Ubuntu – Can’t configure Wacom tablet stylus

I found an alternative way of configuring stylus buttons if Ubuntu settings refuse to show the settings. The way is described here, in the "Wacom tablet" section on Ubuntu 16.04 for my digital painting workstation - David Revoy:

In Cinnamon, the GUI for Wacom tablet offer minimal yet powerful set of options: set buttons, set proportions to the screen...etc... The GUI is limited because you can't assign buttons modifier like , and ...

Xsetwacom: For those who really need a way to assign this key and do more, here is the (big) workaround involving command line, script and other dirty things a normal user shoudn't consider as something normal to setup an hardware (graphist needs a GUI and focus on making good graphism, not script/code):

1. Get your tablet device name:

xsetwacom --list

This command returns the name of my Wacom device, useful for my script:

Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pen stylus    id: 11 type: STYLUS
Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pad pad       id: 12 type: PAD
Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pen eraser    id: 15 type: ERASER
Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pen cursor    id: 16 type: CURSOR 

Note for reference your tablet pad name, mine here is Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pad pad in this example. Select the name, then press ++C to copy it in your terminal.

2. Create a Xsetwacom bash script Open the file manager (Nemo) , and in the folder of your choice ( I use /home/deevad/Script on my installation ) create a new empty file with right-click , "create a new document">"Empty document". Name it tablet.sh , then open it with a text-editor (Gedit). Inside it write a script like this with your tablet name:

#! /bin/bash
xsetwacom set "Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pad pad" Button 1 "key Shift_L"
xsetwacom set "Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pad pad" Button 2 "key Control_L"

This example script will map to the button 1 of your tablet (resize brush in Krita) , and Control to the button 2 ( pick color on Krita/Gimp/Mypaint) of the tablet. The special keys use standard names, for assigning other type of key I paste here a list : http://pastebin.com/aXGDkJTU

If you want to assign a modifier ( eg. Ctrl ) on the stylus button, it's also possible:

xsetwacom set "Wacom Intuos3 9x12 Pen stylus" Button 2 "key ctrl"

You can test all your xsetwacom lines inside the Terminal before writing them in your script. This way you'll test if you have a Button 5 , or Button 20... etc... For my Intuos 3, the layout of the right side is like this ( I found it with guessing and trying ):

# ---------
# |   | 1 |
# | 3 |---|
# |   | 2 |
# |-------|
# |   8   |
# ---------

When your script is finished you can save it. In the file-manager ; right-click on it again > Properties > Permissions > and in front of Execute check the box for 'Allow executing file as a program'.

3. Run it, create a start-up You can double click and run the script. Your key on tablet will be mapped. But all setup of the button will not last a reboot. That's why we made a script to execute it at each start-up. Go now on 'System Settings', then 'Start-up application' , press the 'Add' button , give the form a name of your choice, for the command pick your script via the 'Browse' button, and comment what you want about it.

More informations about Xsetwacom: http://linuxwacom.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Xsetwacom