HOWTO: Get 7 working buttons on MX510

[BobLand]

This works for my MX510 running fiesty 7.04
Users report that the following mouse devices also work:
*LogiTech G5
*LogiTech wireless Media Play
*MX600 cordless laser
*MX610 laser

backup xorg.conf naming the backup with an identifier such as date, name, pets name...

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.<my_backup_name>

edit xorg.conf

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

copy this code over your existing mouse code
the red indicates code that makes this all work

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Configured Mouse"
        Driver          "mouse"
        Option          "CorePointer"
        Option          "Device"                "/dev/input/mice"
        Option          "Protocol"              "auto"
        Option          "Buttons"               "7"
        Option          "ZAxisMapping"          "4 5"
        Option          "ButtonMapping"         "1 2 3 6 7 4 5 6"
EndSection

with this mouse and fiesty, the auto protocol is recommended
the ZAxixMapping tells the wheel to emulate the up/down scroll/cruise buttons
the order of the mapping is crucial - see below

save your changes

ctrl-s

close the file

ctrl-q

restart X

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

The screen will go black for a second or 2 then you'll see a message about running local scripts. This may happen very quickly or it may take anywhere between a few seconds or minutes. You will be placed back at the login screen. If you haven't done this before, don't worry about losing this page. Open FF (don't know if this works with other browsers) and click Restore Session. It will take you back to this page.

That's it! Done!
Now, test the changes

login

Open a browser window and open a few urls in the same tab.
Test all of your buttons.

The only ones that don't work (for me) are the second button from the bottom of the wheel and pressing the wheel to get smooth scrolling, but I'm working on that one.

The button mapping is as follows:

1 - left click
2 - middle click/scroll up/scroll down
3 - right click
4 - button above the wheel: scroll up
5 - button directly below the wheel: scroll down
6 - lower side button: go back
7 - upper side button: go forward
8 - the zen button: nothingness

Seems like the order of buttons in the mapping is crucial. If you just run 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 you won't get all the buttons to work. However, if this is a setting that is unique to particular computers then you should try different orders until you get them all to work.

If this is a dismal failure then restore your backup. You did make a backup, didn't you?

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf <my_backup_name> /etc/X11/xorg.conf

06/27/2007 - After reinstalling fiesty, I enabled this code for the mouse. I found that when button 4, scroll up, was pressed at the top of a page it would become button 6, which is "go back." I test this with xev to confirm. I didn't see this on the pre-reinstall. Let me know if you experience this problem.

bobland

[KubuntuKilledMe]

I can report that this howto works to enable the Back/Forward buttons on the Logitech G5 mouse as well with no modifications.

Thank you very much for your contribution, BobLand.

[gnychis]

worked perfect for me also!

thanks!

[Brewster123]

Worked well on a Logitech wireless "Media Play" mouse too. Not interested in all the media buttons themselves but sorely missed the forward and backward buttons. Now they work great!

Thanks!!!

[WolfHeart]

Thanks mate, now all my buttons work, i have an mx510 so now i can finally use it for what its worth

However, you are right about button 4 becoming button 6 when reaching the top of the page. very annoying, but i hardly use those buttons anymore due to the fact they are worn out

Thanks again for a very good guide

[Coopish]

When i follow this guide my X wont start again.

Is there other things you can try to make it work also?
(kinda new to ubuntu)

[crjackson]

This works for my MX510 running fiesty 7.04

backup xorg.conf naming the backup with an identifier such as date, name, pets name...

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.<my_backup_name>

edit xorg.conf

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

copy this code over your existing mouse code
the red indicates code that makes this all work

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Configured Mouse"
        Driver          "mouse"
        Option          "CorePointer"
        Option          "Device"                "/dev/input/mice"
        Option          "Protocol"              "auto"
        Option          "Buttons"               "7"
        Option          "ZAxisMapping"          "4 5"
        Option          "ButtonMapping"         "1 2 3 6 7 4 5 6"
EndSection

with this mouse and fiesty, the auto protocol is recommended
the ZAxixMapping tells the wheel to emulate the up/down scroll/cruise buttons
the order of the mapping is crucial - see below

save your changes

ctrl-s

close the file

ctrl-q

restart X

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

The screen will go black for a second or 2 then you'll see a message about running local scripts. This may happen very quickly or it may take anywhere between a few seconds or minutes. You will be placed back at the login screen. If you haven't done this before, don't worry about losing this page. Open FF (don't know if this works with other browsers) and click Restore Session. It will take you back to this page.

