From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jonathan Leech-Pepin Subject: Re: Keyboard shortcut - is there a principle behind them? Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 07:22:40 -0500 Message-ID: References: <52A192A9.9000202@krugs.de> <52A1A074.9090601@krugs.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:59366) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VouQz-0005Dl-6l for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:23:10 -0500 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VouQv-0002G6-LN for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:23:05 -0500 Received: from mail-qa0-x233.google.com ([2607:f8b0:400d:c00::233]:47916) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VouQv-0002Fv-F5 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:23:01 -0500 Received: by mail-qa0-f51.google.com with SMTP id o15so487988qap.10 for ; Fri, 06 Dec 2013 04:23:00 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <52A1A074.9090601@krugs.de> List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: Rainer@krugs.de Cc: emacs-orgmode , Oleh , "ess-help@r-project.org" Hello, On 6 December 2013 05:01, Rainer M Krug wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > > > On 12/06/13, 10:49 , Oleh wrote: >> Initially the shortcuts were mnemonic, e.g. C-e: >> `move-end-of-line'. Obviously the keys ran out pretty quick. > > I can really imagine. But this explains some - but following your > example: C-a moves to the beginning of the line - the only "a" there > is in "Anfang", which is German for "beginning". So only partial luck > here. I can't speak for the original developers however my take on this one is as follows: C-b (for beginning) is used for "back" C-s (for start) is used for "search", C-f (find) was "forward". C-a becomes beginning-of-line by virtue of being the beginning of the alphabet. Regards, Jonathan >> Now only few shortcuts are reserved for user space and plugins, the >> most notable of which is the `C-c` prefix. That's why most custom >> modes such as org-mode and ESS bind to shortcuts with `C-c` prefix: >> there's a convention that Emacs core will not use `C-c`. > > Ah - very good to know. > >> >> A nice way of remembering shortcuts only when you need them is to >> call commands by name with `M-x`. After a while, when you note that >> you're using one particular command a lot, you'll want to learn the >> shortcut for it. > > That's how I do it - but it involves learning sequences which do not > make any sense to me - and I am sure there is some sense in the > sequence, at least within each mode. > >> >> There's one package that might be of good use to you: `smex'. It >> uses ido completion for `M-x`. You can install it from >> MELPA/Marmelade. It binds automatically to `M-x` when you install, >> although I recommend: (global-set-key "\C-t" 'smex) > > Yes - smex and ido are *very* useful - I do not know how one can use > emacs without them. > >> >> As an example, say you want to tangle. Here's what you do: C-t >> tang Now you see a bunch of rectangle commands mixed into the >> bunch. You can filter them out by noting that tangle commands have >> `org` in their name. C-SPC org C-SPC Now there's only 7 candidates >> left and you can select the one you want with C-m either by cycling >> with C-s or continuing to type part of name. >> >> `smex` logs the commands you use most. For them it usually takes >> less than 2-3 characters from the name to be recognized. E.g. if >> you use `org-babel-tangle` a lot, you can usually call it with C-t >> bab C-m. > > Very true and very useful. > >> >> Finally note that no shortcuts are set in stone. You can customize >> all of them if you want to do so. For instance, and probably a lot >> of people will disagree, it doesn't make sense for me to have >> `previous-line' on C-p. So I swap C-p and C-h: (keyboard-translate >> ?\C-h ?\C-p) (keyboard-translate ?\C-p ?\C-h) > > Absolutely true - but I usually try to keep the customization to a > minimum and to use the defaults. > > Thanks, > > Rainer > >> >> Oleh >> >> >> On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Rainer M Krug >> wrote: Hi >> >> one alternative subject could be "because it is Friday"... >> >> I am using org-mode and ess regularly, and I use quite a few >> keyboard shortcuts, but each time I read about a new one, I am >> wondering: why the heck these specific (default!) keyboard >> shortcuts? >> >> I am not asking why keyboard sequence, but e.g. why "export" in org >> is C-c e and why tangle is C-c C-v t, and so on. >> >> In other words: I am trying to *understand* why C-c and not C-o, >> because I have tremendous problems to remember the shortcuts - if >> I would know that there is s tree structure, where each following >> key narrows it down to further *thematically linked* commands, it >> would make it easier to learn these. >> >> Any insight into this? Or is there a emacs function which returns >> a random keyboard shortcut for a given function (some emacs >> shortcuts really seem to be that way...). >> >> Thanks, >> >> Rainer >> >> >>> > > - -- > Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc (Conservation > Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany) > > Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology > Stellenbosch University > South Africa > > Tel : +33 - (0)9 53 10 27 44 > Cell: +33 - (0)6 85 62 59 98 > Fax : +33 - (0)9 58 10 27 44 > > Fax (D): +49 - (0)3 21 21 25 22 44 > > email: Rainer@krugs.de > > Skype: RMkrug > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.22 (Darwin) > Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ > > iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJSoaB0AAoJENvXNx4PUvmColIIAIy4AQTri6yZ6wVh8hp3/5gV > RnY8oAXfHTBGW136AwXe2H9fMwfuyc+UA6rqcGzKMx0L1SCdNBXpK3Tfn2gFjRph > iP/0TEqZgTXIwJurmn33yG6h9a0ABmEXVky+jOkHouldhjt7uuUyvT0LqmYw9pPs > NFQAU1zmVFgh/nEiJvP2VKilXPh+NXo6ulPjhtAIDb/KjGLTy0SkPJYAF6Do4WYY > wgbh+GCDzEWKgM+zQfzTq1CydX9FUdWw/zdbULhfu+f+J3/dZWtAlMfSsPi8N38g > tAVJA/ycKqIMX3/GPlN7FlscPIdYnHxvJRo45MP/3mxkiI5B5vTn9sG90/J1dwU= > =p6dh > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- >