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| *This blog post aims to make you think about the way you use key bindings whilst programming. | ||
| You'll read about some techniques I personally use to assign key bindings, how to memorize them, and use them efficiently. | ||
| But before we go on, I'll need to explain why spending time on key bindings is worth the effort.* | ||
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| ## The need for keys | ||
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| I can't point to some psychological study to back this claim, just my own experience and common sense. | ||
| Using the mouse as less as possible when coding is a good thing. | ||
| You're not moving your hands around to grab the mouse, and you don't have to make the mental switch | ||
| between using a keyboard and a mouse as input device. | ||
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| I believe these small things have to power to improve our skills as professional programmers significantly. | ||
| I've experienced a lot of gain by taking the time to learn to use the keyboard as often as I can. | ||
| While I'm still searching the optimal setup, I can already share some thoughts and techniques. | ||
| The most important thing to know is that key bindings are probably a matter of personal taste, | ||
| so don't take these next points as law; but rather apply them to your own situation. | ||
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| > Key bindings are a personal preference. | ||
| ## The meaning of modifiers | ||
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| A keyboard has a few modifier keys, which allow you to modify the behaviour of other key presses. | ||
| A long time ago these keys were actually hard wired in the keyboard, to change the electronic bits sent to the computer. | ||
| Nowadays, modifier keys are implemented completely different, but it's still good to look at what their original meaning was. | ||
| It helped me define a formal definition for each modifier key, allowing me to remember what key combination belongs to which action. | ||
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| > Define a personal meaning for each modifier key, | ||
| <br>and stick to it. | ||
| ### Meta/Command (⌘) | ||
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| I use this key when "executing" commands. Basically most of what's possible through the menu of an application. | ||
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| ### Option/Alt (⌥) | ||
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| Alt stands for "alternate", changing the behaviour of another key combination. I use this key for a related action | ||
| of another key binding. | ||
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| ### Shift (⇧) | ||
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| Shift has a double meaning. First it's used for selections, because that's default OS behaviour. | ||
| Second, it's also often used to reverse the action. | ||
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| I prefer a maximum of two modifier keys, and if complexer combinations are needed, opt for **double key bindings**. | ||
| One exception though: Shift (⇧) may be used in combination with other modifier keys to reverse the action. | ||
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| > Prefer a maximum of two modifier keys, | ||
| <br>or use double key bindings. | ||
| ### Control/Ctrl (^) | ||
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| The control key is used mostly for text- and code related manipulations, like moving the cursor, working with selections, | ||
| working with lines, etc. | ||
| I find it hard to give a formal definition for the Control key, but its use is clear in most cases. | ||
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| A note for Windows users: the Control key is much more used in comparison to the Meta (Windows) key. | ||
| Meaning you probably want to switch the definition of the two, or even ditch the Meta key. | ||
| Even though this might seem like a good idea, adding the meta key in your workflow can be a good thing, | ||
| as it adds another modifier key to your availability. | ||
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| ### Function (fn) | ||
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| Because the function key is often not accessible on desktop keyboards, I choose not to depend on this key, | ||
| except for some edge cases like page-up or page-down. | ||
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| ## Learning | ||
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| Keeping my own definitions in mind, it's easy to start defining key bindings. Though to remember them requires practice. | ||
| I'd recommend not assigning all key bindings at once, but rather slowly add them when you need them. | ||
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| > Assign new key bindings when you need them. | ||
| I choose not to override operating system (OS) key bindings. Things like `copy`, `paste`, `select all` or `quit` are | ||
| never overridden. | ||
| Key binding defaults provided by your IDE or editor, however, may be changed. | ||
| If you come from Sublime Text like me, you've probably learned some defaults from there which feel accustomed. | ||
| When switching to PHPStorm a few years ago, I decided to keep some of those key bindings I knew from Sublime. | ||
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| > There's no need to change OS-level key bindings | ||
| <br>like `copy` or `select all`. | ||
| Even now, I'm still changing key bindings from time to time. Especially when I came up with my definition list. | ||
| One thing I find useful when learning new key bindings, is to disable the old ones. IDEs like PHPStorm allow you to add | ||
| multiple combinations for the same action. I prefer to immediately notice when I'm using an old combination. | ||
| This makes me learn faster. | ||
