I'm looking for a way for VS Code to tell me the command name for a keybinding.
In Emacs, this functionality is available under describe-key (C-h k).
For example, in VS Code ⌘ A maps to editor.action.selectAll. So ideally I'd press a keyboard shortcut, then ⌘ A, then VS Code would tell me editor.action.selectAll.
As a partial solution, I can open my keybindings.json and search for ⌘ A, but this doesn't work for extensions. (My particular use case is figuring out what the Vim o command is called so I can remap it.)
You can find the command associated with a key binding by typing the keybinding into the Keyboard Shortcuts search box:
Unfortunately, per the source code, the vim extension doesn't use this mechanism to bind the o key.
Fortunately, it does let you rebind the keys in settings. First, open settings (F1 Preferences: Open Settings), then add (to bind i, for example):
"vim.normalModeKeyBindingsNonRecursive": [
"before": ["i"],
"after": ["o"]
],
If you have the new settings UI, you might need to search for vim.normalModeKeyBindingsNonRecursive first, and then click Edit in settings.json.
As of the September 2018 release, VSCode can do this from the keyboard shortcuts window.
From the keyboard shortcuts window (cmd+k cmd+s), type cmd+option+k or click the keyboard icon on the right.
Kudos to this comment linking to this approach as an answer to another question.
Related
When I attempt to save my file on Visual Studio Code with the cmd+s keyboard shortcut, it does not save the code. I have to manually click File, the Save, just to be able to save my progress. I'm using macOS Catalina version 10.15.7 and VC Code version 1.55.2.
How do I fix this?
Attempts:
-Checked if ⌘ Cmd + S keyboard shortcut is tied to the Save functionality
If you do it right this solution will fix your issue.
I have never had a problem saving with VS-Code personally, but I have had issues with keybindings. IDK if you write your own keybindings, but if you do, you might want to check the keybindings that you have wrote to make sure they do not conflict with [CTRL + S]. The keybindings.json file that you create custom keybindings in, overrides the default keybindings.json file that defines the keybindings that VS-Code ships with.
To check your keybindings.json file...
Hit the F1-Key
A menu will drop open type in "Keyboard Shortcuts"
There will be two Preferences: Keyboard Shortcuts
Make sure to select Preferences: Keyboard Shortcuts and not Preferences: Default Keyboard Shortcuts
If the file is empty you are good. If you have keybindings written in the file, you need to iterate through them by hand, checking each one. Make sure that none use [CTRL + S] together. Even if the keybinding uses [CTRL + S] and other keys, you will need to disable it, so you can test if it is causing an issue.
Debugging [CTRL + S]
If your keybindings.json file is all good, then great, that's one thing to scratch off the list. The only thing left to do now is debug the Bound Key ("Key Binding"). To debug keybindings, you will use a built in tool, that VS-Code offers. To start do the following:
Hit the F1-Key
When the quick input drops open type the following into the text input:
"Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting"
Select the option: Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting
It should automatically open the OUTPUT panel, which is located in the same panel that your terminal is. Make sure that the OUTPUT is set to LOG(Window) in the drop down. (I took a picture and posted it below if you can't find the Keyboard Shortcut Troubleshooter).
The image might have funny declensions because I am on a dual monitor setup with 1 1080x1920 curved screen and one 1080x720 screen.... I cropped it to a STD HD 1920 width.
I Got My Trouble-shooter working, and Output open, now What Jay?
Okay... Well your at the right spot. Now every-time you press some keys, you should see your OUTPUT WINDOW working like crazy. It should be logging all sorts of stuff, which is good, very good.
This Part Is Important! READ CAREFULLY
What you want to do is use your keybinding that you feel isn't working appropriately. Use it when focus is set on an editor, use it when focus is set on a different editor, use it when focus is set on the sidebar. Where you are focused at in the editor at any given time can greatly affect a keybinding. The output is gonna write lines every-time you use your keybinding. Try not to hit any other keys while doing this, so you have a column in you output that includes logging from the keybinding you are testing only. Read the output see what it says. See if it looks right, or wrong. If it looks wrong, you can visit this link, to the VSCode site that covers this topic, and see if you can fix it your self. If you can't fix it your self, come back here, and edit your question. When you edit your question make sure that it includes the Troubleshooter's Logging Output.
