How do I set KDE to use GB keyboard layout for all users
This is openSUSE 13.2 and KDE 4.14
The system keyboard in Yast is set to UK but a brand new user
comes up with US.

Ta

Mal

interele wrote:The system keyboard in Yast is set to UK but a brand new user
comes up with US.

That should not happen.
KDE does default to the "system keyboard layout".

Is your system uptodate?
There were problems with specific system keyboard layouts in the original 13.2.

If that doesn't help, try setting the system keyboard manually.
Either edit /etc/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf /X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf with a text editor, or (better) use:

Code: Select all

localectl set-x11-keymap gb

Hi,

I had a look at 00-keyboard.conf and it said gb
so I tried the localectl things just to be sure and
it didn't do anything. Logged in a users and it
says US on the bottom right hand side and the
layout is still US



Mal

interele wrote:Logged in a users and it
says US on the bottom right hand side and the
layout is still US

Hm?
There should be no layout indicator at all by default.

So you apparently did change the user settings already. In this case, they override the system layout.
You have to set the layout(s) in KDE's systemsettings ("Configure Desktop")->Input Devices->Keyboard->Layouts then.

But a fresh user account should use the system layout.
Just OOC: is the keyboard layout set to GB at the login screen? Then the system setting works.

I created a new user with a totally empty home directory
Logged in and I get US keyboard layout and a US indicator

Yast says it's 'UK English'
KDE system settings says its 'System Country ( United Kingdom) '

I found an article and put a file called kxkbrc in /etc/kde4/share/config
with the relevant bits and bobs and the keyboard layout is now UK but
the indicator still says US.

If you right click on the indicator and change it via the input method
it updates .config/dbus/user and then KDE seems to take it from there
but there is all sorts of user specific stuff in that file so I can't copy that
to other users.

I would be happy with a GB keyboard layout if I could get rid of the US indicator
for everyone but that seems to be user specific again.

Regards

Mal

More investigation shows.

student.fifteen is a new account that has never been logged into and has the problems
student.thirteen is an old one from two years ago and was used at the time we had openSUSE 13.1

if I take these users and log into any 13.2 machine with KDE 4.10 student.thirteen works
properly ( no indicator and UK keyboard ) and student.fifteen does not. ( indicator and
US keyboard )

Now if I copy ./config/dbus/user from student.thirteen to student.fifteen this account now
works and there doesn't appear to be any user specific data in it.

I could just go through all the new year 7's account and put this file in but it seems a horrible hack

Have you any idea what is going on

Ta

Mal

interele wrote:I created a new user with a totally empty home directory
Logged in and I get US keyboard layout and a US indicator

Yast says it's 'UK English'
KDE system settings says its 'System Country ( United Kingdom) '

'System Country ( United Kingdom) ' (in the Locale settings I suppose) is not a keyboard layout but the country/region, and is actually irrelevant for the keyboard layout.
The layouts can be configured in "Input Devices"->"Keyboard"->"Layouts" as mentioned. By default they are not configured at all and the system layout should be used.

Have you any idea what is going on

I'm not sure.

But as mentioned, KDE shouldn't show any keyboard layout indicator by default.
And things in ~/.config/ should not affect KDE4 either, its settings are in ~/.kde4/. Personally I don't even have ~/.config/dbus/user here (also openSUSE 13.2 with KDE4).

Are you using any input method systems like ibus or fcitx? That indicator and the problem might come from them.

Other than that I could only think that you have some config files in /etc/skel/ or /etc/kde4/share/config/ that override the defaults on a fresh user account.

I have come to the conclusion ( hence the post in the openSUSE forums )
that KDE uses IBus and IBus uses ~/.conf/dconf/user
which is populated incorrectly. To save you having to pop over to the openSUSE
forums here is the post

Yast in hardware say UK English and in Locale also says UK English
KDE in System Settings Locale says System Country ( United Kingdom )
If the user has used the system when the machines were 13.1 their ~/.config/dconf/user
is correct -if they have never logged in before ( and there will be 300 odd
of them in September ) then when their ~/.config/dconf/user is created
it has a US keyboard layout and KDE ( via IBus ) uses that.
So far I have 3 nasty workarounds
1 - delete IBus
2 - copy a correct 'user' file from an old user into every new user
3- add a kxkbrc to /etc/kde4/share/config and live with the fact that the keyboard layout indicator says US
None of which are particularly nice but trying to get 300 kids to right click on the indicator and select preferences
etc etc is going to be like herding cats

You wouldn't have thought that getting a '£' symbol was such a drama

Mal

interele wrote:I have come to the conclusion ( hence the post in the openSUSE forums )
that KDE uses IBus and IBus uses ~/.conf/dconf/user

KDE only uses IBUS if it is installed. Or rather IBUS is started/activated by the Xorg startup scripts I think.

It should not be installed by default on an openSUSE KDE system. GNOME pulls it in though (as recommended package).

If you don't plan to use it, it is perfectly ok to uninstall it.

Ah ! We do install Gnome as an alternative since we have
one or two students that have gone to the dark side

We will uninstall IBus since Gnome doesn't seem to mind
if it's not there either

Many thanks

Mal

interele wrote:We will uninstall IBus since Gnome doesn't seem to mind
if it's not there either

Yes, GNOME doesn't really need it either, that's why the packages are only recommended.

But it might be pulled in again via updates. To make sure you should probably lock "ibus" too, e.g. via "zypper al ibus".