Gnome Tweak Switching layout - Shift Key behavior

Question

I am switching from windows to ubuntu and would like to achieve the same input method as in windows. I am now using English(US) and ibus-cangjie for input. I want to change the input layout by clicking the left shift. After google, I found that the additional layout setting in tweak can help.

However, the problem is it completely overrides the left shift key. For example, in windows, I can enter capital letters and enter symbols from the number key by long holding shift in English mode. When I do that in Ubuntu, after I long press and hold the left shift key it immediately changes to another layout. Therefore, I cannot input capital letters and symbols with the left shift key.

Is that any way to achieve the correct behavior：　when short click the shift button input layout changes and when long press and hold the shift key capitalize letters or enter symbol with number key？

2, English(US) and ibus Chinese. – Eric Nov 01 '20 at 04:06 — Eric, Nov 01 '20 at 04:06

Gunnar Hjalmarsson · Answer 1 · 2020-11-01T04:36:21.210

0

Intelligent Pinyin and Bopomofo (the ibus-libpinyin package) use Shift as a built-in shortcut for switching between Chinese and English. So when you long press Shift you can type capital English letters without switching mode. Just tapping Shift changes the mode to/from Chinese.

So if you use Intelligent Pinyin or Bopomofo and disable the shortcut you set via Tweaks it should do what you want.

edited Nov 01 '20 at 04:36

answered Nov 01 '20 at 04:18

Gunnar Hjalmarsson

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Thank you for reply but sorry I didn't specify my input layout. Pinyin is used in mainland China but I use ibus-cangjie in hong kong. After testing your solution there is no such built in function with my input method. – Eric Nov 01 '20 at 04:24
@Eric: ibus-libpinyin includes Bopomofo too, which is for Traditional Chinese if I understand it correctly. Works the same way. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Nov 01 '20 at 04:30
Unfortunately, that's different from what I am using also. – Eric Nov 01 '20 at 04:53
@Eric: Then I'm out of ideas. Besides picking some other key, such as , for switching layouts. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Nov 01 '20 at 05:09
@Erik: The ibus-chewing package comes with a similar built-in shortcut. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Nov 01 '20 at 05:45

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 15 '22 at 20:52

@GunnarHjalmarsson's answer seems to be perfect fit when you compare with windows equivalent. As you mentioned in your comments it does not fit.

You can have a workaround but bit time kill and not a good idea..

Workaround

First remove the setting that you made from gnome-tweaks i.e. Left Shift as switching the layout.

Set a custom keyboard shortcut via command line by following this post.

Give any name.
Give the command as bash /path/to/script
Give the key as XF86Phone which we don't use in common or change any other key as you wish in same idea.
Install the package xcpae with the command sudo apt install xcape
read manpage man xcape
run the command xcape -e 'Shift_L=XF86Phone'

Script (source):

#!/bin/bash
totalLang=$(gdbus call --session --dest org.gnome.Shell --object-path /org/gnome/Shell --method org.gnome.Shell.Eval "imports.ui.status.keyboard.getInputSourceManager()._mruSources.length" | grep -oP "(?<=').?(?=')")
currentLang=$(gdbus call --session --dest org.gnome.Shell --object-path /org/gnome/Shell --method org.gnome.Shell.Eval "imports.ui.status.keyboard.getInputSourceManager().currentSource.index" | grep -oP "(?<=').?(?=')")
declare -i math=$currentLang+1
if [ "$math" -lt "$totalLang" ]; then
  gdbus call --session --dest org.gnome.Shell --object-path /org/gnome/Shell --method org.gnome.Shell.Eval "imports.ui.status.keyboard.getInputSourceManager().inputSources["$currentLang+1"].activate()"
else
  gdbus call --session --dest org.gnome.Shell --object-path /org/gnome/Shell --method org.gnome.Shell.Eval "imports.ui.status.keyboard.getInputSourceManager().inputSources[0].activate()"
fi

Gnome Tweak Switching layout - Shift Key behavior

2 Answers2

Workaround