mouse keys too easy to accidently turn on

I've been having this problem too on 7.10. If there is a short-cut key to turn this on and off, it should be documented and have the option to disable it.

In "Keyboard Accessibility Preferences", I have the "Enable keyboard accessibility preferences" unchecked. The "Enable Mouse Keys" checkbox is usually unchecked and inactive. However, whenever mouse keys turns itself on, the "Enable Mouse Keys" checkbox becomes checked and inactive even though the "Enable keyboard accessibility preferences" checkbox remains unchecked.

Apparently, mouse keys does not respect the state of the "Enable keyboard accessibility preferences" checkbox. It will become enabled even though I've in spite of my preferences.

To disable mouse keys I have to check "Enable keyboard accessibility preferences" (to make "Enable Mouse Keys" active) , uncheck "Enable Mouse Keys" and then uncheck "Enable keyboard accessibility preferences".

Too many steps to disable a feature that shouldn't be enabled in the first place.

I think you can consider this bug confirmed, since two people have the same bug. I'm going to try to forward it upstream.

Added to the bugtracker of GNOME.

The shortcut is Alt + LShift + NumLock
The people at GNOME think that it's an error in the XServer. GNOME uses the flag XkbAccessKeys to enable or disable the keyboard accessible functions, but the Mouse key shortcut don't respect this. Thus it's an error in the XKB specification.
The only bug in GNOME is that the Keyboard Accessible functions box isn't selected, so the Mouse keys box looks grey.

upstream thinks it's a X issue, re assigning, thanks.

@William Woelke: did you also have this issue in gutsy, like John?

@John: Did this start happening when you shifted to gutsy, or did it occur before that?

I'm going to forward this bug to the bug tracker of X, but in order to fix this bug the developers will need some more information. Please attach the following files and command:
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
/var/log/Xorg.0.log
gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals
Please also verify this issue is still present with the latest option and post the version of xkb-data.

I first noticed the issue in Gutsy, but not immediately.

On Wed, Mar 19, 2008 at 12:30 PM, Bryce Harrington
<email address hidden> wrote:
> @William Woelke: did you also have this issue in gutsy, like John?
>
> @John: Did this start happening when you shifted to gutsy, or did it
> occur before that?
>
>
>
> --
> mouse keys turns on randomly
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/192508
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

I didn't notice this issue before Gutsy, though I can't confirm that
this didn't happen before Gutsy. If it did, I didn't pay any
attention to it.

I have version 0.9-4ubuntu3 of xkb-data installed. I'm not sure what
you mean by 'latest option'. I am still running Gutsy and it is fully
updated and the issue is still present.

Thank you for looking into this!

Output of gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals

I meant version I think. ;) Thank you for the files I'll report them to X.

I can also confirm this behavior with 7.10. It's a fresh install on a laptop (Toshiba Satellite P100 - full keyboard, so I use the number pad a lot). The duration between Mouse Keys turning on seems to be random - very hard to anticipate when it'll happen. I haven't had it switch while I'm actually in the middle of actually using my number pad though.

One thing that might be worth noting is that I frequently have remote sessions to other machines (both Windows and Linux) and I'm not sure if this might contribute to enabling the functionality or not. I've seen odd behavior with keys like Caps Lock and Num Lock while switching between Term Server or VNC, so I wanted to mention it.

I'm able to provide any attachments as well if they're needed.

Thanks for confirming! It would be great if you'd give your /etc/X11/xorg.conf and /var/log/Xorg.0.log too, so the devs can compare two different setups with each other.

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

/var/log/Xorg.0.log

I think I may have isolated the issue on my end - it seems that Shift+Num Lock turns on the Mouse Keys feature.

It seems to be pretty easy to hit this key combo on my laptop since I'm always turning Num Lock on and off pending what I'm doing at the time and holding the Shift key

Luckily, it's a toggle, so you can hit it again and disable it again. I'm going to poke around to see if I can disable this key combo completely, but knowing that it's a toggle will save A LOT of hassle.

I can confirm this and will report it upstream. Thank you very much for your work!

Just to confirm it affects 8.04, fresh install. Nice to know that this bug that affected a copy of Gnome I crowbarred onto slackware 9.1 5 years ago still has no fix.. gaaarrgghh.. I don't often use the keypad, but about 1 in 5 times mouse keys will be turned on AGAIN. I wish there was an un-install all accessibility features (mental note to check if there is) harsh though it sounds for those who might need it, having things random turn on and off is a pain.

Does it help to gksu gconf-editor then set the enable-mouse-keys or off and mandatory? I know this means every local user will be affected, but every local user is currently me, and I don't mind too much!

