Navigating on Librem 5 using a keyboard

Hardware Librem 5
1

This is really a very stupid question, but I guess this would help people who are not that experienced in using Linux.

I want to learn using Librem 5 with a keyboard without using a mouse nor the touch screen. The use case is when I plug the Librem 5 to a large external monitor while having only a bluetooth keyboard at hand and no mouse.

So I would like to be able to switch between applications and screens - something like Alt+Tab on Windows.
Be able to open the file manager (like Windows+E on Windows).
Move a window from the L5 screen to the external monitor and back.
Close an application (like Alt+F4).
Jump to the desktop in order to be able to select an application.
Maximize windows.
Maybe a key combo to open the task manager/process monitor (like Ctl+Alt+Del).

Does anybody has a good source to learn this stuff, maybe a collection of useful key combinations for cases like the ones I listed, and maybe some stuff specific to Librem 5?

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At least for the Librem 5 you can go to Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts and it will show a list of configured keyboard shortcuts as well as allow you to create new ones.

keyboard-shortcuts
keyboard-shortcuts720×1440 69.3 KB

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I understand this isn’t what you asked but for me in a similar use case I use a wireless keyboard that has a built-in track pad. Sure, it’s not in general as easy to use as a mouse (for me) but if there is no defined key combination or there is but you can’t remember it :wink: then using the track pad gets the job done. (NB: This is not relating to the Librem 5. I don’t know whether there would be any challenges specific to it.)

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@Hristo some of phosh default shortcuts are:

  • Super + (Left|Right): Tile the focused window to the left or right side of the active screen
  • Super + Shift + (Left|Right): Move the focused window to the left or right display
  • Super + (Up|Down): Maximize or unmaximize the focused window
  • Super + a: Open the App Launcher, where you can type in the name of the application to launch, or select it with arrow keys
  • Super + s: Open the App Switcher (similar to hitting the bottom section of the touchscreen on the phone). This allows you to switch between running applications using the arrow keys
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Thank you, this helps a lot!

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I am using Ctrl + W for closing applications / windows but this does not work consistently. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

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Another strange behavior.
Given I am in the file manager.
And I already navigate in the right part of the screen. (so for example a file or folder are kind of selected with the blue highlighting.
And I want to stop navigating in this folder and select a new folder from the menu on the left (for example in order to go to the SD card)
Then when I use tab to go to the SD card in the menu on the left and press enter, the following happens:
The file or folder in the right part of the screen open. While I would expect the folder selected in the left menu to open (for example the SD card).

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I also miss a key combination to simulate a right click on a file. Ctrl + Space does not work. Honestly I am not sure how to consistently achieve right click using the touch screen as well.
And a way to go back from a folder to a previous folder.

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This is to close tabs, sometimes it closes the app because some close the window when closing the last tab, to close the app is Ctrl + Q (quit)

To navigate to previous folder/web it may work with Alt + Left, I didn’t try it/remember if it works

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