accessing the "fourth key-meaning" / ISO level 4 with kinto

[LiGurtner]

Hello,

I use a ThinkPad with linux mint (newbe) and I would like to remap the keyboard so that my muscle memory from mac can be maintained. Kinto is a very smooth and beginner-friendly way to do so, so a big thanks for this!!
I have however run into a problem: in the standat Keyboad-layout (at least for german(Macinosh) version, that I can return to using sudo systemctl stop xkeysnail), there are four meanings to each key. For example the 1-key corresponds to:
1 - no other keys pressed, only 1
! - shift + 1
¡ - AltGr + 1
@ - AltGr + Shift + 1

but if I install Kinto (or set it back on using sudo systemctl start xkeysnail, I can only do:
1 - no other keys pressed, only 1
! - shift + 1

how can I access the other two meanings of all keys in the Keyboard?

Best wishes and thanks again for the great programm!

[RedBearAK]

@LiGurtner

There should be an option in the tray icon menu like “Alt_Gr on Right Cmd”. Or in the Kinto GUI app. You may need to restart Kinto.

I think the official name is “ISO level 3” for the characters you need a key like Alt_Gr to get to.

[LiGurtner]

Heyhey, thank you for the quick response and sorry for being more slow! I found the option, just as you described. However, it is not working like on mac where you press cmd + alt to get to ISO level 3. Any chance this could be done also like that in kinto? Or in some other way?

*thanks by the way for the word for the ISO, that helps so much with googleing things!

[RedBearAK]

@LiGurtner

I'm not familiar with using Cmd+Alt in macOS to get to the Level 3 characters. In Linux your desktop environment may have a list of special options to enable for various keyboard behaviors. One section of those options should be about ISO Level 3 and ISO Level 5 characters. I forget where to find those options in GNOME. In KDE Plasma you'll find them in System Settings -> Keyboard, and then the "Key Bindings" tab. In Plasma there is a whole selection of options under the header "Key to choose the 3rd level".

What you will be looking for as an option is Ctrl+Alt, since the two keys next to the Space bar when Kinto is enabled are modmapped to be RIGHT_CTRL and LEFT_ALT. So the Cmd key if you're on an Apple keyboard is the RIGHT_CTRL key.

The Meta/Super/Win/Cmd key code exists on the physical Ctrl key, but in a terminal app that disappears and becomes LEFT_CTRL again. Different Linux desktop environments will call that key Meta (KDE Plasma) or Super (most GTK-based or GNOME-related desktops), while Windows of course calls it the Windows key, and Apple calls that key code the Command key.

I don't actually see an option in that sub-menu for using Ctrl+Alt, or Ctrl+Shift in the Plasma settings. You might be able to engage it on both "Right Alt" and "Left Alt". But you will want to be careful that the choice you make in the DE settings doesn't interfere with other shortcuts. Usually the only way to get to the special characters will be the Alt_Gr key, the Alt key on the right side of the Space bar.

I had someone using my Kinto offshoot project (Toshy) that was trying to use something like Ctrl+Shift, I think in GNOME, and it didn't work well with the keymapper Toshy uses, so probably the same issue would happen with Kinto.

Good luck.