Multitouch Trackpad support

[dbhatt]

I just upgraded my Ubuntu install to the latest release. I have a Synaptics trackpad that supports multitouch in Linux and I was trying to activate it. This is what I found:

http://ubuntu-snippets.blogspot.com/...synaptics.html

I tried what the site suggested, but I got the following error:
sudo: /etc/init.d/hal: command not found

Could someone tell me what's wrong/how to enable multitouch on my machine? I've made
it work in Windows 7, so I'm pretty sure it is supported.

Thanks!

[giova.86]

hal doesn't exist any more in ubuntu 10.04. Try with these command:

xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Two-Finger Scrolling" 8 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Scrolling" 8 1 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Pressure" 32 10
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Width" 32 8

I have an acer 4820tg and it works.

[dbhatt]

It worked. Thanks!

[dbhatt]

I just noticed that everytime I restart my machine, the multitouch features go away and I have to run those commands again. Is there a way to permanently enable them?

[kio_http]

I just noticed that everytime I restart my machine, the multitouch features go away and I have to run those commands again. Is there a way to permanently enable them?

Open your textediting program e/g gedit. kate, kwrie, mousepad etc

Paste this in it

#!/bin/bash
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Two-Finger Scrolling" 8
 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Scrolling" 8 1 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Pressure" 32 10
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Width" 32 8

(Each command on a separate line. )
Save the file somewhere as .run extension

Now go here.
System > Preferences > Sessions and click on Startup Programs. Click 'Add' and enter the name of the script. It should do the work from there!

[VeeDubb]

Wow. I've been looking for a solution for this for more than a week. I had no idea it was so easy.

Any idea how to enable zoom features or 3-finger clicking for middle click?

[nerdy_kid]

Open your textediting program e/g gedit. kate, kwrie, mousepad etc

Paste this in it

#!/bin/bash
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Two-Finger Scrolling" 8
 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Scrolling" 8 1 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Pressure" 32 10
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Width" 32 8

(Each command on a separate line. )
Save the file somewhere as .run extension

Now go here.
System > Preferences > Sessions and click on Startup Programs. Click 'Add' and enter the name of the script. It should do the work from there!

then add executible permissions: either right click the file and in properties check all executing or open a terminal and do chmod +x FILENAME

[libssd]

Thanks so much for this. Yesterday, I experimented with a variant openSUSE distribution, and discovered that the trackpad on my Acer D150 netbook supported two-finger scrolling as a mouse preference (this choice is grayed out on Ubuntu 10.04. It's my understanding that this has been solved in Ubuntu 11.10, but I don't want to go there.

Looking for a solution took me to:

http://ubuntu-snippets.blogspot.com/...synaptics.html [didn't work]
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1426782 [didn't work]

While I would have preferred a solution that activated the two-finger scrolling radio button in the mouse preference, your solution works, and is far simpler than the other approaches. The only thing missing (which is addressed later in this thread, #37) is to make the new script executable using chmod +x.

I also have a Cr-48 Chromebook, which supports both two-finger scrolling and two-finger tap = right click, and now the trackpad on my Acer netbook supports both these features, so I don't have to re-learn when switching from one to the other.

Open your textediting program e/g gedit. kate, kwrie, mousepad etc

Paste this in it

#!/bin/bash
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Two-Finger Scrolling" 8
 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Scrolling" 8 1 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Pressure" 32 10
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger 
Width" 32 8

(Each command on a separate line. )
Save the file somewhere as .run extension

Now go here.
System > Preferences > Sessions and click on Startup Programs. Click 'Add' and enter the name of the script. It should do the work from there!

[i.siddharth.iitd]

hal doesn't exist any more in ubuntu 10.04. Try with these command:

xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Two-Finger Scrolling" 8 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Scrolling" 8 1 1
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Pressure" 32 10
xinput set-int-prop "SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad" "Synaptics Two-Finger Width" 32 8

I have an acer 4820tg and it works.

@ giova.86
Hi, I am very new to Ubuntu and I have just installed Lucid Lynx on my Acer Aspire 5740G in dual boot with Win 7.
I used the commands that you first mentioned in the terminal and two finger scroll and two finger tap got activated.
I read on in this thread to find out that it won't automatically start the next time I boot. So I created the .run file as you instructed and added it to the Startup Applications. That did not work the next time I booted.
Moreover, the terminal commands no longer activated multi touch when I tried again and my mouse goes mad when i put more than one finger on the trackpad. I've tried removing the .run script from the startup to make sure that it doesn't interfere with the terminal commands, but that doesn't work either.
Can you suggest a solution?

[joseamirandavelez]

OK. It worked for me but now Ubuntu is freezing from time to time if I use multitouching... I think Im gonna remove multitouch...