Alt-x not working

Alt-x not working

[Steve Graham]

Yesterday it worked just fine, as in Alt-x run-scheme.

Today Alt-x doesn't do a thing, not even a comment in the window at the bottom.

Other Alt- combinations show a reaction from the system.

Have combed this newsgroup and Google without finding a solution.

Have tried deleting .emacs, then adding "(global-set-key (kbd "M-x") 'execute-extended-comment)" to .emacs but still no change.

Same problem on original version 24.4.1 and new 24.5.1.

Would appreciate any hints.

Thanks, Steve

Re: Alt-x not working

[Javier]

do you use graphical emacs or emacs through a terminal?
Which OS? Linux Mac or windows?

Try Alt-x Ctrl-g Ctrl-h l
'Ctrl-h l' meaning view-lossage: Display last input keystrokes
Which key presses does it record?



Steve Graham <solitary.wanderer52@gmail.com> wrote:
> Yesterday it worked just fine, as in Alt-x run-scheme.
> 
> Today Alt-x doesn't do a thing, not even a comment in the window at the bottom.
> 
> Other Alt- combinations show a reaction from the system.
> 
> Have combed this newsgroup and Google without finding a solution.
> 
> Have tried deleting .emacs, then adding "(global-set-key (kbd "M-x") 'execute-extended-comment)" to .emacs but still no change.
> 
> Same problem on original version 24.4.1 and new 24.5.1.
> 
> Would appreciate any hints.
> 
> Thanks, Steve

Re: Alt-x not working

[Steve Graham]

On Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 9:39:27 AM UTC-7, Javier wrote:
> do you use graphical emacs or emacs through a terminal?
> Which OS? Linux Mac or windows?
> 
> Try Alt-x Ctrl-g Ctrl-h l
> 'Ctrl-h l' meaning view-lossage: Display last input keystrokes
> Which key presses does it record?
> 
> 
> 
> Steve Graham <xxxx> wrote:
> > Yesterday it worked just fine, as in Alt-x run-scheme.
> > 
> > Today Alt-x doesn't do a thing, not even a comment in the window at the bottom.
> > 
> > Other Alt- combinations show a reaction from the system.
> > 
> > Have combed this newsgroup and Google without finding a solution.
> > 
> > Have tried deleting .emacs, then adding "(global-set-key (kbd "M-x") 'execute-extended-comment)" to .emacs but still no change.
> > 
> > Same problem on original version 24.4.1 and new 24.5.1.
> > 
> > Would appreciate any hints.
> > 
> > Thanks, Steve

Thanks for the reminder, Javier:  I'm running Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit).

When I key in the above, I get a window which displays:

---

<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>
C-g C-h l

----

When I key in C-g, the system writes Quit in the bottom window.

Thanks, Steve

Re: Alt-x not working

[Javier]

> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>
> C-g C-h l

It seems something in the operating system is remapping Alt-x to
<help-echo>, and it repeats it several times.  Did you install some
program recently?  are you using autohotkey or similar to remap keys
in windows? changed the language/keyboard settings for windows?

You can still get the Alt-x behavior (Meta-x in emacspeak) by pressing
ESC (release key) x

A kludge that might work is inserting this in .emacs

(global-set-key (read-kbd-macro "<help-echo>") 'execute-extended-comment)

or this, since it appears repeated 5 times for each Alt-x press: 

(global-set-key (read-kbd-macro
    "<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>")
    'execute-extended-comment)

Re: Alt-x not working

[Steve Graham]

On Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 10:27:47 AM UTC-7, Javier wrote:
> > <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>
> > C-g C-h l
> 
> It seems something in the operating system is remapping Alt-x to
> <help-echo>, and it repeats it several times.  Did you install some
> program recently?  are you using autohotkey or similar to remap keys
> in windows? changed the language/keyboard settings for windows?
> 
> You can still get the Alt-x behavior (Meta-x in emacspeak) by pressing
> ESC (release key) x
> 
> A kludge that might work is inserting this in .emacs
> 
> (global-set-key (read-kbd-macro "<help-echo>") 'execute-extended-comment)
> 
> or this, since it appears repeated 5 times for each Alt-x press: 
> 
> (global-set-key (read-kbd-macro
>     "<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>")
>     'execute-extended-comment)

The Escape x worked great!

