GNU bug report logs - #7637
24.0.50; Caps Lock triggers set-mark-command

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mitja Uršič <odtihmal <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 24.0.50; Caps Lock triggers set-mark-command
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:43:43 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Turning on caps lock also turns on set-mark-command.
All C- and M- moving commands from then on mark text
into a region.
This does not apply for the four arrow keys.

To reproduce:
1) Write some text.
2) Set caps lock to on.
3) Move around the text with C-p, C-n, M-b, M-f and other
C- and M- keys for moving point.

Region is now marked despite that no C-<SPC> was pressed
or otherwise set-mark-command invoked.


In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.12.12)
of 2010-12-13 on tiger
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.10402000
Important settings:
value of $LC_ALL: nil
value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
value of $LC_TIME: nil
value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix
default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Fundamental

Minor modes in effect:
tooltip-mode: t
mouse-wheel-mode: t
tool-bar-mode: t
menu-bar-mode: t
file-name-shadow-mode: t
global-font-lock-mode: t
blink-cursor-mode: t
auto-composition-mode: t
auto-encryption-mode: t
auto-compression-mode: t
line-number-mode: t
transient-mark-mode: t

Recent input:
M-x r e p o r t - e m <tab> <return>

Recent messages:
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.

Features:
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easymenu mml-sec mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231
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x-toolkit x multi-tty emacs)

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Message #8 received at 7637 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> stupidchicken.com>
To: emacs-devel <at> gnu.org
Cc: 7637 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7637: 24.0.50; Caps Lock triggers set-mark-command
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:32:42 +0800

A user has reported that under a certain KDE setting, Caps Lock breaks
Emacs by making every motion key a shift-motion key, thus breaking the
shift-selection feature.  Does anyone have KDE installed to test this?


Mitja Uršič <odtihmal <at> gmail.com> writes:

> I'm using it in Debian Lenny with KDE.
> I do have Caps Lock and Control swapped by kcontrol, though.
>
>  > Turning on caps lock also turns on set-mark-command.
>  > All C- and M- moving commands from then on mark text
>  > into a region.
>  > This does not apply for the four arrow keys.
>  >
>  > To reproduce:
>  > 1) Write some text.
>  > 2) Set caps lock to on.
>  > 3) Move around the text with C-p, C-n, M-b, M-f and other
>  > C- and M- keys for moving point.
>  >
>  > Region is now marked despite that no C-<SPC> was pressed
>  > or otherwise set-mark-command invoked.

Message #11 received at 7637 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: David De La Harpe Golden <david <at> harpegolden.net>
To: Chong Yidong <cyd <at> stupidchicken.com>
Cc: 7637 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, emacs-devel <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7637: 24.0.50; Caps Lock triggers set-mark-command
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:39:07 +0000

On 20/12/10 15:32, Chong Yidong wrote:
> A user has reported that under a certain KDE setting, Caps Lock breaks
> Emacs by making every motion key a shift-motion key, thus breaking the
> shift-selection feature.  Does anyone have KDE installed to test this?
>

Certainly KDE has:
System Settings -> Personal -> Regional & Language
-> Keyboard Layout -> Advanced
-> CapsLock key behaviour
-> CapsLock toggles Shift so all keys are affected

(and a bunch of other options)

i.e. It makes the caps lock key a true "shift lock", but it works "as 
intended" AFAICS - cursor keys will in effect be shifted (and therefore 
sweep out selections) when the shiftlock is on, and not when the 
shiftlock is off. (tested). On my machine, when active, both the caps 
lock and scroll lock LEDs are lit when the "shift lock" is activated.

It's essentially equivalent to something you can do on the command line 
with setxkbmap, in fact the settings dialog prints the command line it's 
using at the bottom e.g.
setxkbmap -option caps:shiftlock

My understanding is that it's a chording-avoidance accessibility 
feature, and there's little emacs can or should do about it. KDE Kate 
and other X11 apps are affected in the same way as emacs, unsurprisingly.

If you want normal caps lock behaviour, i.e. letters are capitalised but 
other stuff isn't shifted, then, er, leave it as a caps lock, not a 
shift lock.

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