OpenOffice reverse caps lock

Sometimes the function of my Caps Lock-key is inverted. I get lowercase characters when caps lock is on, and uppercase characters when caps lock is off. Every time this happens, I have to spend a good amount of time to search for the solution, which I have forgot since last time it happened. So therefore, I write this blog post as a note to myself, to save myself trouble next time. Maybe someone else find it valuable.

The problem

OpenOffice is the source of the problem. To be more precise, it is the Correct accidental use of cAPS LOCK key option of AutoCorrect.

As its name says, its purpose is to detect accidental use of caps lock and correct it. The detection is done by recognizing a sentence that begins with a lowercase letter followed by uppercase letters at the same time as the caps lock is on. The correction is done by changing the capitalization of the word, and inverting the caps lock. The latter unfortunately brings the Caps Lock-key out of sync with what's actually printed on the screen. To see this in action, do as follows:

1. Start Open OpenOffice Writer, and create a new blank document.
2. Click on the Caps Lock-key until its LED is on. If you write something now, you should get upper case characters.
3. Hold the Shift-key down and press A. You should now get the letter a in lowercase.
4. Release the Shift-key and press S. You should now get the letter S in uppercase.
5. Press space. The AutoCorrect function should now change aS to As.

Every thing you type from now on will have the opposite case to what indicatded by the caps lock LED.

The really bad thing is that this out-of-sync situation not only applis to OpenOffice, but to the operating system in whole. This holds true even after OpenOffice is exited. This is an old and well known bug.

The solution

The solution is to make the bug happen once more.

1. Start Open OpenOffice Writer, and create a new blank document.
2. Click on the Caps Lock-key until its LED is off. If you write something now, you should get upper case characters.
3. Hold the Shift-key down and press A. You should now get the letter a in lowercase.
4. Release the Shift-key and press S. You should now get the letter S in uppercase.
5. Press space. The AutoCorrect function should now change aS to As.

The Caps Lock-key and the actual case should now be in sync again.

By the way, do yourself a favor, turn off the Correct accidental use of cAPS LOCK key option of AutoCorrect. :-)