This class can be installed as an AWTEventListener, and will seemingly fix this. Note that the class can be installed on both Windows and Linux - it won't affect already correct behavior.
package com.example; import java.awt.AWTEvent; import java.awt.Component; import java.awt.EventQueue; import java.awt.Toolkit; import java.awt.event.AWTEventListener; import java.awt.event.ActionEvent; import java.awt.event.ActionListener; import java.awt.event.KeyEvent; import java.util.HashMap; import java.util.Map; import javax.swing.Timer; /** * This {@link AWTEventListener} tries to work around a 12 yo * bug in the Linux KeyEvent handling for keyboard repeat. Linux apparently implements repeating keypresses by * repeating both the {@link KeyEvent#KEY_PRESSED} and {@link KeyEvent#KEY_RELEASED}, while on Windows, one only * gets repeating PRESSES, and then a final RELEASE when the key is released. The Windows way is obviously much more * useful, as one then can easily distinguish between a user holding a key pressed, and a user hammering away on the * key. * * This class is an {@link AWTEventListener} that should be installed as the application's first ever * {@link AWTEventListener} using the following code, but it is simpler to invoke {@link #install() install(new * instance)}: * *
* Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().addAWTEventListener(new {@link RepeatingReleasedEventsFixer}, AWTEvent.KEY_EVENT_MASK); ** * Remember to remove it and any other installed {@link AWTEventListener} if your application have some "reboot" * functionality that can potentially install it again - or else you'll end up with multiple instances, which isn't too * hot. * * Notice: Read up on the {@link Reposted} interface if you have other AWTEventListeners that resends KeyEvents * (as this one does) - or else we'll get the event back. *
Mode of operation
* The class makes use of the fact that the subsequent PRESSED event comes right after the RELEASED event - one thus * have a sequence like this: * ** PRESSED * -wait between key repeats- * RELEASED * PRESSED * -wait between key repeats- * RELEASED * PRESSED * etc. ** * A timer is started when receiving a RELEASED event, and if a PRESSED comes soon afterwards, the RELEASED is dropped * (consumed) - while if the timer times out, the event is reposted and thus becomes the final, wanted RELEASED that * denotes that the key actually was released. * * Inspired by http://www.arco.in-berlin.de/keyevent.html * * @author Endre Stølsvik */ public class RepeatingReleasedEventsFixer implements AWTEventListener { private final Map_map = new HashMap (); public void install() { Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().addAWTEventListener(this, AWTEvent.KEY_EVENT_MASK); } public void remove() { Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().removeAWTEventListener(this); } @Override public void eventDispatched(AWTEvent event) { assert event instanceof KeyEvent : "Shall only listen to KeyEvents, so no other events shall come here"; assert assertEDT(); // REMEMBER THAT THIS IS SINGLE THREADED, so no need for synch. // ?: Is this one of our synthetic RELEASED events? if (event instanceof Reposted) { // -> Yes, so we shalln't process it again. return; } // ?: KEY_TYPED event? (We're only interested in KEY_PRESSED and KEY_RELEASED). if (event.getID() == KeyEvent.KEY_TYPED) { // -> Yes, TYPED, don't process. return; } final KeyEvent keyEvent = (KeyEvent) event; // ?: Is this already consumed? // (Note how events are passed on to all AWTEventListeners even though a previous one consumed it) if (keyEvent.isConsumed()) { return; } // ?: Is this RELEASED? (the problem we're trying to fix!) if (keyEvent.getID() == KeyEvent.KEY_RELEASED) { // -> Yes, so stick in wait /** * Really just wait until "immediately", as the point is that the subsequent PRESSED shall already have been * posted on the event queue, and shall thus be the direct next event no matter which events are posted * afterwards. The code with the ReleasedAction handles if the Timer thread actually fires the action due to * lags, by cancelling the action itself upon the PRESSED. */ final Timer timer = new Timer(2, null); ReleasedAction action = new ReleasedAction(keyEvent, timer); timer.addActionListener(action); timer.start(); _map.put(Integer.valueOf(keyEvent.getKeyCode()), action); // Consume the original keyEvent.consume(); } else if (keyEvent.getID() == KeyEvent.KEY_PRESSED) { // Remember that this is single threaded (EDT), so we can't have races. ReleasedAction action = _map.remove(Integer.valueOf(keyEvent.getKeyCode())); // ?: Do we have a corresponding RELEASED waiting? if (action != null) { // -> Yes, so dump it action.cancel(); } // System.out.println("PRESSED: [" + keyEvent + "]"); } else { throw new AssertionError("All IDs should be covered."); } } /** * The ActionListener that posts the RELEASED {@link RepostedKeyEvent} if the {@link Timer} times out (and hence the * repeat-action was over). */ private class ReleasedAction implements ActionListener { private final KeyEvent _originalKeyEvent; private Timer _timer; ReleasedAction(KeyEvent originalReleased, Timer timer) { _timer = timer; _originalKeyEvent = originalReleased; } void cancel() { assert assertEDT(); _timer.stop(); _timer = null; _map.remove(Integer.valueOf(_originalKeyEvent.getKeyCode())); } @Override public void actionPerformed(@SuppressWarnings ("unused") ActionEvent e) { assert assertEDT(); // ?: Are we already cancelled? // (Judging by Timer and TimerQueue code, we can theoretically be raced to be posted onto EDT by TimerQueue, // due to some lag, unfair scheduling) if (_timer == null) { // -> Yes, so don't post the new RELEASED event. return; } // Stop Timer and clean. cancel(); // Creating new KeyEvent (we've consumed the original). KeyEvent newEvent = new RepostedKeyEvent((Component) _originalKeyEvent.getSource(), _originalKeyEvent.getID(), _originalKeyEvent.getWhen(), _originalKeyEvent.getModifiers(), _originalKeyEvent.getKeyCode(), _originalKeyEvent.getKeyChar(), _originalKeyEvent.getKeyLocation()); // Posting to EventQueue. Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemEventQueue().postEvent(newEvent); // System.out.println("Posted synthetic RELEASED [" + newEvent + "]."); } } /** * Marker interface that denotes that the {@link KeyEvent} in question is reposted from some * {@link AWTEventListener}, including this. It denotes that the event shall not be "hack processed" by this class * again. (The problem is that it is not possible to state "inject this event from this point in the pipeline" - one * have to inject it to the event queue directly, thus it will come through this {@link AWTEventListener} too. */ public interface Reposted { // marker } /** * Dead simple extension of {@link KeyEvent} that implements {@link Reposted}. */ public static class RepostedKeyEvent extends KeyEvent implements Reposted { public RepostedKeyEvent(@SuppressWarnings ("hiding") Component source, @SuppressWarnings ("hiding") int id, long when, int modifiers, int keyCode, char keyChar, int keyLocation) { super(source, id, when, modifiers, keyCode, keyChar, keyLocation); } } private static boolean assertEDT() { if (!EventQueue.isDispatchThread()) { throw new AssertionError("Not EDT, but [" + Thread.currentThread() + "]."); } return true; } } package com.example; import java.awt.EventQueue; import java.awt.FlowLayout; import java.awt.event.KeyEvent; import java.awt.event.KeyListener; import javax.swing.JButton; import javax.swing.JFrame; import javax.swing.JLabel; import javax.swing.JPanel; import javax.swing.WindowConstants; /** * Tester for {@link RepeatingReleasedEventsFixer}. * * @author Endre Stølsvik */ public class XRepeatingReleasedEventsFixer { public static void main(String[] args) { EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { startGUI(); } }); } private static void startGUI() { new RepeatingReleasedEventsFixer().install(); JFrame frame = new JFrame("TestFrame"); JPanel main = new JPanel(new FlowLayout()); JButton listenedButton = new JButton("Have KeyListener"); main.add(listenedButton); listenedButton.addKeyListener(new KeyListener() { @Override public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) { System.out.println("keyPressed: [" + e + "]."); } @Override public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) { System.out.println("keyTyped: [" + e + "]."); } @Override public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) { System.out.println("keyReleased: [" + e + "]."); } }); main.add(new JButton("No Listeners")); main.add(new JLabel("Try arrows, Ctrl, and chars,")); main.add(new JLabel("as well as multiple at once.")); frame.add(main); frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); frame.setSize(260, 140); frame.setVisible(true); } }