Keyboard → Switch Layout shortcut conflicts with Alt+Tab

[cassidyjames]

Our default "Switch layout" shortcut for switching between keyboard layouts is Alt+Shift, but that conflicts with and breaks Shift+Alt+Tab to switch windows backwards. We should disable or change this shortcut since we keep getting bugs about Shift+Alt+Tab being "broken".

Moved from elementary/gala#18

[snowparrot]

I really recommend to change the shortcut as working in different languages gets much more convenient with a shortcut.

[Philosoft]

This is a big problem indeed, but "change one of conflicting shortcuts" is not an option - it's just avoiding and postproning general problem. If change layout is bind to alt+shift, then it brokes every other shortcut wich starts with alt+shift, if you change it to something else, some other shortcuts will be broken. why windows, mac, gnome, kde etc can solve this problem and elementery can't?

Also on topic. alt+shift, alt+tab, alt+shift+tab is common across desktops and countries, why change defaults?

Most of all, why can't I map my own shortcut to switch layouts?

[lewisgoddard]

I assume this a problem somewhere where the shortcuts are detected and passed off. Maybe we are detecting alt+shift on keydown instead of keyup?

[davidmhewitt]

This is a very long standing issue in X itself, GNOME is almost certainly affected too.

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=865

I think our only option really is to bind the language switching shortcut to something that doesn't conflict. Which is easier said than done, since you could move it to Ctrl+Shift, but then Ctrl+Shift+Tab would stop working for switching tabs in a web browser. But a slightly less common conflict than Alt+Shift+Tab I would guess

[lewisgoddard]

Why not something that doesn't conflict at all, like Ctrl+Alt+L?

[Philosoft]

@lewisgoddard i, myself, would prefer AltGr to do so, but there are not any suitable options (or as you propose custom ctrl+alt+L. screenshot:

as I additionaly notice, you just cannot screenshot popup menu with PrtSc - it simply doesn't work.

[danirabbit]

I'm going to bump this to beta2 since it doesn't imply any string or UI changes

[danirabbit]

I'm going to drop this from beta2 since it seems discussion is still ongoing and an agreement hasn't yet been reached