A guide and script to temporarily disable and enable the laptop keyboard while using an external keyboard in Linux Mint.

README.md

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Identify Your Laptop Keyboard Device ID: Open a terminal and run:

   xinput list

   This command will display a list of all input devices connected to your system. Look for an entry that corresponds to your laptop keyboard, such as "AT Translated Set 2 keyboard" or something similar. Note down the device ID (e.g., 11).

2. Disable the Keyboard: Use the following command to disable your laptop keyboard (replace 11 with your actual device ID):

   xinput disable 11

3. Enable the Keyboard: Use the following command to re-enable your laptop keyboard (replace 11 with your actual device ID):

   xinput enable 11

4. Create a Toggle Script: Create a script to easily toggle the keyboard state between enabled and disabled.

   Script: toggle_keyboard.sh

   #!/bin/bash
   
   DEVICE_ID=11  # Replace with your actual device ID
   
   if xinput list-props $DEVICE_ID | grep "Device Enabled (.*):.*1" > /dev/null
   then
       xinput disable $DEVICE_ID
       echo "Keyboard disabled"
   else
       xinput enable $DEVICE_ID
       echo "Keyboard enabled"
   fi

5. Make the Script Executable:

   chmod +x toggle_keyboard.sh

6. Run the Script:

   ./toggle_keyboard.sh

Automating at Startup

To disable the keyboard automatically at startup, follow these steps:

1. Open Startup Applications from the Mint menu.
2. Click on Add.
3. Set the Name to something like "Disable Laptop Keyboard".
4. Set the Command to:

   xinput disable 11  # Replace 11 with your actual device ID

5. Click Add and then Close.

Now, your laptop keyboard will be disabled every time you start your computer. You can enable it using the toggle_keyboard.sh script whenever needed.

toggle.sh

#!/bin/bash

DEVICE_ID=11  # Replace with your actual device ID

if xinput list-props $DEVICE_ID | grep "Device Enabled (.*):.*1" > /dev/null
then
    xinput disable $DEVICE_ID
    echo "Keyboard disabled"
else
    xinput enable $DEVICE_ID
    echo "Keyboard enabled"
fi

Thanks a lot @arya2004 , This is very handy !