Thanks, Javier

Re: Alt-x not working

[Robert Thorpe]

Steve Graham <solitary.wanderer52@gmail.com> writes:
>> (global-set-key (read-kbd-macro
>>     "<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>")
>>     'execute-extended-comment)
>
> The Escape x worked great!

Yes, instead of Alt-x you can first press ESC then x.  You can also use
Ctrl-[ instead of ESC, it's often more convienent since it's nearer.

As other have said, it seems you OS has remapped your keyboard in a
strange way.

Are you using a keyboard that has "Alt" and "Alt Gr"?  A British
keyboard for example.  In many OSes "Alt Gr" doesn't do the same thing
as Alt.  You often have to remap this key at the OS level.

It's best to get Alt fixed.  Although C-[ is the best way to get Meta
for lots of keys there are more where Alt is the best way.

BR,
Robert Thorpe

Re: Alt-x not working

[Robert Thorpe]

Robert Thorpe <rt@robertthorpeconsulting.com> writes:

> Steve Graham <solitary.wanderer52@gmail.com> writes:
>>> (global-set-key (read-kbd-macro
>>>     "<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>")
>>>     'execute-extended-comment)
>>
>> The Escape x worked great!
>
> Yes, instead of Alt-x you can first press ESC then x.  You can also use
> Ctrl-[ instead of ESC, it's often more convienent since it's nearer.
>
> As other have said, it seems you OS has remapped your keyboard in a
> strange way.

Another suggestions.  On MS Windows there are global keybindings that
change the input method.  Sometimes you can hit these accidentally.  On
my computer at work I kept switching it to Chinese.  I solved this by
changing registry entries to disable the keybindings.

You could have accidentally enabled one of these modes.  There's
sometimes a little pair of characters in the right of the taskbar.  It
says "EN" or "CH".  On recent versions of Windows you have to enable it
to see it.

BR,
Robert Thorpe

Re: Alt-x not working

[Rusi]

On Friday, July 24, 2015 at 3:37:25 AM UTC+5:30, Robert Thorpe wrote:
> Steve Graham writes:
> >> (global-set-key (read-kbd-macro
> >>     "<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo>")
> >>     'execute-extended-comment)
> >
> > The Escape x worked great!
> 
> Yes, instead of Alt-x you can first press ESC then x.  You can also use
> Ctrl-[ instead of ESC, it's often more convienent since it's nearer.
> 
> As other have said, it seems you OS has remapped your keyboard in a
> strange way.
> 
> Are you using a keyboard that has "Alt" and "Alt Gr"?  A British
> keyboard for example.  In many OSes "Alt Gr" doesn't do the same thing
> as Alt.  You often have to remap this key at the OS level.
> 
> It's best to get Alt fixed.  Although C-[ is the best way to get Meta
> for lots of keys there are more where Alt is the best way.
> 
> BR,
> Robert Thorpe

OP seems to be on windows and I am on (currently) ubuntu so perhaps now very useful...
Anyway I had almost the same experience a few weeks ago.
C-c stopped working -- emacs, shell, everywhere.
Followed from some hacking to setup keyboard -- compose key etc
Dont remember exactly what I did... Deleted some file somewhere ~/.config
/something-or-other and it started working

Re: Alt-x not working

[Rusi]

On Friday, July 24, 2015 at 10:51:05 AM UTC+5:30, Rusi wrote:
> OP seems to be on windows and I am on (currently) ubuntu so perhaps now very useful...

Er... "now" = "not"

Re: Alt-x not working

[Ian Zimmerman]

On 2015-07-23 09:31 -0700, Steve Graham wrote:

> Yesterday it worked just fine, as in Alt-x run-scheme.
> 
> Today Alt-x doesn't do a thing, not even a comment in the window at the bottom.
> 
> Other Alt- combinations show a reaction from the system.

These symptoms imply very clearly that something else captures the event
before Emacs can see it.  Most likely your window manager or "integrated
desktop" ie Gnome, KDE and so on.

The other possibility is a broken keyboard :-)

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