Nice to know this bug has been confirmed though.. 5 years ago I gave up looking for answers as I was too pushed for time.

Mouse keys seem to turn on in relation to using remote desktop, but I am unable to reproduce the problem willingly.

I can confirm this from 7.10 to 8.04, and since both "[ ] Enable assistive technologies" and "[ ] Allow to turn accessibility features on and off from the keyboard" options are disabled (unchecked), hotkeys combos should not turn this feature on at all.

Moreover, I can confirm what WIlliam Woelke says, that through remote desktop (I've installed vino default server, but using different clients) the (dis-)function seems to turn on with no apparent relation to pressed keys (that is, it can be happen that I press unwillingly the hotkey combo, but not so often as the problem occurs to me... at least, that's my impression)

I also have mouse keys turn on when logging in via VNC.
This also causes issues in Mathematica over VNC, wherein mathematica detects unusual characters from the shift key, I don't know if they are related in your scope, but they always seem to occur together.

I have often encountered the evil twin of this bug. Mouse keys will switch off for no apparent reason. I certainly sympathize with the posters above. But I would add that, for those of us who use mouse keys, it is equally unpleasant to have it suddenly _stop_ working. (Many thanks to Mike who posted the Shift+Num Lock shortcut!)

I encountered this often in Feisty and Gutsy. It seems to happen less often in Hardy, though I just recently upgraded and haven't spent much time with Hardy yet. There is one difference though; in 7.04 and 7.10 when mouse keys switched off the "enable mouse keys" check box would become unchecked. But in 8.04 mouse keys will stop working while the check box remains checked.

I am not using a laptop keyboard and it seems very unlikely that I'm frequently hitting shift+num lock by accident. I am not logging in via remote desktop; remote desktop is not enabled on my machine.

Ok, this may not be a high priority bug, but after 10 months, the bug is still there?

FWIW, I also use tsclient (so as client, to connect to a windows machine) and it may be related to the mouse keys switching on, but its hard to find a pattern, and it occurs even when tsclient is not running. But without having run tsclient during a session, I have not yet encountered it afaict.

Once you know what is happening, and you know shift+numlock disables it again, it is no drama. But most users will not read this and think ubuntu can not even drive a keyboard without errors. In that light, its a bit disappointing this still isn't fixed. If nothing else, I think a notification should be given when mousekeys are turned on (with or without this bug), so at least people might realize whats going on. Just a little balloon stating "mouse keys turned on. Press shift+numlock to turn off again".

I like the balloon idea. But there is an existing applet which is almost as good.

The accessx-status panel applet will tell you whether mouse keys is on or off. First make sure the gnome-applets package is loaded. Then right-click on the gnome panel, usually at the top and/or bottom of your screen. Select "Add To Panel", then scroll down and select "Keyboard Accessibility Status". Click Add. This will add an icon to your panel: with mouse keys off it looks like a wheelchair symbol, with mouse keys on it looks like a 3-button mouse.

I've experienced this bug using TightVNC and Vinegre as VNC clients and when using Vino (GNOME's built-in VNC server) as the server. P4man said he was using tsclient.

Is anyone experiencing this bug with other VNC clients or servers? I'm inclined to believe this is a bug in Vino, unless someone reports using a different server. Any KDE users with this problem? Any comments?

Paul: Thanks for the applet tip. Too bad we have to clog up the panel to get some indication for something we don't want.

Found these links:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=921322
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/9035/

Having a notification is not a solution. Its a useful idea for people who
actually want to use mousekey, but I bet the large majority doesn't and just
wants to see this bug fixed.

Its interesting almost everyone reporting this bug uses VNC or similar, so I
concur the bug seems to be related to it. Are you guys using a US qwerty
keyboard layout? I had to define my (belgian) keyboard in tsclient, Im
wondering if that plays a role or not, because until I defined the keyboard
layout as "fr-be", I didnt have a numeric keypad on the the remote client.
Exactly the same keys that act up with the mousekey thing. Coincidence?

On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 5:51 PM, John <email address hidden> wrote:

> Found these links:
>
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=921322
> http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/9035/
>
> --
> mouse keys turns on randomly
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/192508
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

I'm using a US-qwerty layout on all my machines, both clients and servers.

P4man: What VNC server are you using?

