Improve keyboard shortcuts

[olibclarke@…]

Several improvements to keyboard shortcuts would make them more usable:

1) Allow defining new shortcuts using a command, and redefining existing shortcuts.
2) Make the escape key or some other key switch between command and shortcut entry.
3) Visually indicate shortcut mode in the command line by changing entry field background color.
4) Document the existing shortcuts. Is there some other way to allow easy discovery of specific shortcuts?

Begin forwarded message:

From: Oliver Clarke
Subject: Re: [chimerax-users] Hotkeys?
Date: May 10, 2017 at 8:56:18 AM PDT
To: Tom Goddard

Hi Tom,

I guess what I had in mind was the command line behaving more like a regular text entry field - if you click in it (or change to it via Tab), a cursor appears and perhaps the field is slightly highlighted to indicate it is active, but otherwise, if not, typing will not produce any text in the command line field.

I was trying to figure out why I almost never use keyboard accelerators in Chimera, but I use a million different keyboard shortcuts (including custom ones) in Coot.

I think it is because the extra effort of remembering both that I had to type ac to enter into the mode where these commands would be accepted, and the accelerators themselves are two letters rather than one, changed the balance such that it was easier just to use full commands. Coot by contrast uses single characters (no Ctrl) as shortcuts, and they work globally (unless you are in a text field) - no need to type something before the shortcut.

Nevertheless I get that this is probably a niche use case and may not be worth your time to implement - just a thought.

Cheers
Oli