Ubuntu
ubuntu-meta package

How to keep the F1 function key from opening a Ubuntu help window.

Asked by Rolf Turner

On my keyboard the F1 function key is just below the escape key.
I use the vim editor; I'm clumsy. Ergo I often reach for the escape
key and almost as often hit the F1 key by mistake.

This has the effect of opening a Ubuntu help window which I don't
want and which I have to close. This is annoying.

Is there any way that I can turn off the linkage between the F1
function key and Ubuntu help?

If you reply, can I beg to you to answer in very simplistic terms;
give a simple step by step recipe if possible. I am a bear of very
little brain, and long words bother me. :-)

    cheers,

              Rolf Turner

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Ubuntu ubuntu-meta Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
mycae
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
mycae (mycae) said : 		#1

Yeah, I do this too.

You can change the gnome keyboard shortcuts. Its in the menu or you can launch gnome-keybinding-properties

Revision history for this message
Rolf Turner (r-turner-auckland) said : 		#2

On 24/03/11 13:54, mycae wrote:
> Your question #150244 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/150244
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> mycae proposed the following answer:
> Yeah, I do this too.
>
> You can change the gnome keyboard shortcuts. Its in the menu
      Where?
> or you can launch gnome-keybinding-properties
      How?

Please, I need more detail. I did look under System --> Preferences -->
Keyboard Shortcuts,
(also ``Keyboard'') prior to asking my question on this list, but
couldn't find anything useful.
I still can't.

     cheers,

         Rolf Turner

Revision history for this message
mycae (mycae) said : 		#3

OK, an alternate way to do it is to launch the gconf-editor program (Alt+F2 for dialog), then

gconf-editor

then go to

 apps->gnome-terminal->Keybindings->help

then delete the value. This will disable it for gnome-terminal only, which would be what you are using to access vim (but not gvim).

Revision history for this message
Rolf Turner (r-turner-auckland) said : 		#4

On 25/03/11 00:48, mycae wrote:
> Your question #150244 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/150244
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> mycae proposed the following answer:
> OK, an alternate way to do it is to launch the gconf-editor program
> (Alt+F2 for dialog), then
>
> gconf-editor

Why not just type ``gconf-editor'' in a terminal window? :-)

> then go to
>
> apps->gnome-terminal->Keybindings->help
>
> then delete the value. This will disable it for gnome-terminal only,
> which would be what you are using to access vim (but not gvim).

Did that. Doesn't work. I still get a help window popping up
when I press the F1 key -- whether accidentally or not! :-)

I tried restarting the machine after going through the ``delete
value'' routine. Made no difference.

I also tried (in imitation of other entries I saw) putting in ``<no value>''
in the Value box, in the menu that pops up when I right-click on the
``help'' line of the keybindings and then choose ``Edit key''. Makes
no difference.

Any other ideas?

     cheers,

             Rolf Turner

Revision history for this message
Best mycae (mycae) said : 		#5

Hit it with a hammer.

sudo mv `which gnome-help` `which gnome-help`-disabled

Revision history for this message
Rolf Turner (r-turner-auckland) said : 		#6

That works --- modulo a bit of a modification. If I just move gnome-help to
gnome-help-disabled, then when I press F1 I get a pop-up error message
telling me ``There was an error displaying help. Failed to execute child
process "gnome-help" (No such file or directory)'' This is almost as
annoying as getting the help window.

So I then constructed a dummy gnome-help file (in /usr/bin where the
original gnome-help lived) just containing a hash-bang line
``#! /bin/sh '' and nothing else. I made this file executable, and that
seemed to do the trick.

Thanks.

    cheers,

        Rolf Turner

Revision history for this message
mycae (mycae) said : 		#7

just beware of system updates...

Revision history for this message
Rolf Turner (r-turner-auckland) said : 		#8

On 25/03/11 12:25, mycae wrote:
> Your question #150244 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/150244
>
> mycae posted a new comment:
> just beware of system updates...

Good point! Thanks.

     cheers,

         Rolf Turner