HOWTO: Enabling Forward, Back Buttons, Logitech MX1000 Mouse

Question

Enabling Forward and Back Buttons, Logitech MX1000 Mouse
(and Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer, apparently)
Step 1: Get, Install evdev
==========================
First, use evdev as the Xorg mouse driver.
Get this module, install it, and make sure it is loaded each time you run Linux.
For Arch, this means:
# pacman --sync xf86-input-evdev
and adding "evdev" to the modules list in /etc/rc.conf.
Step 2: Modify xorg.conf to Use evdev as Your Mouse Driver
==========================================================
Next, in /etc/X11/xorg.conf, create an evdev-based input device that specifies your mouse:
# evdev based section for Logitech MX1000 mouse
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Evdev Mouse"
Driver "evdev"
Option "Name" "Logitech USB Receiver"
Option "CorePointer"
EndSection
Note: then "Name" field above is important. Find out the name for your device via:
% egrep "Name|Handlers" /proc/bus/input/device
In the case of the Logitech MX1000 mouse, which is wireless, it is: "Logitech USB Receiver".
Step 3: Modify Xorg ServerLayout to Use Your evdev Mouse
========================================================
Now modify the Xorg server layout to use this mouse entry:
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Xorg Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Evdev Mouse" "CorePointer"
# PS/2 Mouse not detected
# Serial Mouse not detected
EndSection
Step 4: Do Some Button Mapping for The Forward and Back Buttons
===============================================================
Now, add the following to your .xinitrc, or somewhere where it will be executed each time X starts:
% xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 6 7"
You will receive the warning:
    Warning: Only changing the first 9 of 20 buttons.
Don't worry about this - it is normal.
Finally, to get those pesky Forward and Back buttons working in some Gnome apps such as Nautilus,
get and install xvkbd and xbindkeys. Now create file ~/.xbindkeysrc, containing:
# Mouse Buttons
"/usr/bin/xvkbd -xsendevent -text "\[Alt_L]\[Left]""
m:0x0 + b:6
"/usr/bin/xvkbd -xsendevent -text "\[Alt_L]\[Right]""
m:0x0 + b:7
"/usr/bin/xvkbd -xsendevent -text "\[Left]""
m:0x0 + b:8
"/usr/bin/xvkbd -xsendevent -text "\[Right]""
m:0x0 + b:9
and add the following to your .xinitrc, or somewhere where it will be executed each time X starts:
% xbindkeys
That is it! Simple n'est pas? :-)
Many, many thanks to Arch forum member MrWeatherbee, who provided most of the key elements of the above - thanks!
Last edited by mac57 (2007-08-20 14:46:29)

Answer 1

Hi Misfit138, I agree that the general ideas are there already in the Wiki, but even after reading that entry, I was not able to get things working. The existing entry is not specific enough to the MX1000 mouse. So, although I have never contributed to a Wiki before, I think it is likely a good idea to do so in this case. I will make sure that the entry is very MX1000 specific. It will address a small audience, but it is one way of giving back a little to the community.