Re: wish: right alt/meta to switch keyboard layout while pressed

[Paul Pogonyshev <pogonyshev@gmx.net>]

Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > Emacs has no way of handling it correctly out-of-the-box, since it uses
> > internal input methods, which are a completely separate from `xkb'.
> 
> You mean you use Emacs's internal input methods.  I occasionally use them as
> well, but I mostly use XIM input methods and they work just fine with Emacs.

You could put it that way, yes.  However, with Russian layout, it is almost
impossible to do otherwise.  If I switch my `global' layout (handled by KDE,
which AFAIK falls back to `xkb'), I get this on response to `M-d':

  M-в is undefined

Working with Emacs with essentially all commands except `self-insert-command'
disabled is not something I like.  I guess your second layout also works with
Latin alphabet, so it's not a problem for you.

> >> Can you check with `xev' to see what events your right Alt key generates?
> > It shows up as `Super_R', while the left Alt is `Alt_L'.
> 
> So maybe the physical key is located on the right side of the space bar and
> it has a little bit of text on it that says "alt", so *you* think of it as
> a "right alt key".
> But as far as X clients are concerned this is not a "right alt key".

Uh, I just checked again, it is actually `Mode_switch' for X, I must have
pressed the right key with the Windows logo the previous time.

So yes, let me rephrase.  I wish `Mode_switch' would deactivate the current
input method while pressed in Emacs.  Or so that I could turn such feature
on with something as simple as `setq ... t'.

Paul