I’m on a 12th gen model; are the alternate arrow key bindings (home/end/pg up/down) meant to work when using FN Lock? for me (Fedora36KDE) i have to hold FN to use these.
for sites that infinite-scroll browsing, having a single key to page up/down is highly desirable.
Original post deleted, sorry I misread your question. My original post does not address using the home/end/pg up/down with a single key
Edit: I should also add that I am using an external wireless keyboard which allows the use of those keys with a single press. The framework keyboard is space limited unfortunately.
yeah i’m using a keyboard when at a desk which obviously has dedicated pg up/down. but if i’m away from the desk then its typically used as a laptop.
just seems like it’s a bug (UEFI update fixable?) when fn+arrow works, but fnlock+arrows don’t.
It is intentional that the arrow keys are not impacted by Fn Lock.
There is a small handful of keys that are not lockable:
All other function-labelled keys are locked.
This implementation prioritizes usability for people who want to keep Fn Lock enabled at all times.
thanks for the clarification and why it functions the way it does!
Good to know about the other key mappings which i was also unaware of; I’m definately noting these down somewhere for future use. 
You can still modify it in the EC if you wish
OK. Just for the slow ones among us (i.e. me): there really is (still) no way to lock the arrow keys to their alt-behavior, i.e. pg down/up/pos1/end? If this has been remedied, I’d be excited.
Btw, I have no clue, nor can I find what the “you can still modify it in the EC” means. What’s EC?
Update: I discovered what EC means (Embedded Controller, for anyone else who’s not an expert.) But, I still have no idea how to “hack” that, nor if I want to. Following the link DHowett gave, I think I can see that this behavior is still current. Honestly, I don’t get why this is a helpful usability function; my usability case WOULD give me the option to lock the arrow keys.
Thus, updated question: Is there a 3rd-party app/setting somewhere that I could use to get the desired key behavior? It would shave hours off my work.
You’d be looking for a key remapper, one that can do layers should allow you to implement that. You didn’t mention your OS. On linux, KMonad can do layers. On windows, no clue. But there might be something.
Yes, sorry. I’m still not used to this unorganized message board. I use Linux Mint (which also has a forum that allows for signatures where you can add things like what system you’re on, not having to mention it separately every time).
Thanks for the info! It’s always difficult to search for something when you don’t know what it is.
You should be able KMonad to accomplish lockable alt function arrow keys. Unfortunately, KMonad does have more of a learning curve than one might hope.
You won’t be able to use the actual Fn key to lock the arrows keys though. Fn isn’t a key that’s passed to the OS because it isn’t a standard key with a keycode, it’s a trigger for layers on laptops that’s handled internally within the keyboard controller. The OS isn’t even aware of Fn’s existence.
But you should be able to use any other key. You could set, double tap Ctrl to toggle the locking of arrow key alt functions. This is called “Multi-tap” within KMonad.
I’ve just installed Input Remapper (an older version that’s still in my Linux Mint 21.3 repo). It works in general, but I can’t figure out how to get my desired outcome.
From what you said, I take it it isn’t possible to remap the right Ctrl key to also be a Fn key, correct? (That would have been a workaround, so the key to change the arrow keys would be right next to them, not on the other side.)
What would I have to choose as a command to get ALL of the arrow keys locked to their alt function when I press the right Ctrl button? I didn’t know there was such a thing (as opposed to just one single arrow button at a time), and again, I don’t know how to search for this. 
I can start typing in the field in Input Remapper to get an autocomplete suggestion, but neither ‘alt’ nor ‘arrow’ brings back anything that looks right.
Sorry, what are you looking to have the keys do exactly?
Input mapper can’t do layers. So it can’t do locking of alt functions of arrow keys.
It can only do something simple like Ctrl + up arrow = pg up.
But input mapper does warn that “ctrl, alt, shift may not combine properly”, so that might not work right.
~edit~ ctrl, alt, or shift is not working for me. Only something like, dot (>. key) + up arrow = page up works for me.
I’m looking for a solution to have the arrow keys available in their alt state permanently: not as simple arrows but as Page Down / Up and Pos1 and End. Having to hold down the Fn key on the opposite side of the keyboard all the time is extremely cumbersome.
So, before you mentioned locking the set of arrow keys to their alt function I assumed the only workaround would be to get one key on the right side of the keyboard, next to the arrow ones, to take over the function to lock them. I’ve never had use for the right Ctrl key, so I wanted it to be the one. However, it seems, based on your explanation, that it’s not possible to simply use it as a duplicate for the Fn key. (I tried assigning ‘FN’, but it didn’t do anything.) I also tried assigning ‘Num-Lock’ and it also doesn’t work.
Oy. It seems it’s getting ever more complicated. You sounded like you knew how to lock the whole set of arrow keys to their alt function. You don’t, though?
I haven’t set that up before because I don’t have a need for it. I’ve just used KMonad & know it can do it.
Locking alt functions is something would require using layers. As I said, KMonad can do layers. I can point you to the program that can do locking alt functions for arrows (KMonad), and point you to the KMonad functions you want, I can not give you the exact configuration to enter into KMonad, because I’ve never had a need to do exactly what you wish to do.
Input mapper can not do layers. It can only do more simple things, such as Press A + B (at the same time) = C.
KMonad does have a rather steep learning curve though. It sounds like you may not want to get into what’s required to set up what you want.
Thank you. I truly appreciate your attempting to help. It seems nuts that this is so difficult.
I really don’t understand the reasoning by the Framework firmware devs to decide what they think is good usability without offering more options. For me, being able to lock those darn arrow keys is such a crucial function for my workflow. I guess I’ll take the shortcut and hook up my external keyboard with which that’s possible without any trouble.
So much for thinking that I could actually, finally do my work only on a laptop… 
To be entirely fair, your request is literally the second time in almost three years that I’ve seen this come up. It isn’t exactly common.
Unless the actual request is to add multiple levels of Fn lock, it’s a non-starter.
People would almost certainly be more surprised if turning on F1-F12 also disabled their arrow keys, Del, K, P and B (the latter four because they also have functions gated on Fn being pressed).
What is good for two users is probably not broadly considered “good usability”
While I have your attention: can you tell me what command/name would enable the alternative function of the arrow keys? I had thought that “Num Lock” could do it, but it doesn’t. If I can’t set the lock for the keys permanently, I’d at least be ok with the workaround to set the right-Ctrl to be the one that calls up the alt function, so it’s at least all on one side of the keyboard.