mouse config

Forum: X and Fluxbox
Topic: mouse config
started by: Frank

Posted by Frank on Feb. 12 2007,21:00

Trying to set up fluxbox with the mouse configured to be left handed. Have been changing the mouse config using the menu utility, but want to just have it set to be left handed upon bootup.

Know that putting "xmodmap -e " pointer = 3 2 1 " into Debian Testing's ~/.fluxbox/startup will do the trick with that distro. How can I accomplish this with DSL?

Any help/ideas would be appreciated!

Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 12 2007,21:40

Put that same command in /home/dsl/.xinitrc, somewhere above the "case" statement.

You need to use backup/restore, or a persistent home, in order for this to remain after a reboot

Posted by Frank on Feb. 13 2007,18:00

Mikshaw, thanks for getting back to me on the /home/dsl/.xinitrc file. I pasted "xmodmap -e " pointer = 3 2 1 " into the file, but it didn't change my mouse config. Finally noticed as I was shutting down an error message something to the effect that; "xmodmap error" command line 0, had 3 buttons, needs 5".

So then I got the brain flash that why not look at the menu's system mouse utility.

The menu file, /.fluxbox/menu gave me this line,
[exec] (Mouse Config){/usr/local/bin/mouse-config.lua}

. . . mouse-config.lua gave me this line,
"os.execute ('xmodmap -e \'pointer = 3 2 1 4 5\'')

Which I then modfied slightly and inserted back into the ~/.xinitrc file as:
xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1 4 5" &

Bottom line is that once I got your suggestion regarding the ~/.xinitrc file it all fell apart and now I got my left handed mouse working! Thanks again for the help!

PS any idea what "buttons" 4 & 5 are? I'm running a IBM thinkpad that has one of those little knob mouse in the keyboard with a USB mousesc2 button/wheel mouse as my "real" mouse. Perhaps, its the two IBM knob buttons?

Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 17 2007,03:40

Sorry I overlooked your reply the last couple of days.

Buttons 4 and 5 correspond to the up and down roll of the mouse wheel. You can invert these buttons (3 2 1 5 4) if you prefer the mousewheel to roll in the opposite direction.