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This question has been asked before: how to configure a Wacom stylus such that it can be used for scrolling/panning. The only upvoted answer uses xsetwacom to achieve this. However, xsetwacom is known to conflict with Gnome's internal handling of tablet devices, and apparently in Gnome versions ≥ 3.24 this internal handling cannot be switched off. Indeed, if I follow the solution using xsetwacom in Ubuntu 20.04 (Gnome 3.36), I frequently lose both keyboard and stylus input altogether, or the system starts confusing the stylus tip with the stylus eraser.

The recommended way to configure Wacom devices in Gnome ≥ 3.24 seems to be by editing the dconf database. But what are the correct dconf settings to achieve the desired scrolling behaviour? Which dconf settings correspond to

xsetwacom --set "Wacom Intuos S Pen stylus" Button 2 "pan"
xsetwacom --set "Wacom Intuos S Pen stylus" "PanScrollThreshold" 200

? I don't even know where to find documentation about the different dconf variables and their valid values.

Communicative Algebra
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I was curious about this too, but from looking at the headers where the enum is defined for the relevant dconf key, it looks like the only possible values for StylusButtonAction are "default", "middle", "right", "back", and "forward". So, unfortunately, it looks like the buttons cannot be used to pan or scroll if configured through dconf -- only middle-click, right-click, back, and forward.

It's not a great substitute, but until I find something better I have the buttons at the top of the tablet mapped to "page down" and "page up."

Edited to add: if you install xdotool, you can first map keys (I use Alt+PgUp and Alt+PgDn) in "Gnome's Keyboard Shortcuts" configuration panel to the xdotool commands that scrolls up and down (xdotool click 4 and xdotool click 5, respectively). Then, use the Tablet panel to map the tablet buttons to your keyboard shortcuts. It's not elegant, but it works across applications better than PgUp/PgDn.

Patrick B.
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