How To: Automatically Disable Touchpad While Typing

The keyboard on the AA1 is pretty small, and I found that I was constantly inadvertently brushing against the touchpad while typing, sedning the cursor - and my text - off into random places in my document.

Fortunately there's an easy way to prevent this, and you don't even have to install anything. The Synaptics Daemon (syndaemon) will temporarily disable the touchpad while you type, and enable it a configurable number of seconds after you stop typing.

To start the daemon, open a terminal or Alt-F2 to get a command line and enter:

Code:

/usr/bin/syndaemon -i 1 -d

This will start the daemon, which will pause for 1 second (the -i parameter, choose whatever length you like). The -d switch causes syndaemon to run in the background.

If you want to start the daemon every time you log on, add the following lines to your .bashrc file (mousepad /home/user/.bashrc)

Code:

#Start up synaptics daemon
if [ ! -f /tmp/synd.lock ];then
        /usr/bin/syndaemon -i 1 -d
        touch /tmp/synd.lock
fi

No need to reboot, just start up a terminal and your daemon should start (.bashrc is executed every time a new bash shell is launched).

Perry
http://www.kidpub.com

 

Very handy, thanks! This should also work well for those running Ubuntu and other distros on the Aspire One because it's a synaptics setting

 

An update, I've moved startup of syndaemon from .bashrc to the xfce-session autostart, which seems more logical, and you don't have to worry about creating a lock file in /tmp.

Start the autostart editor, from a terminal or Atl-F2:

Code:

xfce4-autostart-editor

[attachment=1:33gukfe7]auto1.png[/attachment:33gukfe7]

Click Add, then fill in the detail s for the daemon:

[attachment=0:33gukfe7]auto2.png[/attachment:33gukfe7]

The daemon will autostart at next login.

Perry
www.kidpub.com

 

I haven't had any problems yet but I probably will, knowing myself. Thanks for letting us know this solution!

 

seems to work

thx a lot mate

 

I shut off the bottom 4 choices in the autostart dialog and my boot time speeded right up.

What is compiz, and why is it autostarting?

Is there a list or source of any/all other xvce4 dialogs?

much thanks

 

I know what compiz is, don't need it to autostart either...

what other dialogs are available?

thanks

 

The Fn+F7 key combination will toggle the touch pad and once the touch pad is disabled it will stay disabled even through booting at least in Ubuntu and Mandriva.

 

Hello,

those attachements don't work anymore, and I don't know how to make the code working after reboot. May you explain it again? I've tried to add /home/user/.bashrc as a command in the autostart session, but with no success.

Thanks in advance for your help!