Re: [tlug] Keybinding defaults.

[Josh Glover <jmglov@example.com>]

Quoth terranova@example.com (Fri 2003-07-04 09:08:28AM +0900):

> I've just discovered Qvwm - it's a great product, and especially useful
> to me in introducing newcomers to Lx. Are any other Tluggers using it?

Nope. We use Blackbox here. ;)

> I'm concerned that some of the default keybindings conflict with more
> standard ones in applications. I refer particularly to the use of Ctl-
> Arrows to switch desktops, since these are used by many editors and WP
> apps to skip words and paragraphs. Also, the use of Alt-alpha keys
> invades the Alt-menu space of most windowing apps.

The way things *should* work (in decent window managers, with well-behaved
applications), is that applications with the focus (i.e. the app currently
receiving keyboard / mouse input) should resolve their keybindings first,
*then* the window manager gets its turn. For example, the focus is on my
Acrobat Reader window, and I press Alt-Left. Acrobat Reader happens to
have a binding for Alt-Left, and thus does its thing. I subsequently press
Ctrl-Alt-Esc, for which Acroread has no binding. Thus, the window manager
does its thing.

> I'll be changing to Alt-Arrows for desktop switching, since the Alt-Fn
> keys are usually avoided by apps. Comments welcome.

I use Alt-Arrows for my desktop switching as well. Dunno if that is a
standard (probably not, since it does not work when my wife is logged in,
running Gnome2).

> This raises the larger question of default keybindings generally. I have
> a specific development interest in this at present, and am looking for
> relevant discussion groups and standards. Any feedback?

I don't usually use GUI apps, but I do have some interesting (to me--YMMV)
theories:

A window manager should deal with all key bindings. When an application
starts, it should register its key binding actions with the window manager,
as follows.

App: I have the following actions that I want to be controlled with key
     bindings: Toggle Maximise, Minimise, Save File, Load File, Exit.
WM:  OK, I have bindings for all of those actions, which the user has
     configured.

This way, a user can specify key bindings that apply to *all* his GUI
apps. If an application wants a binding that the window manager does not
have in its list of bindings, the app should be allowed to set it. And
the next time that the user runs his key binding config tool (or edits a
config file, if he's me ;), he has another binding that he can configure.

The Mac OS takes a similar approach, IIRC, which gives apps running
under it a delicious consistency.

-- 
Josh Glover <jmglov@example.com>

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