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Add support for Ctrl modifier key and classic keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+A)

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#500 8 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Assessment

Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Newbie friendliness
45/100
Issue type
Feature
Clarity
Mostly clear
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
android, kotlin
Domain
mobile

Research direction

Start by reading the Android input-method code that handles key presses and InputConnection, along with the layout JSON parsing and rendering paths; the issue does not name specific files or tests. Check how existing modifier keys are represented and how editor actions are dispatched. Done means a configurable Ctrl key can trigger the requested copy, paste, cut, and select-all shortcuts; optional shortcuts and visual feedback are secondary.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

enhancement

Dear LeanType developers,

First of all, thank you for this great open-source keyboard — it's lightweight, privacy-friendly, and highly customizable.

I would like to request a feature that would significantly improve productivity for users who type a lot of text:

Add a Ctrl modifier key and support for classic keyboard shortcuts like:

Ctrl + C — Copy

Ctrl + V — Paste

Ctrl + X — Cut

Ctrl + A — Select All

Ctrl + Z — Undo (optional)

Ctrl + Y — Redo (optional)

Ctrl + S — Save (optional)

Ctrl + F — Find (optional)

Why this is important:

Many users are accustomed to these shortcuts from desktop environments and physical keyboards.

Other Android keyboards (e.g., jbak2, ru7pro, Hackers Keyboard) already support this natively.

It would make LeanType a more viable alternative for power users who rely on text editing on mobile devices.

Technical note:
This can be implemented by tracking the state of the Ctrl key (pressed/released) and intercepting subsequent key presses via InputConnection. The shortcut actions can then be mapped to standard EditorInfo commands like EditorInfo.IME_ACTION_COPY, EditorInfo.IME_ACTION_PASTE, etc.

Suggested implementation:

Add a new key type: "modifier": "ctrl" in layout JSON

When Ctrl is held and a letter key is pressed, execute the corresponding shortcut instead of inserting the character

Visual feedback (e.g., highlighted Ctrl key when active) would be a nice bonus

Use case:
As a user, I want to place a Ctrl key on the left side of the bottom row (next to ?123) and use it with C, V, X, A for fast text manipulation — just like on a physical keyboard.

I hope you consider adding this feature. It would make LeanType not just a minimalist Gboard alternative, but a truly professional-grade keyboard.

Thank you for your time and effort!

P.S. I can help with testing if needed.

Dominant language
Kotlin
Stars
1k
Forks
59
Avg merge
13h 11m
Merged PRs (30d)
47

Getting set up

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

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