GXCapIndicator

Warning

Project migrated to Qt6 and Moved to codeberg

Warning

due to Ayatana core codebase being changed, this project may not work in the future, please use QXCapIndicator (Qt6 version of this program) if that happens

GXCapIndicator is a simple tool for indicating the status of Caps Lock and Num Lock keys in the system tray.

Features

• Monitor Caps Lock and Num Lock keys
• Toggle Caps Lock and Num Lock with an on-screen button
• Hideable indicators
• Adjustable update rate
• Wayland support (with Evdev)

Installation

To build GXCapIndicator, choose the backend you want to use:

With Evdev Backend

make

With X11 Backend

make WITHX11=1

Backend Differences

GXCapIndicator supports two backends for fetching key status: X11 and Evdev. Each backend has its own capabilities and limitations.

X11 Backend

• Uses XkbGetState to fetch the key status.
• Checks cannot be done in real time without generating high CPU usage.
• Some options are not available:
  • Initial Visual State: Cannot set the initial visual state of Caps Lock/Num Lock (unnecessary with XkbGetState).

Evdev Backend

• Uses libinput_event_get_keyboard_event to fetch the key status.
• Checks can be real time without high CPU Usage
• Some options are not available:
  • Update Rate: Cannot change update rate because polling intercepts events (and is not really necessary because there is no CPU usage penalty).
  • Toggle: Can't be implemented without root access.

Configuration

You can configure GXCapIndicator with the integrated GUI (settings in indicator menu) or by editing $HOME/.config/gxcapindicator using the following options:

Item	Description	Possible Values	Default Value	Example	Scope
showcap	Enables the Caps Lock key indicator	0, 1	1	showcap=1	All
shownum	Enables the Num Lock key indicator	0, 1	1	shownum=1	All
updrate	Sets the update rate	(Number)	0	updrate=0	X11
vcapstate	Sets the initial visual state of Caps Lock	0, 1	0	vcapstate=0	Evdev
vnumstate	Sets the initial visual state of Num Lock	0, 1	0	vnumstate=0	Evdev