alt not working in linux

[Anonymous]

When I use alt to move an item to place. It will let me move, but will not let me place the item any where on the grid even if I have it set to the finest it will go. Using the Windows version of eagle it works great! No problems. I noticed it stopped working when I use the Linux 64 bit version of the software.

[mprowe · Accepted solution]

For me (SuSE 42.2 64bit), it is Shift-Alt.

Don't know how I found it - just an accident maybe.

Regards, Martin

[Anonymous]

I will give that a try when I get home. I'll let you know. Thanks!

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Confirmed Shift-Alt works just like Windows Alt key only. That is weird, but it works! Thanks!

[jorge_garcia2]

Hi neeo,

Just to provide more information. Whenever the Alt key doesn't work as expected under linux, the cause is almost always that the Window manager is treating the Alt key as a super key (Windows key in your case).

The way to resolve this varies by distribution but the gist of it is that you have to go into your Window Manager and change the super key to be something other than Alt.

Otherwise you can continue to use Shift+Alt if that works for you.

Best Regards,

[cjh08052]

I've been having the same issue for some time now. It may have started when I upgraded to 64 bit Fedora, but I don't know. I just dismissed it as something that would eventually be fixed in a later version of Eagle. I just updated to 9.5.2 and still have the same issue. I figured maybe someone posted about it in the forums, and found this thread. As suggested I switched the 'supper' key from 'Alt' with no luck. I also tried the 'shift-Alt', also no luck. Then started trying other key combos and landed on 'Ctrl-Alt'. I can move with any 'Alt' combo; but 'Ctrl-Alt' actually lets me place the object. I finally have a work-around that I can use; though (as a Software Engineer) I think it's still a software bug - Eagle does not recognize the button-release event when the 'Alt' key is used.

FYI: I'm now running Eagle 9.5.2 on 64 bit Fedora 28.

[one-of-the-robs]

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@cjh08052 wrote:

As suggested I switched the 'supper' key from 'Alt' with no luck.

FYI: I'm now running Eagle 9.5.2 on 64 bit Fedora 28.

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That surprises me because it works on Fedora 28 for me after I persuade the window manager to actually let Eagle see the ALT-action combo. What's going on, normally, is not a bug in Eagle and not something Eagle can fix - the WM is getting in there first (by design) and removing the operation before Eagle can see it.

Which desktop are you using? This is far more important than which distro or version thereof.

[cjh08052]

Thanks for the reply. I'm actually running Mate as my desktop.

[one-of-the-robs]

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@cjh08052 wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I'm actually running Mate as my desktop.

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OK, I've never used Mate (I'm on XFCE) so I don't know what the specific magic is. Google shows quite a few answers for how to fix this behaviour in Unity, Gnome (Ubuntu only?), LXDE or XFCE, but remarkably little on Mate. However, I' offer these three for your further digging:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/521423/how-can-i-disable-altclick-window-dragging 

https://askubuntu.com/questions/118151/how-do-i-disable-window-move-with-alt-left-mouse-button-in-gn... 

And one that's not directly the same but may have useful links 

[cjh08052]

FYI: Alt-click is working for me now. I guess it required restarting my Eagle project after changing the 'super' key setting; or my machine was just slow to respond. I noticed as I was reading through the links you sent me.

Thanks again!