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| > Remove key bindings you wish to unlearn. | ||
| Furthermore, when stuck in a situation, I try not to immediately grab the mouse. | ||
| I try to think the problem and define what I want to do. | ||
| Most of the time, I can remember which combination of keys should be pressed, because of the definition list above. | ||
| When my memory fails me, I'm lucky to be working in an IDE with awesome key binding management, | ||
| so it's easy to find the correct combination back. | ||
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| > Don't grab the mouse when panicking. | ||
| You keymap is a very personal file, which slowly grows to match your workflow the best. I recommend you storing a backup | ||
| of your keymap somewhere else, GitHub would be a good place. Here's mine: | ||
| [https://github.com/brendt/settings-repository/blob/master/keymaps/Brendt.xml](https://github.com/brendt/settings-repository/blob/master/keymaps/Brendt.xml) | ||
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| > Check your keymap into version control. | ||
| --- | ||
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| ### A few of my own examples | ||
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| - `⌘ p` Search file | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ p` Search recent files | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ p` Search symbols in file | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ space` Show suggestions | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ enter` Go to declaration | ||
| - `^ ⌥ →` Move right with camelHops | ||
| - `^ ⌥ ←` Move left with camelHops | ||
| - `⌥ ↑` Move cursor paragraph up | ||
| - `⌥ ↓` Move cursor paragraph down | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ ↑` Extend selection | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ ↓` Shrink selection | ||
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| ## Closing thoughts | ||
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| I grew in love with key bindings over the years. I still use a mouse for basic navigation, | ||
| but once I start coding, I try to use it as little as possible. I find that it's easier to work this way. | ||
| Not only do I gain time by not switching as often to the mouse; I also find it puts less cognitive load on my brain, | ||
| meaning I'm able to concentrate more on coding. | ||
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| This might seem like a small thing to do, but as a professional programmer, you're doing those small things many, | ||
| many times a day. It's worth taking the time to optimise these areas and skills, I find they make me a better programmer. | ||
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| Do you want to read more about cognitive load? I've written about [fonts and visuals](*https://www.stitcher.io/blog/a-programmers-cognitive-load) | ||
| in a previous blog post. Do you still have a question or something on your mind? [Send me an email](mailto:[email protected])! |
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| ## Commands | ||
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| - `⌘ ⇧ ]` Next Tab | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ [` Previous bab | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ ⌥ ]` Next in-editor tab | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ ⌥ [` Previous in-editor tab | ||
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| === | ||
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| - `⌘ p` Search file | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ p` Search recent files | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ p` Search symbols in file | ||
| - `⌘ o` Action | ||
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| === | ||
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| - `⌘ enter` Enter below line | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ enter` Enter above line | ||
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| === | ||
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| - `⌘ ⌥ space` Suggestions | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ enter` Declaration | ||
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| ## Cursor | ||
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| - `⌥ →` Move cursor word left | ||
| - `⌥ ←` Move cursor word right | ||
| - `^ ⌥ →` Move right with camelHops | ||
| - `^ ⌥ ←` Move left with camelHops | ||
| - `⌘ →` Move cursor to end of line | ||
| - `⌘ ←` Move cursor to start of line | ||
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| === | ||
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| - `⌥ ↑` Move cursor paragraph up | ||
| - `⌥ ↓` Move cursor paragraph down | ||
| - `^ ⌥ ↑` Add extra cursor up | ||
| - `^ ⌥ ↓` Add extra cursor down | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ ↑` Move current line up | ||
| - `⌘ ⌥ ↓` Move current line down | ||
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| ## Selection | ||
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| - `⇧ →` Select left | ||
| - `⇧ ↓` Select down | ||
| - `⇧ ←` Select right | ||
| - `⇧ ↑` Select up | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ ←` Select word left | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ →` Select word right | ||
| - `⇧ ^ ⌥ ←` Select word left with camelHops | ||
| - `⇧ ^ ⌥ →` Select word right with camelHops | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ ↑` Expand selection | ||
| - `⇧ ⌥ ↓` Shrink selection | ||
| - `⇧ ^ ↑` Select line | ||
| - `⇧ ^ ↓` Deselect line | ||
| - `⇧ ⌘ d` Duplicate selection | ||
| - `⌘ d` Select duplicates | ||
| - `⌘ u` Undo selection | ||
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| ## Folding | ||
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| - `⌘ +` Fold out | ||
| - `⌘ -` Fold in | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ +` Fold all out | ||
| - `⌘ ⇧ -` Fold all in |
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