zellij-org/zellij

Support multiple modifier keys

Open

#735 opened on Sep 20, 2021

View on GitHub
 (29 comments) (47 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (32,593 stars) (1,191 forks)batch import
actionhelp wanted

Description

I was looking around for a way to do multiple modifier keys for an action and was unable to find any in configuration files or documentation. After doing a little digging, it looks like it's not currently supported, as keys are stored at zellij-tile::data::Key and doesn't have an option for multiple modifier keys. One solution could be to change Keys to be a struct rather than an enum and have fields for modifiers and key values.

This might cause some issues with other language keyboards if they have different modifier keys (maybe composition keys?), but for a US keyboard, I believe these are the only modifier keys:

  • Ctrl
  • Alt
  • Shift
  • Windows

For storing multiple modifiers, I believe either using the bitfield crate (https://crates.io/crates/bitfield) or a struct of bools would work.

Supporting multiple modifiers will also require changes the the configuration file format. I'm not sure what would be the best way to represent a keybind, but something like this could work:

keybinds:
    normal:
        - action: [SwitchToMode: Locked,]
          key: [{modifiers: [Ctrl, Alt], key: 'g'},]

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
cli
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Understanding of Rust enums and structsFamiliarity with Zellij's key handling code
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35
Research direction
Investigate the current implementation of `Key` in `zellij tile::data` which is an enum. Evaluate switching to a struct with modifier flags. Consider using a bitfield crate or a struct of bools for multiple modifiers. Also update the configuration parser to support lists of modifiers. Ensure backward compatibility and test with different keyboard layouts. Review linked discussions in the issue for additional context.