Re: [Pan-users] How to use Numeric Pad 'Delete' key

[Duncan]

Maurice posted on Sat, 14 May 2016 17:48:16 +0000 as excerpted:

> On my HP 450G2 Probook there are 2 Delete keys, but for 'Delete Article'
> Pan 0.139 ignores the Delete key just below the numeric pad.
> 
> Is there a way I can enable it for Delete Article?

I was doing a whole complex explanation thing, but then I realized, the 
problem might be much simpler.

Most keyboards have a numlock function of some sort.  When this is on, 
the numeric keypad should operate in numeric mode, and that key is 
probably a decimal point.  When numlock is off, the secondary keypad 
functionality is active, delete in place of the decimal point key, insert 
in place of the 0 key, etc.

So first thing, try toggling numlock and see if it works then.  Otherwise 
you'd be getting a . (probably a , in some locales) instead, and of 
course that won't delete.


If it's not that, then try running from a terminal window (after 
installing if necessary) the xev utility.  It will open a small window, 
and will spit out a rolling log of input events (aka X EVents, thus the 
name) in the terminal window, as long as that small window has focus.

What you'll want to do is hit the desired key and note its corresponding 
event, in particular, the reported keysym, which may be delete, 
kp_delete, kp_0, or similar.  Try with numlock both on and off.  Do the 
same for the delete key that works and compare the keysyms, reporting 
them here as well if you need further help beyond the below accels.txt 
notes.


Then take a look at the accels.txt file in $PANHOME (~/.pan2 by 
default).  This is a more or less unordered dump of all menu entries and 
their corresponding hotkeys.  Obviously because it's unordered, you'll 
have to search for either the hotkey or the function you want.  A 
semicolon (;) at the beginning of a line means its a comment, and all 
default entries are commented -- only actual changed hotkeys are 
uncommented.  One initially confusing bit is that <Primary> is what it 
calls the control key.  Other than that, the format should be pretty self-
explanatory from the existing entries.

If you think about sorting this file, however, be aware that pan will 
rewrite it in scrambled form every time it exits, so store your sorted 
file as something else, make edits to it as necessary, and then save a 
copy of it it over top of the accels.txt file when you are done.  That 
way you still have your sorted file the next time you want to change an 
entry.


The catch is that I don't know for sure how this file handles the kp_* 
keysyms, tho obviously it's not considering the two delete keys as the 
same, so it must make some distinction, and I'd guess it's whatever 
different keysym the other key makes, so setting that in this file will 
/hopefully/ make it sensitive to that key.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman