OS X Lion Keyboard Layout Bug

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OS X Lion Keyboard Layout Bug

Hi,

I am running OS X Lion and I've been stumped by a problem since I've upgraded from Snow Leopard.

I have enabled the Require password after sleep or screen saver begins setting in the Securiy & Privacy preference pane. I have a U.S. Qwerty keyboard and I do frequently change input sources between US and FR. In Snow Leopard and previous releases (since Panther at least IIRC), when my screensaver is activated while using the FR layout, I had the option to change the input source to US or FR by clicking on the little flag that was displayed at the top right corner of the screen saver/login window.

However, OS X Lion changed that. The current input source is displayed on the top right side of the screen (and not on the screen saver/sleep login window) with the battery charge level, Wifi status etc. and it is not "clickable".

When I use the FR input source and my screensaver activates, OS X Lion falsely displays the source as US while in fact it is FR. Obviously, my password doesn't work when I type it using the US layout so I need to go into some mental gymnastics to know where the special chars are located in the FR layout.

I've even tried using the keyboard shortcut I set up to change between input sources but that doesn't work neither.

Why OS X Lion shows an incorrect input source at the screen saver/sleep login window? And how can one change between several input sources at that window to input their password correctly?

Thanks,

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 23, 2011 11:01 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 3, 2011 2:02 PM in response to saâd

I have the same problem. It evens occurs while loggin in after a reboot.

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Answer 2

whatheck

Level 5

4,141 points

Aug 4, 2011 2:14 PM in response to saâd

Howdy,

Take a look at this thread -> https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3227096

I think they are discussing the same thing that you described. Sounds like you need to check "show input source in login window."

WTH.

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Answer 3

Aug 17, 2011 2:08 PM in response to saâd

I was having the same exact problem.

Here's the SOLUTION WITH PICTURES: http://baumdesign.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/macos-x-lion-cannot-login-after-autom atic-sleep/

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Answer 4

saâd Author

Level 1

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Aug 18, 2011 1:34 AM in response to Rudolfensis

Thanks for the URL but I had already activated this configuration prior to posting my question.

I found out that when you wake up your computer back from sleep or when you try to re-login after the screensaver starts, the input source fails to display correctly. If you put your computer in sleep mode for example while you were using a French keymap, it will still display US as the input source when you wake it even though it's French.

This problem has now been fixed by OS X Lion 10.7.1.

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Answer 5

Aug 18, 2011 7:18 AM in response to saâd

Ah, OK.

But when it goes into sleep, in let's say German, it still is German when you wake it and try to enter the password... even in 10.7.1.

So they need to fix more 🙂

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Answer 6

blubalu

Level 1

8 points

Sep 4, 2011 10:28 AM in response to saâd

Indeed there's still a problem. The input source on my login screen show US all the time, but from time to time I have to type on a virtual German keyboard to be able to login. I couldn't find out so far how this happens. When I'm logged in, I switch a lot between German and US keyboard layout.

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Answer 7

keo604

Level 1

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Sep 5, 2011 12:09 AM in response to saâd

I have the exact same problem, and already filed a bug report to Apple.

I tried something - I unchecked "Show Input menu in login window" - and very strangely the input source is still there - but is now clickable!

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Answer 8

Sep 19, 2011 10:11 AM in response to saâd

10.7.1 has not fixed the similar issue I have with the input source. I use the Dvorak layout, the wife standard U.S. Qwerty and we run as non admins. We often share our computers with each other so we both have the U.S. Qwerty and the DV layouts enabled as input sources. Up through Snow Leopard, no issue.

Now under Lion (10.7.1) when we each have to authenticate as admin, on my computer I often end up with the dialog box showing the DV flag (for Dvorak) but when I type it is the standard Qwerty layout. And, similarly, my wife on her computer computer ends up with the U.S. flag but when she types it is Dvorak.

Add this to the inability to remember my choice to not "Show Input Source Name" and it looks like the crew on this section of Lion need to burn a bit more midnight oil.

It looks bad to get something so obvious and so simple wrong.

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Answer 9

saâd Author

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Sep 19, 2011 1:36 PM in response to saâd

Contrary to what I've wrote earlier, the behavior is quite erratic with 10.7.1 and more often than not (about 90% of the time), I get the behavior described by James Ehrler1.

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Answer 10

Nov 9, 2011 4:29 AM in response to saâd

I guess something is severly messed up in Lions handling of keyboard layouts. Have you tried installing your own keyboard layouts? Appearently, installing a keyboard layout in '~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/' no longer is a viable option. Any keyboard layout that is installed there will be deactivated after you logout and login again. Only keyboard layouts that are installed at '/Library/Keyboard Layouts/' will stay activated.

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Answer 11

Nov 22, 2011 11:27 AM in response to saâd

I have a similar issue which is even weirder.

I have a MacBook Air with a Japanese keyboard.

Lion is set to display UK English but the keyboard input is set to Japanese.

I do not have UK English selected as a keyboard layout option.

Despite that, sometimes at login and sometimes in Safari, Lion will suddenly decide I have a UK English keyboard. The Input Sources selection still has Japanese keyboard selected but Lion is interpreting the keystrokes as if UK English was selected.

ie. Irrespective of the input source I have selected, in certain circumstances Lion will occasionally assume that I have a keyboard that matches my OS language.

Interestingly I only get this on my Air which came with Lion preinstalled. My Snow to Lion upgraded MacBook Pro doesn't have this issue.

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Answer 12

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

123,000 points

Nov 22, 2011 12:33 PM in response to lemonsoju

lemonsoju wrote:

I do not have UK English selected as a keyboard layout option.

Do you have any boxes at all checked in Input Sources other than Kotoeri?

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Answer 13

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

123,000 points

Nov 22, 2011 12:39 PM in response to j_mach_wust

j_mach_wust wrote:

Have you tried installing your own keyboard layouts? Appearently, installing a keyboard layout in '~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/' no longer is a viable option. Any keyboard layout that is installed there will be deactivated after you logout and login again. Only keyboard layouts that are installed at '/Library/Keyboard Layouts/' will stay activated.

I have not seen this problem on my installation.

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Answer 14

Nov 22, 2011 12:56 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Tom Gewecke wrote:

Do you have any boxes at all checked in Input Sources other than Kotoeri?

Only the Japanese keyboard options and for those, shift 2 is " rather than @.

In fact I've just realised that shift 2 on a UK keyboard is " too, so it's not defaulting to a UK keyboard - it's defaulting to a US one.

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Answer 15

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

123,000 points

Nov 22, 2011 1:04 PM in response to lemonsoju

lemonsoju wrote:

In fact I've just realised that shift 2 on a UK keyboard is " too, so it's not defaulting to a UK keyboard - it's defaulting to a US one.

The Apple "British" keyboard layout is not the standard UK layout. Shift + 2 is @ for both US and British.

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