Unable to enter # character on Linux Mint 21.3 using italian keyboard

[Paco1960]

As in title, I checked that I'm unable to enter "#" character on italian keyboard.
Is obtained usually using right ALT key and the key that contains
à
as first level,
°
as second level, and

as third level.

I checked the same phisical key chamging keyboard layout with a US, and relevant character are inserted correctly.
In this case the characters are
'
"
and
́

Any advice?

[shmuz]

What do you call "levels" ?

1-st level: press Key
2-nd level: press Shift+Key
3-rd level: press RAlt+Key

Is my understanding correct?

[Paco1960]

Yes, exact!

[shmuz]

I'm also on Mint 21.3.
I installed the Italian language pack and did some testing.
As I have no Italian keyboard I used my keyboard and also an online Italian keyboard.
It works for me with far2m editor:

[Paco1960]

Very strange!
Just checked with the "virtual" keyboard (the on-screen one available in Mint), and choosing the # key insert the ò character!!!
Anyway, on all other programs the # key works.

May this behaviour depends on Wine installed on my PC?
I've also unsuccesfully tried winapps, but I don't think it interferes.

Any advice?
TIA!

[shmuz]

Sorry for the dumb question: what Far are you using:

• some Windows Far version under Wine, or
• far2m ?

[Paco1960]

Of course your wonderful far2m!
I preferred your vs far2l for the plugin support!

I tried to use Far 3 via Wine, but have a lot of problems...
I LOVE Far manager, I use them from the begining, when Eugene Roshal proposed it as shareware, and I'm one that payed for it!!!

[Paco1960]

In the meanwhile, I've installed also far2l, and it shows the same behaviour.

Very strange!!!

[shmuz]

Thank you for the warm words!

On my keyboard the button that produces ààà °°° ### is not the 1-st one to the left to Enter (as on Italian keyboards) but the 2-nd.
I also checked with the default Mint text editor (xed) and it behaved identically with the far2m editor.

Try the following:

• Ctrl. Ctrl. (the "Define macro" dialog should appear)
• Press RAltà

What do you see?

[Paco1960]

I suppose to do it in far2m interface, and what I shoud do is to press Ctrl and .
Appears a little flag under bottom left corner, and pressing RAlt and à shows this:

Else, pressing Ctrl twice has no effects.

[shmuz]

• Press Ctrl then press . (dot) while Ctrl is pressed (as if you start recording a macro)
  The R appears in the upper left corner
  
• Release Ctrl
• Press Ctrl then press . (dot) while Ctrl is pressed (the "Define macro" dialog should appear)
  
• Release Ctrl
• Press various keys,, e.g. when you press CtrlF1 it appears in the dialog
  
• Press RAltà , what do you see in the dialog?

[Paco1960]

After removing some "emoji handler"... finally "Ctrl ." twice shows the "Define macro" dialog.

Pushing RAlt à shows À. Exact the same as pushing à alone.
Pushing ò shows Ò. Pushing RAlt ò shows @.

Using showkey in terminal windows, pushing RAlt give button 100, pushing à give button 40.

Also Onboard insert an à in Far2M, and # in other programs.

I dont' know if anything other is intercepting this sequence of keys.
But seems related to far2m and far2l.

Indeed, I've installed both via apt, adding this ppa:
https://launchpad.net/~far2l-team/+archive/ubuntu/ppa

Wrong move?

[shmuz]

As I cannot reproduce the issue it would be very hard to fix it.
Let us go another way: install a macro that will print # anytime it is called.

Macro {
  description="Print # character";
  area="Common"; key="CtrlK";
  action=function() Keys("#") end;
}

1. Create a file with any name and extension lua, e.g. test.lua
2. Copy the above macro to this file
3. (Optionally) change "CtrlK" to other key or key combination that you like
4. Save the file
5. Put this file in ~/.config/far2m/Macros/scripts
6. Reload far2m (exit and run again)
7. Test the macro: pressing CtrlK (or the key you put instead it) must print #.

[Paco1960]

Thanks!
I've choosed "Alt-à" and with the left Alt works!
With right Alt, the same problem...

Anyway, maybe in the future I'll reinstall Linux Mint (not sure if same or LMDE) from scratch, maybe this problem disappear.

About LMDE, many people (some I trust) says it's very good, maybe little better the Ubuntu derived.
In the meanwhile I've a VM of last LMDE to get used to it...

Thanks again!

[shmuz]

If I had a real Italian keyboard may be it could be reproduced on my system (and may be not).
So meanwhile you can use the macro :)