IntelliMouse Optical Configuration

[theo]

Hi!

 

I found the solution to enable my left and right side buttons in Konqueror (but also in all applications) with my Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical (yes, it's a good mouse, not like their OS ).

 

I'm so happy that I want to share with you the steps I followed (after reading a lot of forums and doing a lot of tests ...):

 

0/ If you're a newbie

 

Please, if you're a newbie (we have all be newbie here, it's not an insult) "don't try this at home" !

That could be really very dangerous (for your computer, your health, your nerves, your cat, your neighbors, your job and much more still).

Thank you.

 

1/ Check your /etc/X11/xorg.conf

 

Mine is:

 

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "Mouse1"
   Driver "mouse"
   Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
   Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
   Option "Buttons" "7"
   Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

 

The important things are:

=> Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"

=> Option "Buttons" "7"

=> Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"

 

Normally, Mandriva should have done well that automatically at the installation (normally ...)

 

2/ Install imwheel

 

as root, urpmi imwheel

 

(Q: what is urpmi? A: rtfm.)

 

3/ Create your imwheel rc file

 

Go in your home directory

Create a file named .imwheelrc

Put this in:

 

".*"
None, Up, Alt_L|Left
None, Down, Alt_L|Right

 

Save & close.

 

Later, you will be able to adjust your favorite 'shortcuts'!

 

For example:

 

"^Konsole"
None, Up, Shift_L|Page_Up
None, Down, Shift_L|Page_Down

 

more help here and the official sample here

 

you can also create a /etc/imwheelrc file for all users (I didn't try but should work)

 

4/ Check the xmodmap sequence

 

Check this file: /etc/X11/xinit.d/mouse_buttons

 

mine is:

 

xmodmap -e 'pointer = 1 2 3 6 7 4 5'

 

it's important that xmodmap is well configured

notice the sequence order: 1 2 3 6 7 4 5

 

you can check it in a terminal by typing this command: xmodmap -pp

 

my output is:

 

There are 7 pointer buttons defined.

   Physical        Button
    Button          Code
       1              1
       2              2
       3              3
       4              6
       5              7
       6              4
       7              5

 

5/ Adjust the default Mandrake script for imwheel

 

I had to modify this script for enabling all that stuffs in a right way:

(if not done, that will be worse than better)

 

as root, modify /etc/X11/xinit.d/imwheel:

 

--- before ---

 

#!/bin/sh
#---------------------------------------------------------------
# Project         : Mandrake
# Module          : imwheel
# File            : imwheel.xinit
# Version         : $Id$
# Author          : Frederic Lepied
# Created On      : Tue Apr 11 14:13:43 2000
#---------------------------------------------------------------

[ -r /etc/sysconfig/mouse ] && . /etc/sysconfig/mouse

BINARY=$(which imwheel)

[ "$WHEEL" = yes -a -n "$BINARY" ] && $BINARY -p

# imwheel ends here

 

--- after ---

 

#!/bin/sh
#---------------------------------------------------------------
# Project         : Mandrake
# Module          : imwheel
# File            : imwheel.xinit
# Version         : $Id$
# Author          : Frederic Lepied
# Created On      : Tue Apr 11 14:13:43 2000
#---------------------------------------------------------------

[ -r /etc/sysconfig/mouse ] && . /etc/sysconfig/mouse

BINARY=$(which imwheel)

#Theo 2005-05
#[ "$WHEEL" = yes -a -n "$BINARY" ] && $BINARY -p
[ "$WHEEL" = yes -a -n "$BINARY" ] && $BINARY -k -p -f -b "67"

# imwheel ends here

 

notice the -k -p -f -b "67" args

 

6/ Test it!

 

Log out to come back to XDM/GDM/KDM (I'm using GDM)

Also, at the welcome screen, I did a CTRL-ALT-BACK (not sure if it is necessary ...)

Log in (as usual)

 

Open Konqueror, browse and try your left/right side buttons to go back/forward in the folders history. Kate (for exemple) should go to the next/previous opened file.

The example for Konsole (see above) should page up/page down a scrollable window.

 

That should work and you should be very happy

 

If you meet a problem, please, I'm not a magician, just a geek:

- check if the process imwheel is launched: ps -e | grep "imwheel"

- check the xmodmap configuration: xmodmap -pp (see above)

- check if there are errors in /etc/X11/xinit.d/imwheel (see above)

- try again, search on google

- if nothing works, repeat this how-to from back to top (make the inverse operations)

- don't strike me

 

I hope that will be usefull for some of you. That would have been it for me.

 

Theo.

Edited May 15, 2005 by theo

[kristi]

This is very interesting to me - I have a "4" button mouse - Logitech optical mouseman with the usual stuff on top and one button on the left side. I always have Mandriva set it up as MS/Explorer/PS2, and I get:

Section "InputDevice"
   Identifier "Mouse1"
   Driver "mouse"
   Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
   Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
   Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

 

This results in a wheel that scrolls sideways, so I just change it to

  Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

and then the wheel scrolls perfectly (vertically), and the wheel also works perfectly as a switch to set scroll (where you move the mouse and it scrolls wherever you go). The left and right top buttons have always worked perfectly as in windows.

 

So I am reading this trying to figure a way to add the use of the left side button. I seem to recall that a real MS Explorer has 2 left side buttons and 1 right side button (?) Would this mean that the correct Buttons value for me would be "5"? I'm off to bed but I have googled and gotten some info and will be pondering this tomorrow.

 

Nice post!!!

:D

Kristi

 

EDIT: interesting! :

xmodmap -pp shows

There are 5 pointer buttons defined.

 

Physical Button

Button Code

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

 

/etc/X11/xinit.d/mouse_buttons contains xmodmap -e 'pointer = 1 2 3 6 7 4 5'

---------------------------------------

further EDIT experimentation

no button option or button=5 & Zaxis= 4 5 => vertical scroll and mouse button select

,,,ditto,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, & Zaxis-6 7 => horiz scroll (I forget if mouse button selects

 

button=7 & Zaxis= 4 5 => horiz scroll

...ditto..... & Zaxis=6 7 => vert scroll

-------------------------

It would apear that by my selecting PS2/other/MS Explorer on install, I get the "1236745" string. However, it is apparent that it also counte the number of buttons I actually have and gives me "5".

 

Were you actually able to get the side buttons to DO anything.? I think you were only talking about trying to get whell-press select... (?)

Kristi

 

Oh, okay, I see ...........

Edited May 23, 2005 by kristi

[theYinYeti]

kristi, I think I have the same mouse as you have. See my web site:

http://yves.gablin.club.fr/pc/linux.php?article=config/mouse

 

As for actually doing something with the thumb button, I think you'll have to do as suggested by theo, that is using imwheel.

 

Yves.

[kristi]

Thanks Yves - that looks really interesting - the xev thing (which isn't on my system) where can I get it?

I see http://www.xfree86.org/current/xev.1.html but that's all.

 

And I quite agree with you that Theo is very much on the right track with that - I had to look at about 10 examples on the web to realize that On winblows, I had that button set to start windows explorer. Here I'd like it to start kongueror, which I use for file mgt/ftp/what-have-you.

 

Are you running xev on Mandriva? is it small enough that you could send it to me?

tia

Kristi

[theYinYeti]

xev is in the XFree86-contrib (or something like that) package.

[thinhla]

By default, my IME is configured correctly by Mandrake both in 10.1 and LE2005. It's just screwed up when I do install driver for my ATI radeon 9800 card which affects /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

 

When I finish installing ATI driver I don't see any apparent improvement for my 2D desktop performance. So I just forget about ATI driver.