VSCode Troubleshooting Keybindings (Keyboard Shortcuts) # https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/keybindings#_troubleshooting-keybindings
Image that shows how to open the Keyboard Debugger
Also shows how to set the OUTPUT to Log(Window)
StackOverflow-2021-JUNE-26018:34-PST
Another thing to check for is, for lack of a better term, combination key bindings. For example, I was having an issue with ⌘+s. VSCode gave a message that it was waiting for the second key binding. After looking at the keybindings.json, I noticed I had a key binding for opening up user snippets as
{
"key": "cmd+s cmd+n",
"command": "workbench.action.openSnippets"
}
The ⌘+s portion of this key binding conflicted with the default ⌘+s
I'm not talking about the abreviations (which works fine); but rather keyboard shortcuts.
Like this one for instance, Ctrl+k is supposed to remove a tag(opening and closing) and re-arrange the inner HTML's indentation.
This is just one example, but most shortcust found in emmet's page, doesnt work on vscode, why is that ? how can I fix it ?
If you look at the Keyboard Shortcuts page and search for emmet you will see many emmet commands unbound to a keybinding. Including
editor.emmet.action.removeTag
[I think there are just too many emmet commands for vscode to have devoted keybindings to them when most people wouldn't use them.]
If you hover over any command and click on the + sign to its left vscode will open an input box where you can enter your desired shortcut keybinding.
I wouldn't recommend Ctrl+K as that is used as a part of a lot of default keybindings in vscode.
This tells me that I could use ⌃ + Space combination in order to display suggestions for my code. However, ctrl + Space ( ^ key is ctrl as far as I know) only seems to change the input language keyboard in my system. Nothing else seems to work.
Try Option + Escape, on mac.
The mac keyboard shortcut ctrl + space for switching input sources overrides the VSCode one. Because of this, VSCode added a new keybinding just for mac, Option + Escape
This is actually called intellisense, and the new keyboard shortcut was added in the November 2019 update.
You can disable the macOS shortcut in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts.
Alternatively you can set up a custom keybinding for this command in VS Code, so that it no longer conflicts with your system shortcut. Please refer to the official documentation.
Recently, ⌘I (i.e. command + i) is also a by default key binding for triggering suggestions.
On MacOS Ventura,
Go to System Settings
Select Keyboard on the Left panel
Select "Keyboard Shortcuts"
Select Input Sources and toggle the switch labelled "Select the previous input source".
Quit vscode and relaunch
Are there commands equivalent to Emacs' C-h k and C-h w?
If not, is there at least a big file containing all keybindings I can search through?
Edit: the "vice-versa" is trivial if you know the command name. Just type it in the command prompt and it shows the associated keybinding. I'm more interested in the former.
v1.28.0 added a better way to search for bound key chords, see search keyboard shortcuts: release notes.
Record and search keyboard
shortcuts
In the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S), you can now search
for keybindings just by typing keystrokes instead of typing out the
key name (example 'shift'). Turn on the Recording Keys mode and type
the keystrokes you want to search for.
You can also enter into the Recording Keys mode using Alt+K. Press the
Esc key to exit from Recording Keys mode
.
Open the keyboard shortcuts editor (cmd+k cmd+s), and you can search for keybindings to see what they're bound to. e.g. search cmd+s and "Save" will be returned.
You can also click the keybindings.json link on that page to see all the keybindings in json form.
A) Help -> Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
It will open a PDF with a table containing "hotkey - command" pairs, categorized. (On Windows, it will open this PDF.)
B) File -> Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts
This will open the keyboard shortucts editor where you can search for the command or even the keys.
Using Visual Studio Code what is the procedure to:
Remap a built in command's keyboard shortcut. For example, say, Open File (default is Ctrl+O, it's unlikely that anyone would actually change this, but the same process should probably apply for any built in shortcut).
Remap an extension command's keyboard shortcut, say the Bookmark extension's toggle-bookmark (default Ctrl+Alt+K)
IN 2015, this involved editing configuration JSON files, but I don't know which one, or how. In 2021 there's a new UI, how do I find it?
