Using the Super a.k.a. Windows keys with Xfce - it works

[Thomas Stein]

Hello everybody!

First of all, I'm quite new to Xfce. I've used IceWM and Fluxbox for
ages. Now, after upgrading my laptop to Debian Etch, I gave Xfce a try
and simply love it.

With the help of the documentation I could quickly adjust the new
environment to my needs with one little flaw:

Almost all my hotkeys I'v got used to over the years use the Super or
Windows keys as modifier (Super+b for a xterm, Super+m to maximize a
window, Super+Fn to switch to workspace n and so on). But in the GUI for
configuring the hotkeys (don't know what the program is called) the
Super keys were ignored.

I looked in the FAQ under <http://wiki.xfce.org/faq> and behold, under
"Usage -> Keyboard" it says:

"My windows button does not work in the Keyboard Settings > Shortcuts.
The windows button (also known as the superkey) not working as a
modifier is related to the toolkit, GTK+ in the case of Xfce. If you
want to have the windows-key working we recommend you to upgrade GTK+ to
at least version 2.10.0."

Etch uses Gtk 2.8.20, so I thought I had lost at this point. But then I
tried the direct way be editing the config files

~/.config/xfce4/shortcuts/tstein.xml (command hotkeys)

~/.themes/tstein/xfwm4/keythemerc (window manager hotkeys)

and sure enough, after restarting my xfce session the keys work as
expected.

I had to create the two files mentioned above via the GUI as descriped
in the documentation under
<http://www.xfce.org/documentation/4.2/manuals/xfwm4#keyboard_shortcuts>.
I replaced "Custom" with my username "tstein" though.

NOTE: The documentation only mentions one config file. Did this change
from 4.2 to 4.4? Docs for 4.4 seem not to be online yet.


Regards

Thomas Stein

P.S.:
To map the keys to "Super" I have the lines

keycode 115 = Super_L
keycode 116 = Super_R

in ~/.Xmodmap

When using them as modifiers for hotkeys, use the following syntax:
(from ~/.config/xfce4/shortcuts/tstein.xml)
[...]
<shortcut command="Thunar" keys="Super+n"/>
[...]
Don't use Super_L or Super_R here, just Super!
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