Introduction

Problems with touchpad detection typically fall into one of these categories:

1. Your touchpad doesn't work at all.
2. Your touchpad stops working after a while.
3. Features of Mouse works but features of Touchpad(like Tapping, Scrolling) does not work at all.
4. Some features of your touchpad like scrolling, tapping, dragging don't work as expected.

How to file the bug report

Consider this document on filing touchpad bugs with relevant information. Before filing a bug please check the list of known bugs at the end of this document. If your are unsure to which package the bug should be filed or your problem is not listed in any of the categories then, in general file your touchpad related bugs against xserver-xorg-input-synaptics. If the bug turns out to be a bug related to kernel(linux) or any other package, bug triagers will assign your bug additionally to that package and mark the task related to xserver-xorg-input-synaptics, as invalid.

General information before filing the bug

This information should be provided in the bug description itself:

1. Laptop model.
2. Manufacturer of the Touchpad.
3. When the symptom first appeared.

Sample Description - 'ALPS Touchpad' incorrectly detected as PS/2 mouse in 'Sony Vaio VPCCW16FG' after the kernel upgrade.

However if you think that the bug is a general one with the type of the touchpad and is irrespective of the Laptop model you could emit mentioning the Laptop model in the description. But only consider doing this, when you are very sure that the bug is affecting all laptops with that touchpad model.

In case your touchpad doesn't work at all (No response from the touchpad)

1. File the bug against linux

2. Provide the general information.

3. Enter the following command in a terminal/console:

   $ dmesg > ~/dmesg 

4. Attach ~/dmesg and your /var/log/Xorg.0.log to the bug report in separate attachments.

In case your touchpad stops working after a while

1. Provide the general information.

2. Direct after logging in to GNOME, KDE or Xfce open a terminal and enter the following commands:

   $ dmesg > ~/dmesg_boot
   $ cp /var/log/Xorg.0.log ~/Xorg.0.log 

3. Wait until your touchpad stops working.
4. Open a Virtual Terminal by pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1.

5. Enter the following commands:

   $ LANG=C
   $ dmesg > ~/dmesg
   $ diff -ns ~/dmesg_boot ~/dmesg > ~/dmesg_diff
   $ cp /var/log/Xorg.0.log ~/Xorg.0.log_tmp
   $ diff -ns ~/Xorg.0.log ~/Xorg.0.log_tmp > ~/Xorg.0.log_diff 

6. Attach ~/dmesg_boot, ~/dmesg_diff, ~/Xorg.0.log and ~/Xorg.0.log_diff to the bug report in separate attachments.

In case your touchpad features like scrolling, tapping, etc does not work at all.

This happens when 'Touchpad' Tab is not there in System>Preferences>Mouse.

This may be a wrong detection by the xserver or the kernel itself. So xserver-xorg-input-synaptics has nothing to do with it. In case, filing a bug against the kernel(linux), please note that you should not mark the bug as duplicate even if you can find a closely related bug and you have a strong feeling that the bug should be duplicate. This is a new policy of Kernel Team and it help them to handle the bugs better.

To check whether to report for kernel or not

$ cat /proc/bus/input/devices >~/devices 

If this include the name of your touchpad eg Name="SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad", then kernel has detected it right. In this case, please don't report the bug against the kernel, rather report it against Xserver.

In any case, include the outputs of the following commands:

$ cat /proc/bus/input/devices >~/devices
$ sudo lspci -vvnn > ~/lspci 
$ xinput --list > ~/xinput 
$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log > Xorg.0.log 

Attach all four, to the bug report in separate attachments.

IMP : Please do not file bug against the kernel unless you are very sure that it should be filed and do it only after reading this whole document. If you are unsure, file it against xserver-xorg-input-synaptics, somebody will change to kernel if is so.

In case your atleast one of touchpad features works but does not work correctly and as expected

eg - Jumpy cursor, scrolling problems, touchpad area is misdetected, circular scrolling, buttons not correctly mapped.

1. Enter the following command in a terminal/console:

   $ synclient -l > ~/synclient
   $ xmodmap -pp
   $ xinput --list-props <id> 

2. Attach ~/synclient and your /var/log/Xorg.0.log to the bug report in separate attachments.

In  xinput --list-props <id> , <id> is of your touchpad in  xinput --list .

In case your multitouch features does not work

This bug is common in Synaptics Touchpad V7.2 where multitouch works perfect in windows but not in linux. This is not a bug related to xserver-xorg-input-synaptics. Multitouch capabilities are not detected but the kernel itself as evident in  xinpit --list-props <id of your touchpad>  shows  Synaptics Capabilities (277):       1, 1, 1, 0, 0 

This bug is already known (see the Known bugs below). In this case please don't file any new bugs and instead add a comment in the existing bug for any relevent information that you have.

NOTE : Synaptics is not willing to disclose the protocol it uses for the multitouch support for its newer touchpads. As soon as Synaptics come up with its protocol, this issue will be fixed. So this is not a bug in general. So it has been classified as a wishlist.

For any other case, include the outputs in the bug report in separate comments.

$ synclient -l > ~/synclient
$ xinput --list-props <id> 

Take your pointer in the windows and hold down your two fingres on the touchpad and raise. Also try to tap with two fingers.  $ xev | grep -i button > ~/xev

Attach these outputs in separate attachments, in the bug report.

In  xinput --list-props <id> , <id> is of your touchpad in xinput --list.

Before filing new bug please look in the common bugs section.

Some general work flow for Triagers

If the features of your touchpad (like Tapping, Scrolling) does not work at all. In this case user will not see the Touchpad Tab in System>Administration>Mouse in Main menu. This means that Touchpad is misdetected as PS/2 mouse. Here the following workflow must be followed.

1. Check weather Kernel has detected the touchpad or not by the following.

   $ cat /proc/bus/input/devices 

   • If a touchpad is detected, then something like following will appear.

     • Name="SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad"

     If touchpad is not detected then following will appear. In this case the bug must be a kernel issue.

     • Name="ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse"

2. Check weather xserver has detected the touchpad correctly by.

   $ xinput --list 

   • You will see the same name of touchpad as above.

3. Check weather synaptics module is correctly loaded in xserver or not in.

   $cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep -i synaptics 

For problems such as scrolling area, touch area, button wrong mapping, multitouch try investigating with

•     $ synclient -m 100 
      $ xev 

Look for name in xinput --list eg - for ↳ TouchPad id=6 [slave pointer (2)], then type

•     $ xinput --list-props 6 

Help regarding using debug utilities

In case when using  synclient -m 100  reports SHMConfig disabled. Try adding these lines to your xorg.conf file in respective sections. Please make a backup copy of your xorg.conf file before trying this.

Section "Module"

• Load "synaptics"

EndSection #... 4 Section "InputDevice"

• Driver "synaptics"

  Identifier "TouchPad" Option "Protocol" "auto-dev" Option "SHMConfig" "on"

EndSection #... Section "ServerLayout"

• InputDevice "TouchPad" "CorePointer"

EndSection

Known bugs

Synaptics Touchpad Multitouch https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-input-synaptics/+bug/308191

Jumpy cursor https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/xorg-driver-synaptics/+bug/365943

Synaptics Touchpad is incorrectly detected by kernel https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/565543

CategoryBugSquad CategoryDebugging