On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 11:41 AM, P4man <email address hidden> wrote:

> Having a notification is not a solution. Its a useful idea for people who
> actually want to use mousekey, but I bet the large majority doesn't and
> just
> wants to see this bug fixed.
>
> Its interesting almost everyone reporting this bug uses VNC or similar, so
> I
> concur the bug seems to be related to it. Are you guys using a US qwerty
> keyboard layout? I had to define my (belgian) keyboard in tsclient, Im
> wondering if that plays a role or not, because until I defined the keyboard
> layout as "fr-be", I didnt have a numeric keypad on the the remote client.
> Exactly the same keys that act up with the mousekey thing. Coincidence?
>
> On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 5:51 PM, John <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> > Found these links:
> >
> > http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=921322
> > http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/9035/
> >
> > --
> > mouse keys turns on randomly
> > https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/192508
> > You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> > of the bug.
> >
>
> --
> mouse keys turns on randomly
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/192508
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

US-querty - yes. Is it backsliding if I use a Microsoft Eronomic Keyboard 4000 on my Linux machine? ;-)

VNC - no. I have remote access disabled.

Ah, a comment in that thread is the key to this, I think - shift numlock is the hotkey that turns the "feature" on and off. I bet that I've been hitting that shortcut accidentally. Since it's such a "destructive" shortcut (i.e. it wrecks the number pad's function) could this bug be resolved by popping up an obvious-but-automatically-disappearing alert when the shortcut is selected?

And, could we have an option in the settings dialog for mousekeys to permanently disable the shortcut? I bet the combination of both of those would solve this issue for most people.

@Reuben Firmin I agree with your comment.

What do others think?

No, shift-numlock is NOT how most of us are having this happen.

Are you typing anywhere near the numpad when it turns on?

The notification that it is turning on would at least rule out your assertion.

I've not had time to read the 65 posts above, but I've experienced this same problem.

I hope someone can fix it for all Ubuntu/Linux users. It seems weird that numlock sometimes moves the mouse instead of being a number pad. I've not knowingly pressed SHIFT and num lock at the same time neither have I changed the keyboard settings to affect this.

Turbolad : Please read https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/192508/comments/52 - It could help.

The biggest issue I've noticed is that this happens with Remote Desktop enabled. Can anyone else confirm this?

I have a fresh install of 10.04 and had bug 549727 and this bug.

Thanks,

Nick

I am definitely not having this happen by pressing shift-numlock, but I connect to this computer (Ubuntu 10.04) with VNC (Remote Desktop) every day, so it seems likely that is triggering it somehow. Comment #52 contains a workaround, but that definitely isn't a bug fix.

confirming for Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS 2.6.32-24-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP x86_64 with latest updates.

mousekeys is enabled on EVERY reboot, despite having the accessibility options set to the contrary.

The only time Ive ever pressed the shift-Numlock combination is to disable mousekeys once I figured out why my numpad wasn't working.

Of note is that this bug was not on the original install of this machine (built in march from the 9.x series,) but manifested only about 2 weeks ago when I rebooted to finish a minor update cycle. (~Aug 23 iirc) I wish I had known this was a bug then, as I would have been able to identify the exact packages that had been updated.

Still appearing sometimes across several Ubuntu releases, including Maverick 10.10, without Remote Desktop enabled.

i can confirm this still happens on maverick. i havent been using vnc, remote desktop or anything like that.

I can confirm the same, I have the same problem using maverick, and I'm almost sure the issue started when vnc got upgraded.

I can confirm the same issue in Ubuntu 10.10 64-bit. I have Remote Desktop enabled.

Same problem here. Ubuntu 10.10 64-bit. The workaround is to hold SHIFT and press Num lock.

Man, this is annoying, surely a candidate for Papercuts?

I'm facing the same issue with the following configuration:
- ubuntu 10.04.1 32bit, with remote desktop enabled (vino version 2.28.2-0ubuntu2)
- ubuntu 10.04.1 64bit, connecting to the above computer with vinagre (version 2.30.2-0ubuntu1)
The mouse keys activate on the first computer (the VNC server)

Based on the above comments and my personal experience, I don't think it could simply be some accidental Shift-NumLock

Also seeing this bug, though I don't use any form of remote desktop(the default one is installed, but never used)
10.10 on an HP ProBook 6555b
Started less than a month ago

The bug is still unsolved in 2012.

It happened two times to beginners that belong to my LUG.
In 2010: http://listengine.tuxfamily.org/linuxarverne.org/discussions/2010/04/msg00024.html
And recently: http://listengine.tuxfamily.org/linuxarverne.org/discussions/2012/01/msg00000.html

Fortunately they are using libre software for a long time now and are convinced by free software philosophy, but I can imagine what could happen to other beginners facing this problem.

They both use Ubuntu 10.04 but I used an up-to-date debian sid with gnome shell 3.2, and the Shift+NumLock still activates the option (whose is now in the universal access menu and not in the keyboard menu).

When will this "feature" be disabled? If not, is it possible to change the combination to a more-difficult-to-accidentaly-strike-it one, such as Ctrl+Alt+NumLock?

