Easy keybinding

Easy keybinding

[Kai Großjohann]

Gtk applications allow keybindings by selecting a menu item with the
mouse, then hitting a key.  So if you select the File/Open item with
the mouse and then press the x key, then you have bound x to the
command which invokes File/Open.

WIBNI Emacs could do this, too?

(I don't have time to do this.)

kai (thesis first)
-- 
A large number of young women don't trust men with beards.  (BFBS Radio)

Re: Easy keybinding

[Richard Stallman]

    Gtk applications allow keybindings by selecting a menu item with the
    mouse, then hitting a key.  So if you select the File/Open item with
    the mouse and then press the x key, then you have bound x to the
    command which invokes File/Open.

What does the user do, physically, to "select" a menu item with the
mouse but not actually invoke it?

We could probably make an Emacs command easily enough that makes a key
binding by copying another key binding.  The second key sequence could
be a menu item.  That would not be the exact same interface but it
would provide the same feature and it would fit Emacs better.  Is that
good enough?

What I would really like is to integrate customization of key bindings
in to Custom.

Re: Easy keybinding

[Kai Großjohann]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

>     Gtk applications allow keybindings by selecting a menu item with the
>     mouse, then hitting a key.  So if you select the File/Open item with
>     the mouse and then press the x key, then you have bound x to the
>     command which invokes File/Open.
>
> What does the user do, physically, to "select" a menu item with the
> mouse but not actually invoke it?

One common way to invoke menu items is to move the mouse to the menu
bar, press the (left) mouse button, drag the mouse until the right
item is highlighted, then release the mouse button.

I guess (but I'm not 100% sure) that selecting a menu item means to
do all steps up to, but not including, the button release.

> We could probably make an Emacs command easily enough that makes a key
> binding by copying another key binding.  The second key sequence could
> be a menu item.  That would not be the exact same interface but it
> would provide the same feature and it would fit Emacs better.  Is that
> good enough?

Sounds nice.

> What I would really like is to integrate customization of key bindings
> in to Custom.

Indeed.

kai
-- 
A large number of young women don't trust men with beards.  (BFBS Radio)

Re: Easy keybinding

[Richard Stallman]

    One common way to invoke menu items is to move the mouse to the menu
    bar, press the (left) mouse button, drag the mouse until the right
    item is highlighted, then release the mouse button.

    I guess (but I'm not 100% sure) that selecting a menu item means to
    do all steps up to, but not including, the button release.

Do you mean that the user keeps the button pressed down
and types a key, in order to set that key?

Re: Easy keybinding

[Kai Großjohann]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

> Do you mean that the user keeps the button pressed down
> and types a key, in order to set that key?

Exactly.  I just tested this with Galeon, this is the way it works.

Additionally, it is also possible to press, then release, the mouse
button over the menu bar and to select the menu entry without any
button pressed.  Then clicking a button invokes that menu entry.
Here, also, the user can hit a key while the menu entry is
highlighted (ie, before last step of clicking the button).

Both possibilities would work for Emacs, too, it seems.

kai
-- 
A large number of young women don't trust men with beards.  (BFBS Radio)

Re: Easy keybinding

[Richard Stallman]

    > Do you mean that the user keeps the button pressed down
    > and types a key, in order to set that key?

    Exactly.  I just tested this with Galeon, this is the way it works.

    Additionally, it is also possible to press, then release, the mouse
    button over the menu bar and to select the menu entry without any
    button pressed.  Then clicking a button invokes that menu entry.
    Here, also, the user can hit a key while the menu entry is
    highlighted (ie, before last step of clicking the button).

    Both possibilities would work for Emacs, too, it seems.

Yes, I think they would.  If someone implements it cleanly, I would
support installing the feature.