btnx: Send keyboard and mouse combination events with mouse buttons

[daou]

If you find this tool useful, please help others use it by translating it into another language: btnx-config @ Launchpad.

Latest versions:

• btnx-0.4.11 - ChangeLog
• btnx-config-0.4.9 - ChangeLog

btnx (Button Extension) is a daemon that enables rerouting of mouse button events through uinput as keyboard and other mouse button combinations. For example, you can configure an extra mouse button to send a Ctrl+Alt+Right command to switch workspaces. You can also configure buttons to execute commands. This is especially useful for mice with more buttons than Gnome or KDE can properly handle, or mice that need evdev and a 100 step howto to register button events at all.

btnx-config is GUI for detecting and configuring your mouse. You must use btnx-config with btnx. btnx integrates revoco functionality for MX Revolution users, which is editable from btnx-config.

btnx should work with almost any mouse that is configured properly.

The btnx manual is available at: http://www.ollisalonen.com/btnx/man
btnx is known to work on:

• (K)Ubuntu 7.04
• (K)Ubuntu 7.10
• (K)Ubuntu 8.04

Note: Users with an MX or VX Revolution: if you have problems with the thumb buttons, refer to the btnx manual's troubleshooting section 12.2.1 for better xorg.conf values.

Report bugs at Launchpad:

• http://launchpad.net/btnx
• http://launchpad.net/btnx-config/

SVN repositories :

• btnx: http://svn.ollisalonen.com/btnx/
• btnx-config: http://svn.ollisalonen.com/btnx-config/
  

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Installation:

You have two options. Either install (1) binary packages with apt-get or (2) compile from source.

Note: If you have used another howto to configure your mouse, try to revert as much of the changes you have done.

1. Binary packages:

Note: KDE (Kubuntu) users should compile from source if you want to avoid installing lots of standard Gnome libraries.

1. Put the following lines to the end of your /etc/apt/sources.list file, but replace DISTRO with the name of the Ubuntu distro you have installed (options: feisty gutsy hardy):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/daou/ubuntu DISTRO main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/daou/ubuntu DISTRO main

2. Now, run the following commands to install btnx and btnx-config:

$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install btnx

3. Run btnx-config from Applications->System tools->btnx and refer to the manual as necessary.

2. (Optional) Compile from source

1. Get all the necessary dependencies. btnx-config needs libgtk2.0 and libgtk2.0-dev (version 2.10.11 or newer), libglade and libglade-dev (version 2.6.0 or newer), pkg-config (0.21 or newer), and build-essential. btnx needs build-essential and libdaemon.

sudo apt-get install build-essential libgtk2.0-0 libgtk2.0-dev libglade2-0 libglade2-dev pkg-config libdaemon0 libdaemon-dev

2. Install btnx

$ wget http://www.ollisalonen.com/btnx/btnx-0.4.11.tar.gz
$ tar -xvvf btnx-0.4.11.tar.gz
$ cd btnx-0.4.11
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install

3. Install btnx-config.

$ wget http://www.ollisalonen.com/btnx/btnx-config-0.4.9.tar.gz
$ tar -xvvf btnx-config-0.4.9.tar.gz
$ cd btnx-config-0.4.9
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install

If you encountered an error, there is probably a dependency problem.

4. You should have gotten a menu item. In GNOME, Applications->System tools->btnx. In KDE, System->btnx. Press it to launch btnx-config.

You can find all the necessary information for configuring your mouse with btnx-config in the btnx manual. Either press the "Help" button in btnx-config or refer to the online manual at http://www.ollisalonen.com/btnx/man

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Uninstall

Binary packages:

Run

$sudo apt-get remove btnx btnx-config

Compiled source:

To uninstall btnx and btnx-config, run

$ sudo make uninstall

in the same directory as where you ran the "sudo make install" command for both programs.

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Troubleshooting

Please refer to the troubleshooting section in the btnx manual: http://www.ollisalonen.com/btnx/man

It contains answers to frequent problems and good reference values for your xorg.conf file.

NOTE: If some of your mouse buttons send multiple events (like extra middle, right, or left clicks) then refer to the
manual's troubleshooting section on editing you xorg.conf InputSection. Follow it closely!

If your problem persists, post it on this thread.

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Useful key combos

blazoner posted a list of some useful keyboard combinations to use with btnx. Look here.

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If you feel that btnx or extra mouse button control is an important issue, don't forget to let your vote and voice be heard over at Brainstorm: