layout options.
Table 28 Keyboard Layout Options
| |
|---|
Adding the Euro sign to certain keys
| Adds the Euro currency symbol -b$ to a key as a
third-level character. To access this symbol, you must assign a third-level
chooser.
|
Alt/Win key behavior
| Assigns the behavior of the UNIX modifier keys Super, Meta, and Hyper
to the Alt and Windows keys on your keyboard.
|
CapsLock key behavior
| Determines the behavior of the Caps Lock key.
|
Compose key position
| Enables you to combine two key presses to make a single character so
that you can create an accented character that might not be on your keyboard
layout. For example, press Compose+'+e to
obtain an e-acute character.
|
Control key position
| Sets the location of the Ctrl key to match the layout
on older keyboards.
|
Group Shift/Lock behavior
| Determines the keys or key combinations that will switch your keyboard
layout when pressed.
|
Miscellaneous compatibility options
|
Shift with the Num pad keys works as in MS
Windows – Using Shift with keys on the numerical key
pad when NumLock is off will extend the current selection.With
this option unselected, use Shift with keys on the numerical
pad to obtain the reverse of the current behavior for that key. For example,
when NumLock is off, the 8 key acts as an
up-arrow. Press Shift+8 to type an 8.
Special keys (Ctrl+Alt+<key>) handled in a server – Certain keyboard shortcuts
are passed to the X Window System instead of being handled by GNOME.
|
Third level choosers
| A third-level key enables you to obtain a third character from a key,
in the same way that pressing Shift with a key produces a
different character than pressing the key alone. Use this group to select a key that you want to act as a third-level
modifier key. Pressing the third-level key and Shift produces a fourth
character from a key. The third-level and fourth-level characters for your keyboard layout
are shown in the Keyboard Indicator Layout View window.
|
Use keyboard LED to show alternative group.
| Specifies that one of the light indicators on your keyboard should indicate
when an alternative keyboard layout is in use. The selected keyboard light
will no longer indicate its standard function. For example, the Caps
Lock light will not react to the Caps Lock key.
|
|
Accessibility Tab
The Accessibility tab enables you to set options such as filtering
out accidental key presses and using shortcut keys without having to hold
down several keys at once. These features are also known as AccessX.
This section describes each of the preferences that you can set. For
a more task-oriented description of keyboard accessibility, see the Oracle
Solaris Desktop Accessibility Guide.
The following table lists the accessibility preferences that you can
modify.
Table 29 Accessibility Preferences
| |
|---|
Accessibility features can be toggled with keyboard shortcuts
| Displays an icon in the notification area that offers quick access to
accessibility features.
|
Simulate simultaneous key presses
| Enables multiple simultaneous keypress operations by pressing the keys
in sequence. Alternatively, to enable the sticky keys feature, press Shift five times.
|
Disable sticky keys if two keys are pressed together
| Specifies that when you press two keys simultaneously, you can no longer
press keys in sequence to perform multiple simultaneous key presses.
|
Only accept long key presses
| Determines that you must press and hold a key for a period of time before acceptance. Alternatively, to enable the slow keys feature, press and hold Shift for eight seconds.
|
Delay
| Specifies the period of time that you must press and hold a key before
acceptance.
|
Ignore fast duplicate key presses
| Controls the key repeat characteristics of the keyboard.
|
Delay
| Specifies the interval to wait after the first keypress before the automatic
repeat of a pressed key.
|
Type to test settings
| Provides an interactive interface so that you can see how the keyboard
settings affect the display as you type. Type any text in the test area to
test the effect of your settings.
|
|
Audio Feedback
To configure audio feedback for keyboard accessibility features, click
the Audio Feedback button. The Keyboard Accessibility Audio Feedback window
is displayed.
The following table lists the audio feedback preferences that you can modify.
Table 30 Audio Feedback Preferences
| |
|---|
Beep when accessibility features are turned on or off
| Sounds for an audible indication when a feature such as sticky keys
or slow keys is activated, or deactivated.
|
Beep when a toggle key is pressed
| Sounds for an audible indication of a toggle keypress. You hear one
beep when a toggle key is turned on. You hear two beeps when a toggle key
is turned off.
|
Beep when a modifier key is pressed
| Sounds for an audible indication when you press a modifier key.
|
Show visual feedback for the alert sound
| Flashes part of the screen when an application beeps to indicate an
alert.
|
Flash window titlebar
| When an application beeps, briefly flash the titlebar of the window
in which the alert occurred.
|
Flash entire screen
| When an application beeps, briefly flash the entire screen.
|
Beep when a key is pressed
| Sounds for an audible indication when a key is pressed.
|
Beep when a key is accepted
| Sounds for an audible indication when a key is accepted.
|
Beep when a key is rejected
| Sounds for an audible indication when a key is rejected.
|
|
Mouse Keys
Use the options in the Mouse Keys tab to configure the keyboard as a
substitute for the mouse.
The following table lists the mouse keys preferences that you can modify.
Table 31 Mouse Keys Preferences
| |
|---|
Pointer can be controlled using the keypad
|
|
Acceleration
| Specifies the time that the pointer takes to accelerate to the maximum
speed.
|
Speed
| Specifies the maximum speed at which the pointer moves across the screen.
|
Delay
| Specifies the period of time that must pass after a keypress before
the pointer moves.
|
|
Typing Break
You can set a typing break notification to remind you to rest after
you have been using the keyboard and mouse for a long time. During a typing
break, the screen is locked.
The following table lists the typing break preferences that you can
modify.
Table 32 Typing Break Preferences
| |
|---|
Lock screen to enforce typing break
| Locks the screen when you are due a typing break.
|
Work interval lasts
| Specifies the time you can work before a typing break occurs.
|
Break interval lasts
| Specifies the length of your typing breaks.
|
Allow postponing of breaks
| Enables you to postpone typing breaks.
|
|
If you stop using the keyboard and mouse for a length of time equal
to the break interval setting, the current work interval will be reset.