Notes about Linux (Gentoo) - Hal configuration

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General

  • Each time you modify the fdi-config files restart hald ("/etc/init.d/hald restart") and X to activate the new configuration!
  • Config files can be added/deleted/modified under "/etc/hal/fdi/policy". You can name the files as you wish, but write a number in front of it and the file extention HAS to be ".fdi".
  • Examples are in "/usr/share/doc/hal-<version>".



Keyboard

  • fdi-file for Swiss-German keyboard layout ("/etc/hal/fdi/policy/10-xinput-configuration.fdi"): 
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
   <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keyboard">
      <merge key="input.x11_options.XkbLayout" type="string">ch</merge>
      <merge key="input.x11_options.XkbVariant" type="string">de</merge>
   </match>
</deviceinfo>
  • Same as above, but activates as well the "ctrl+alt+backspace"-key combination to kill X: 
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
   <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keyboard">
      <merge key="input.x11_options.XkbLayout" type="string">ch</merge>
      <merge key="input.x11_options.XkbVariant" type="string">de</merge>
        <merge key="input.xkb.options" type="string">terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp</merge>
   </match>
</deviceinfo>



Touchpad

  • My "/etc/hal/fdi/policy/11-synaptics_touchpad.fdi": 
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
        <match key="input.x11_driver" contains="synaptics">
                <merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">On</merge>
                <merge key="input.x11_options.VertTwoFingerScroll" type="string">False</merge>
                <merge key="input.x11_options.HorizTwoFingerScroll" type="string">False</merge>
                <merge key="input.x11_options.VertEdgeScroll" type="string">true</merge>
                <merge key="input.x11_options.HorizEdgeScroll" type="string">true</merge>
                <merge key="input.x11_options.VertScrollDelta" type="string">200</merge>
        </match>
</deviceinfo>

  • "VertEdgeScroll" and "HorizEdgeScroll" activate the scrolling using the border of the touchpad.
  • "VertScrollDelta" makes the vertical scrolling half as slow (the higher the value the slower) as the touchpad of my EeePC is very small.