Xpra: Ticket #1294: Input methods don't work

I'm currently using Xpra 0.17.5 on Debian sid/experimental. I'm using the IME fcitx (https://fcitx-im.org/wiki/Fcitx). I have used the option input-method = keep in my configuration file, and if I look at the environment variables in the shell, they're identical to the ones in a shell outside Xpra (only one environment variable set regarding the input method: XMODIFIERS=@im=fcitx ). This is also an issue if I disable keyboard synchronization. Theoretically, this should have been fixed in #634, but it seems that even though I'm using the option introduced there, the input method fails to work.

OS: Debian sid/experimental on both client and server (I'm using Xpra as a graphical sandboxing mechanism, so they're running on the same machine)

I've attached the bug-report.zip that was generated by Xpra's bug reporting utility. Please let me know if you need any other information.



Mon, 29 Aug 2016 03:46:47 GMT - chaanakya: attachment set

Zip created by bug report utility.


Tue, 06 Sep 2016 10:13:51 GMT - Antoine Martin: attachment set

using fcitx in xpra


Tue, 06 Sep 2016 10:18:17 GMT - Antoine Martin: owner changed

started a server with:

xpra start --start=xterm --input-method=fcitx --start="fcitx -r"

Then connected my client and launched a test gtk2 app.

As you can see, I can click on the visual keyboard and it does get used: using fcitx in xpra

Does that not work for you? Note: on Fedora with gnome, the tray widget are hidden in a widget at the bottom left hand side of the screen, where no-one ever finds them... I had to click on the fcitx tray menu to get the visual keyboard to show up.


Thu, 15 Sep 2016 02:52:37 GMT - Antoine Martin: status changed; resolution set

Not heard back, closing - feel free to re-open with more details.


Tue, 25 Jul 2017 15:15:15 GMT - chaanakya:

Huh that's interesting. I was trying it without running fcitx again and it wasn't working. Interestingly, replacing it inside an xpra instance doesn't prevent it from working in the main X server.


Sat, 23 Jan 2021 05:20:20 GMT - migration script:

this ticket has been moved to: https://github.com/Xpra-org/xpra/issues/1294