Hello,

I just upgraded from Linux Mint / KDE4 to KDE Neon and I have a big problem setting up a compose key. In Mint/KDE4 I simply choose the CapsLock key to be the compose key in KDE's systemsettings. I can do this in Neon as well, but the compose key only works in certain apps, e.g. in Firefox, and in LibreOffice, but it does not work in Kate or in KWrite. When I press the ComposeKey in those apps, all I get is a small sad emoji: ☹. But I can not enter any compose sequence.

Furthermore, I would like to map the compose key to the right windows key, but I can't do this either. When I set compose key to it and press it, KDE's menu opens, just like it does when I press the left windows key. And yes: I rebooted after I changed the system settings!

I am getting a bit annoyed now, because there was no problem at all with setting a compose key in KDE 4, and now I am spending much too much time trying to solve this riddle. Is this a known bug in Neon? Did I miss anything? I really would appreciate a bit of help here. Thanks in advance!

Supplemental: my annoyance and frustration is growing.

I created a new user, and guess what! Yes: this new user can set the compose key to CapsLock and he can use that key in any(!) app he likes, without getting that stupid sad emoji.

Then I started to copy config files from the old user's home dir to the new user's home dir. Even after the complete ~/.config and ~/.local being copied, the new user still can use the ComposeKey as it is supposed to be used. What??? Why???

I spent hours (again...) comparing environment variables, system settings, and many other things, but I can not find any difference between the old user and the new user. Can anyone please explain this to me before I go mad? Where do I need to look for differences, where can that magic byte be hidden, that keeps the old user from using the ComposeKey in any app?

Eureka! Problem solved! I checked everything and checked everything again - but only nearly everything. I missed one file: ~/.XCompose.

This file was created years ago and has been working ever since in KDE 4, despite the fact that there was a little mistake in it. One of the lines was reading like this:

<Multi_key> <colon> <)> : "☹" U2639 # SAD SMILIE

while it has to be

<Multi_key> <colon> <parenleft> : "☹" U2639 # SAD SMILIE

KDE4 did never complain about that line, and I used this compose sequence lots of times. KDE5 wasn't able to use this line, nor to ignore it.

Everything concerning compose sequences and compose keys is working now.

HI, good job.
Please, mark as solved in order to be helpful for others.
Regards,

I'd like to mark this threat solved, but... how do I do this? I can't find any button that says "mark as solved", and the FAQ don't give any explanation either.

Hi, because you are the author of the post you can edit the Subject and write [SOLVED] on it at the begginig of the line.
Regards

That was too simple...

Thank you!