So, in Ubuntu MATE 17.10, the problem with switching keyboard layouts with a keyboard shortcut is that the switching is performed immediately when the shortcut (like Alt+Shift) is pressed, without checking if some other key sequence is in progress right now.
Consider: the shortcut to switch keyboard layout is Alt+Shift, and right now I’m going through opened windows with Alt+Tab. So what I’m doing is: hit Alt, and while holding it, I hit Tab. Then, still holding Alt, I hit Tab a few more times, to go through opened apps. Then at some point I realize that I hit tab too many times, and want to do a step back (the shortcut for which is Alt+Shift+Tab). So I am still holding Alt, and to make a step back, I hit Shift, hold it, then hit Tab, then release both Shift and Tab. But boom! Just when I pressed Shift a moment ago, the keyboard layout switching thing stealed that shortcut from me! So effectively when I do Alt+Shift+Tab, the system interprets it as if I did Alt+Shift (which changes the keyb layout) followed by Alt+Tab (which iterates opened apps forward).
This is not the only issue caused by this behavior. I have another shortcut Alt+Shift+~, which also doesn’t work for the same reason.
Previously I have used Linux Mint MATE 18.3, which works perfectly in those cases: when some other keyb sequence is in progress, part of which is Alt and Shift, the keyboard switching doesn’t get in the way.
Is there any way to work it around in Ubuntu MATE 17.10? Or will it at least be fixed in future versions?
Thanks.