I can confirm this bug with latest Ubuntu Lucid 10.04.4. During vino sessions, mouse keys are activated when pressing numlock. This error is tricky because it doesn't happen every time, but we have definitely reproduced it several times.

In saucy the combination is Alt + LShift + NumLock. The problem is that it is not listed in Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Universal Access.
It's also difficult to find Settings > Universal Access > Pointing and Clicking > Mouse Keys (Control the pointer using the keypad) to go back to normal behavior after using the combination by mistake.
In fact it was easier for me to find org/gnome/desktop/a11y/keyboard/mousekeys-enable=true using dconf dump / (this is a paradox about accessibility! )

WIlliam Woelke, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If so, could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ .

If it remains an issue, could you please run the following command in the development release from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report:

apport-collect -p xorg-server REPLACE-WITH-BUG-NUMBER

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs

ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,vpswitch,snap,mousepoll,resize,place,move,wall,grid,regex,imgpng,session,gnomecompat,animation,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,workarounds,scale,expo,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: trusty
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation GT218 [GeForce 210] [10de:0a65] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:847f]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-07-16 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140416.2)
MachineType: FUJITSU SIEMENS DP965LT
Package: xorg-server (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.13.0-32-generic root=/dev/mapper/vgubuntu-trusty ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-32.57-generic 3.13.11.4
Tags: trusty ubuntu
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-32-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True
dmi.bios.date: 04/26/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Intel Corp.
dmi.bios.version: MQ96510J.86A.1679.2007.0426.2359
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: DP965LT
dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corporation
dmi.board.version: AAD41694-209
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIntelCorp.:bvrMQ96510J.86A.1679.2007.0426.2359:bd04/26/2007:svnFUJITSUSIEMENS:pnDP965LT:pvr:rvnIntelCorporation:rnDP965LT:rvrAAD41694-209:cvn:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: DP965LT
dmi.sys.vendor: FUJITSU SIEMENS
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.52-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 10.1.3-0ubuntu0.1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 10.1.3-0ubuntu0.1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.15.1-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.8.2-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.3.0-1ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.10-1ubuntu2
xserver.bootTime: Thu Jul 17 00:38:59 2014
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.15.1-0ubuntu2
xserver.video_driver: nouveau

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CoudCoud, please do not apport-collect to another person's report. Instead, so your hardware and problem may be tracked, could you please file a new report by executing the following in a terminal:
ubuntu-bug xorg

Please ensure you have xdiagnose installed, and that you click the Yes button for attaching additional debugging information.

For more on this, please see the official Ubuntu documentation:
Ubuntu X.Org Team, Ubuntu Bug Control, and Ubuntu Bug Squad: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/BestPractices#X.2BAC8-Reporting.Focus_on_One_Issue
Ubuntu Community: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette

When opening up the new report, please feel free to subscribe me to it.

Please note, not filing a new report will delay your problem being addressed as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.

Just wanted to add further confirmation that this particular keyboard shortcut is 'too easy' to activate. One of the babies in the house, each barely over one year old, reached up and randomly pressed buttons on my keyboard, turning on the 'mouse keys' function and disabling the numpad. I've been perplexed by this for a couple of months at least.

The suggestions I've seen to 'fix' the problem don't work for me on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit. The system completely ignores the Settings|Universal Access|Pointing and Clicking|Mouse Keys setting. Using ALT+L-SHIFT+NUMLOCK, or SHIFT+NUMLOCK does the exact same thing as simply pressing NUMLOCK alone.

I believe that shortly after building this PC I had set the BIOS on my computer to automatically turn ON the numpad. I think that may be part of this insidious problem. Because now, when the light is ON for the NUMLOCK key, I am in Mouse Keys mode. And, when the NUMLOCK key is switched OFF, the numpad works normally.

Is there a way to permanently disable Mouse Keys, and get my keyboard to operate the way it used to?

This bug report obviously refers to changing a setting in the version of GNOME in use at the time this bug report was raised.

In a much more up-to-date version of gnome-control-center I see a switch that has to be moved in 'Settings | Accessibility | Pointing and Clicking' in order to enable 'Mouse Keys'. So not an easy option to turn on.

Does this bug report have any relevance in any currently supported release of Ubuntu bearing in mind that over 13 years have elapsed since it was raised?

There seems to be something missing from my edit of comment #111 so ....

Although the shortcut of Shift+NumLock still exists in the current development release (impish) there has been no comment from anyone affected by this issue in the last eight days since my comment #111.

Also, as there has been no discussion regarding this issue for over seven years now I'm closing this bug report with a status of "Opinion" as it is not something that seems to have affected any users in that time.