Click File -> Preferences -> Keyboard shortcuts. Use the tab that opens up to edit and find available key bindings and assign them.
Historical Note: In very early versions of visual studio code, you would Click File -> Preferences -> Keyboard shortcuts and you would get JSON like this keybindings.json:
// Place your key bindings in this file to overwrite the defaults
[
{ "key": "ctrl+o", "command": "workbench.action.files.openFile" },
{ "key": "ctrl+alt+k", "command": "bookmarks.toggle",
"when": "editorTextFocus" }
]
But now in 2021 versions, there is a proper GUI, which is great because the json editing method was error prone and hard to discover.
The json editor feature has been moved to a new icon:
If you want to change the advance settings of keyboard shortcut such as when then you can follow these steps:
Update:(Thanks #phdoerfler for pointing it out that icon has changed)
File->Preferences->Keyboard Shortcuts
Click on icon on top right corner that says "Open Keyboard Shortcuts(JSON)" to open JSON version and place the keybinding.
You can find this in Documentation here.
The way to open the JSON file changed yet again in a recent version.
You need to click the middle of the three buttons in the tab bar.
You only need to do that if the change you need isn't possible on the normal settings screen.
On Windows:
go to File -> Preferences -> Keyboard shortcuts,
or press Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+S,
or edit %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\keybindings.json file
On Mac:
go to Code -> Preferences -> Keyboard shortcuts,
or press Cmd+K, then Cmd+S
Keep in mind you can type things like shift ctrl c in the Search input in Keyboard Shortcuts panel to find commands by their keybindings.
Here you can find documentation which among other stuff contains also information about what When conditions you can use.
The latest version of Visual Studio Code 1.11.0 provides a rich and easy keyboard shortcuts editing experience using a new Keyboard Shortcuts editor. Read more here on their website.
I will not repeat others answers! And if like me! You get to install a mapping extension!
My prefered is Visual studio keys map
And the question would have been how you select it! How you change it ! Can we install multiples! And select between them!
First here some useful links about key binding and shortcuts
https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/keybindings
https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/tips-and-tricks
And before any, know that you can get to the keymaps extension by using the bottom left settings button for settings context menu! As in the picture bellow:
or through file>Preferences>keymap
Then you have to install one of the keymaps
The thing to know is that it will take place and make the changes right away!
What if you install another?
The new one take over! Or some mix! I couldn't tell!
And you may have problems!
How you change from one to another?
Remove the old ! remove the new one! And install it again! That's the way that i found it works! Disabling and reenabling didn't work!
And better always let only one installed at a time!
Unfortunitly as by Now 2020-05-08 no options to select between keys mapping exist!
Undo a keymap
Just remove! You may need to restart the editor!
Restart the editor
Also note that if you uninstalled all and reinstalled the one you want! And changes didn't take place! Close the editor and reopen it! That's help!
I hope that's help and may be save you some searching time!
And sure in the future we will have better handling! As vscode is just keeping getting more awesome and awesome! So an option to select and better handling will is expected to be added! And we will wait for it!
FYI on mac the keybindings.json file sits there:
/Users/your_user_name/Library/Application Support/Code/User/keybindings.json
ctrl + shift + p
Type open keyboard shortcut in the search bar
It opens keyboard Shortcuts. Here you can customize shortcuts.
(For extra info follow from 4th point)
There at the top right corner click on open keyboard shortcuts (JSON) (Refer to the image)
There you can modify the key, command, and when. That is also cool.
I tried
{
"key": "ctrl+a",
"command": "workbench.action.terminal.selectAll",
"when": "terminalFocus && !isMac"
}
by this now I can select all in vscode terminal
On Windows: Ctrl + K, then S
On Mac: ⌘ + K then ⌘ + S
This opens Keyboard Shortcuts Editor. It's searchable/filterable by either shortcut name or the key combination itself (example: type "ctrl" to see all bindings to the CTRL key.)
Image:
vscode search keyword shortcuts panel
Open Key Shortcuts from Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts
Search for the action in search field
Right click on one of the results and select "Show same keybindings"
Delete the conflicting key binding!