BindAll: Binding Keyboard Shortcuts Productively

Motivation

BindAll registers with the system keyboard shortcuts. When a shortcut is pressed, it is sent to a PHP script where the user can conveniently attach actions to each shortcut. BindAll makes the process of adding, updating, and organizing one's shortcuts as efficient as possible.

The BindAll implementation could easily be ported to another language, e.g., Python. Feel free to contribute.

Configuration

Install dependencies

BindAll leverages xbindkeys for registering shortcuts on the system, and is implemented in php.

   sudo apt-get install xbindkeys php-cli

Some interesting scripting commands leverage additional tools:

   sudo apt-get install xdotool libxrandr

Register xbindkeys for autostart

Execute:

   gnome-session-properties &

Then click on "add", fill both "name" and "command" with the word xbindkeys.

To launch xbindkeys before restarting your session, you can type nohup xbindkeys in a terminal (ignore the warning message).

Create you own binding files

   cd bindall
   cp bindall_template.php bindall.php

Note that you can move your bindall.php file anywhere you like. It is strongly encouraged to version control this file, or at least create regular backups for it.

Create the generic xbindkeys binding files

In the folder where bindall.php is located, type:

   php bindall.php install

You can type ls ~/.xbindkeysrc to check that the file was created successfully.

Test bindings

Type the shortcut Win+c, it should open gnome's calculator.

Customize the bindings

Alternatively, edit your binding file:

   gedit bindall.php &    # or any other editor

To begin with, register the name of your favorite editor. Afterwards, use Win+Ctrl+K to edit your Keybings.

Then, follow the examples from the template to devise your own binding.

Suggested convention

Here is one possible way to recall bindings.

use Win+x for an application whose name starts with letter x.
use Win+Alt+... for a website whose name starts with letter x.
use Win+Ctrl+... bindings for opening a frequently-used file.
use Win+Ctrl+Alt+... bindings for executing system configuration operation.
add ...+Shift+... if the desired binding is already reserved.
use non-letter keys, e.g. `Win+@', for typing your email.

If a binding is already reserved by the system or the currently-running application, then xbindkeys would have smaller priority.

Supported keyboards

Currently, bindings on non-letter characters are supported only for US keyboard and French keyboard. The keyboard layout is automatically detected by the script. Other layouts can be easily added, see the comments near the end of the file.

Working

Bindall generates a configuration file, named ~/.xbindkeysrc, for xbindkeys. If bindall.php is located in /home/charguer/conf/bindall/, the file contains one binding for every possible shortcut. Its first few lines are:

"php /home/charguer/conf/bindall/bindall.php action Mod4+a"
Mod4+a

"php /home/charguer/conf/bindall/bindall.php action Mod4+b"
Mod4+b

When they user type the shortcut Mod4+a (windows key and letter 'a'), xbindkeys runs the commands php /home/charguer/conf/bindall/bindall.php action Mod4+a.

The bindall.php script receives the key binding Mod4+a, and perform the action registered by the user for this binding.

Troubleshooting

Execute php bindall.php to check that the files executes without error.
Check that ~/.xbindkeysrc exists and contains call to bindall.php for every shortcut. Take the first line from that file, without the quotes, and try running it in a terminal.
After typing a shortcut, the file _last.sh generated next to bindall.php should contain the name of that shortcut. Check its contents, then type './_last.sh' to try running it.
After typing a shortcut, the file _cmd.sh generated next to bindall.php should contain the command executed for that shortcut. Check its contents, then type './_cmd.sh' to try running it.

charguer / bindall