That's it! Done!
Now, test the changes

login

Open a browser window and open a few urls in the same tab.
Test all of your buttons.

The only ones that don't work (for me) are the second button from the bottom of the wheel and pressing the wheel to get smooth scrolling, but I'm working on that one.

The button mapping is as follows:

1 - left click
2 - middle click/scroll up/scroll down
3 - right click
4 - button above the wheel: scroll up
5 - button directly below the wheel: scroll down
6 - lower side button: go back
7 - upper side button: go forward
8 - the zen button: nothingness

Seems like the order of buttons in the mapping is crucial. If you just run 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 you won't get all the buttons to work. However, if this is a setting that is unique to particular computers then you should try different orders until you get them all to work.

If this is a dismal failure then restore your backup. You did make a backup, didn't you?

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf <my_backup_name> /etc/X11/xorg.conf

06/27/2007 - After reinstalling fiesty, I enabled this code for the mouse. I found that when button 4, scroll up, was pressed at the top of a page it would become button 6, which is "go back." I test this with xev to confirm. I didn't see this on the pre-reinstall. Let me know if you experience this problem.

bobland

@Bobland

I followed your guide and it did get my side buttons working for forward/back. None of the other buttons (aside from left/right click) do anything. What am I doing wrong here?

[RLembke]

Also works with MX600 laser cordless mouse. Thanks!

[BobLand]

Coopish,
When you say your X wont start, are you forced on the command line? What are you doing to recover? If you have the patience, restore the InputDevice section in xorg.conf and change each parameter one at a time until you find the line that doesn't work. I would start in order, that is,

Option          "Protocol"              "auto"

If that works then proceed to the next line, and so on.

Also try the process I outlined below to verify your buttons are read correctly. Are you sure that nothing else was changed in your xorg.conf? This is a very fussy file and the slightest change can put you in the dark ages. Make sure you have a clean, unchanged, original xorg.conf lying around somewhere. Never touch it, just copy it. Create a backup directory

sudo mkdir /etc/X11/backed_up_original_conf <or whatever name suits you>

Copy the clean xorg.conf to the backup directory

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/backed_up_original_conf <whatever>/xorg.conf.original

You want to rename this file so you don't inadvertently change it.

Let me know how this works for you.

crjackson
Try this. Open a terminal and type in

 xev

This program will test each button on your mouse. A window will open with a box. Place your cursor in the box. On my system I can use the full window. This program will track everything your mouse can do. Note that it will display ALL movement so when you go test your buttons, the slightest movement will remove the parts we are looking for. It will look pretty hairy at first but after a few tries you'll get the hang of it.

Press the buttons that are not working. In the terminal you will see a lot of code that displays events. You want to find the ButtonPress event, not the ButtonRelease event.

Look for the code in red

ButtonPress event, serial 29, synthetic NO, window 0x4a00001,
    root 0x156, subw 0x4a00002, time 951412529, (41,48), root:(1491,96),
    state 0x10, button 1, same_screen YES

Write down the button numbers for all button presses. You may have to create a different mapping. If this is the case, make the appropriate change to the ButtonMapping in the xorg.conf.

If this still doesn't work, let me know and we'll try something else.

bobland

[crjackson]

Bobland

crjackson
Try this. Open a terminal and type in
Code:

xev

This program will test each button on your mouse. A window will open with a box. Place your cursor in the box. On my system I can use the full window. This program will track everything your mouse can do. Note that it will display ALL movement so when you go test your buttons, the slightest movement will remove the parts we are looking for. It will look pretty hairy at first but after a few tries you'll get the hang of it.

Press the buttons that are not working. In the terminal you will see a lot of code that displays events. You want to find the ButtonPress event, not the ButtonRelease event.

Look for the code in red
Code:

ButtonPress event, serial 29, synthetic NO, window 0x4a00001,
root 0x156, subw 0x4a00002, time 951412529, (41,48), root1491,96),
state 0x10, button 1, same_screen YES

Write down the button numbers for all button presses. You may have to create a different mapping. If this is the case, make the appropriate change to the ButtonMapping in the xorg.conf.

If this still doesn't work, let me know and we'll try something else.

bobland

When I press the scroll up button it reports as button 2 - When I press the scroll down button it reports nothing. When I press the wheel button down it report button 2. When I press the focus/app button it reports button 2. Nothing was red.

All other buttons work as normal.