[kde-linux] Alt-Tab just stopped working

[Jerome Yuzyk]

On Monday, April 23, 2012 03:30:30 AM Duncan <1i5t5.duncan at cox.net> wrote:
> Jerome Yuzyk posted on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:23:58 -0600 as excerpted:
> > On Saturday, April 21, 2012 12:20:22 PM Duncan <1i5t5.duncan at cox.net>
> > 
> > wrote:
> >> Jerome Yuzyk posted on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:54:45 -0600 as excerpted:
> >> > KDE 4.6.5 on Fedora 15
> >> 
> >> Thanks.  A lot of folks forget to include that info.
> >> 
> >> > Alt-Tab (and Alt-F2) suddenly stopped working. I have no idea what
> >> > I did.
> >> > 
> >> > How do I restart them?
> >> 
> >> Possibilities:
> >> 
> >> 1) Are you sure the alt-key on your keyboard is still working?  I've
> >> had
> > 
> > Yes, Alt-Tab works in my Windows VMs, and Alt-key for picking menu
> > items.
> > 
> >> 2) The keyboard shortcuts may have been changed.  Try kde settings
> > 
> > Tried, they're ok.
> > 
> > 
> > Oddly, Ctrl-F1 etc works fine.
> > 
> > 
> > Is this function handled by KWin or Plasma?
> 
> In settings, it's kwin for switch-window (alt-tab), the run command
> interface (aka krunner, uses plasma libs but is a separate app) for run
> command (alt-f2 by default, I have an inet/media keyboard here, with
> extra keys, one of which I assigned to launch the open dialog clear back
> in the kde3 era, so I had to look that one up...).
> 
> Except... I'm not sure if it's the actual apps that handle it, or if
> they simply delegate to khotkeys or whatever.  Even if they do handle
> it themselves, it's surely thru a common library, probably part of
> kdelibs. Either way, that would explain why two unrelated apps had the
> same problem.
> 
> What about alt-f3, normally assigned to trigger the window menu?  Does
> that work.  What about ctrl-alt-esc, normally assigned to kill window
> (you might wish to launch a handy window to kill before trying that
> one)?
> 
> And, you confirmed that they were still assigned correctly.  What about
> trying to reassign the usual shortcut back to the function, even if it
> says it's already assigned?  Normally, when you hit the alt, it will
> show up as a modifier (as will shift, meta/win, ctrl...) before you hit
> the modified key.

Everything's assigned properly, some of them just don't work. Alt-F3 
doesn't work. Tapping Alt highlights the first menu item. Alt-F opens the 
file menu. Ctrl-F1 works to switch Desktops. Ctrl-Alt-Esc doesn't work. I 
just figure it's one of those KDE/Plasma/WTF things now... Maybe it'll 
clear up on a restart.