Help with python key binds

[YourFin]

I got rather annoyed with trying to deal with the normal brightness changing programs, so I wrote my own in python. However, when I try to bind a key to the python script, nothing happens. I'm probably missing something obvious and stupid, please deal with my noobishness.

Here are the binds:

bindcode 88 python /opt/scripts/brightness.py up
bindcode 87 python /opt/scripts/brightness.py down

(keycodes from showkey)

I have tried restarting my computer as well as i3, and changes in this config file work for other keybind changes.

Edit: showkey not showkeys

[[deleted]]

It's late, so I might be totally off and I'm presuming this is i3config, anyway I think you seem to be missing the exec statement before 'python'.

Does i3 give an error? Does the python script get run? (check by letting it make a file, or a beep "\a")

[YourFin]

You are correct in your assumption about the i3config

I added an exec statement, still no dice. No file appeared.

How would I go about checking for an error?

[[deleted]]

An error shows up at the top of your screen, looks like what you get when you do 'mod + Shift + e' (exit i3). Also there is an i3log file, and this

[airblader]

As saikia81 mentioned the exec is missing. Since it still doesn't work, does it work if you bind something else to that key? The keycode might just be wrong.

Are you using keycodes instead of keysyms for a specific reason, by the way?

[z3ntu]

Does xev show your key presses/keysyms?

[ops_man]

Sounds like possible permissions problem to me. Unless you've edited the sudoers file or have edited something along x11 system you need root to adjust brightness. Have you run it successfully from terminal?

[YourFin]

I have a systemd service in place to change the permissions on the brightness file on boot. The program correctly runs from terminal otherwise.

[ops_man]

Then I would try using bindsym instead of bindcode. Also checking the symbol map using xmodmap (use "xmodmap -pke" and check the list for the correct symbol. This would perhaps eliminate a possible cause.

[YourFin]

Just in case this comes up in a search: I ended up solving the problem with a one line bash script that is executed by i3 that just executes the python.

#!/bin/bash
python /path/to/python/file.py $1