Ubuntu – How to simulate keyboard input

keyboardshortcut-keysunitywine

This is the biggest thing keeping me from enjoying Ubuntu/Linux.

Ideally I'd like to just be able to run my AutoHotKey script on Ubuntu, but I didn't have much luck getting that working with Wine.

Here's what I'm doing in AHK (using extra modifiers also works, Shift+Alt+l is Shift+right).

!l:: Send, {Right}
+!l:: Send, +{Right}
^!l:: Send, ^{Right}
^+!l:: Send, ^+{Right}

I tried AutoKey, but it wasn't consuming input, remapping Alt + I to right arrow key worked, but it still executed Alt + I, which sometimes selects an item from the application menu.

The closest I got was xbindkeys for setting up hotkeys, this seems to work great. And xvkbd for simulating input; this part is really buggy; it doesn't work in all programs, and causes me to lose focus a lot, among other issues.

For anyone wondering what I'm trying to do: I use I J K L as arrow keys while Alt is down.

Best Answer

I've never used xvkbd, but there are two other great programs for simulating keyboard input that I like and use. One is xte and the other is xdotool. 

sudo apt-get install xautomation xdotool

Both xdotool and xte are very similar, but since I use xte the most I'll go into that one.

xte:

The most basic syntax for xte is: 

xte 'command key/mousebutton/xyCoordinates'

xte can do a lot more than just create keyboard input though, it can also move your mouse and simulate mouse button presses, among others things.

Syntax examples:

  • To call a single key press: xte 'key keyName'

  • To call a key combination: xte 'keydown keyName' 'keydown secondKeyName' 'keyup keyName' 'keyup secondKeyName

  • To call a mouse button: xte 'mouseclick buttonNumber' (You can find button numbers through xev)

  • To move the mouse: xte 'mousemove xCoordinate yCoordinate'

  • And more! Read man xte

Keynames:

Here are a list of key names (other than the obvious ones): 

Home
Left
Up
Right
Down
Page_Up
Page_Down
End
Return
BackSpace
Tab
Escape
Delete
Shift_L
Shift_R
Control_L
Control_R
Meta_L
Meta_R
Alt_L
Alt_R
Multi_key  
Super_L  
Super_R

Reading:

You might also be interested in reading:

How can I change what keys on my keyboard do? (How can I create custom keyboard commands/shortcuts?)

How do I remap certain keys or devices?

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