GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 171142
Multimedia keys do not work
Last modified: 2005-06-04 20:41:13 UTC
I don't have a multimedia keyboard so I tried to define combos for multimedia actions (mute, next/previous track, volume up/down) using <Mod4> End, <Mod4> Up, etc., kind of shortcuts but these do not seem to have any effect when used, for example, with rhythmbox. I guess that if it's possible to define these shortcuts for multimedia actions, one would expect them to work.
That's probably because Rhythmbox doesn't implement them... Re-assign to RB. The keys for volume control etc. are managed by gnome-settings-daemon (keybindings; control-center), and the rest is application-implemented.
Roland I'm not sure I follow you. Things like volume up/down/mute are GNOME globals and are nothing to do with rhythmbox. Now I can tell you that using "keypad plus" for volume up works but for some reason using Window-key in shorcuts does not work for the volume (my left most Windows key send Mod). This looks like a bug in settings-daemon judging from other volume multimedia key bugs (using a Mod modifier works for the screenshot shortcut). The version of rhythmbox I have (rhythmbox-0.8.8-3mdk) implements track forward/previous but needs to be restarted after the shortcuts are set. Again if Mod is used in the shortcut then the shortcut fails to work. Strangely, using just the key being modified will work (e.g. if Mod + Down Arrow was set to be next track then pressing Windows key + Down Arrow will not work but pressing Down Arrow by itself will. Unforunately the down arrow key will now cease to work properly elsewhere until GNOME is restarted).
Sitsofe is absolutely right. I experienced all the same problems and difficulties. I suppose I should have added them in my first report. This is definately a GNOME problem and it'd be nice to have it implemented correctly (please, do not drop this feature to be).
This bug is not specific to rhythmbox. A more appropriate title would be "Some Desktop shortcuts do not accept <Mod4> bindings", which is the name it was given at the Red Hat bugzilla: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=139167 In a nutshell: shortcuts that use the Windows key ("<Mod4>") do not work when bound to functions via gnome-settings-daemon. They do work when configured via metacity. That is, any shortcut that is stored in ~/.gconf/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/keybindings/%gconf.xml cannot use <Mod4>, but any shortcut stored in ~/.gconf/apps/metacity/global_bindings/%gconf.xml) can. For example, if you go to Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts and bind "<Mod4>a" to "Lock Screen" or "Launch Help Browser" or "Volume Up", it doesn't work. But if you bind it to "Switch to workspace 1", it does.
seems to be a duplicate of #135476 *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 135476 ***