Hotkey Configurations!

[Dafarkias]

Hi!

Dafarky, here.

Does anyone use strange configurations for their REAPER hotkeys?

Have you spent much time adjusting them and tuning them to your preference?

Do you use them via their default assignments?

I'm just curious :P

[lowellben]

Yes, over the years I've got some quirky hotkeys

[Dafarkias]

I'm actually dabbling in a script right now, for fun of course, where I would remove all of the hotkeys assigned in REAPER.

My idea is that the only way that hotkeys would initiate a REAPER action, is through a dedicated script that manages hotkeys.

The script would be superfluous, I think, if it were not for one added potential benefit...the actions can only be activated if the script GUI is running. This would allow for an extra buffer or 'safety net' to ensure that no errant key-presses would affect a precious REAPER project unwittingly.

[foxAsteria]

I've spent loads of time on this... Best thing about Reaper, IMO. I;ve got hundreds of shortcuts memorized because I was able to set them up in a logical, memorable way.

I suggest the following:

Decide what types of behavior you want from holding modifiers and try to be consistent across all custom actions. If they make sense to you, you'll always know the shortcut you need. E.g. I use shift for Time Selection, temporarily disabling snap, and reversing the behavior of any ctrl+actions.

Assign single keys (no modifier) only to actions that would not have devastating effects if used accidentally (you will). E.g. I use them mostly for behavior toggles or bringing up windows I need a lot.

In prefs/keyboard enable the alternative section when recording. This allows for a different set of actions during record, so you don't e.g. bump the spacebar and stop your recording.

Start with assigning your most used actions and whenever possible use the first letter of the action (easy to remember). With less used actions, this gets harder to do, but you might find it more convenient to use those another way (menus, toolbars etc).

If you don't want to memorize/create a bunch of shortcuts, just check out Lokasenna's Radial menu. It's fast, customizable and intuitive (bit of a learning curve, but not too bad).

[Dafarkias]

Thanks Fox, sound advice indeed.

I've actually had good luck with my script
idea using Julian Sader's extension to catch global keyboard input.

I guess I was just curious what other REAPER users had to input on this subject. We all know that REAPER users love to customize stuff to the enth.

[foxAsteria]

Well a script that could switch hotkey configs on the fly would be very useful whenever forced to use Reaper with someone else's config.

[lowellben]

Originally Posted by Dafarkias

Julian Sader's extension to catch global keyboard input.

Which JS extension is this?

[Dafarkias]

Not only can the script assign keys on the fly, but the hotkeys are also saved to a text document where they can be backed up, or manually edited/transported.

I'm also investigation the possibility of including the 'section' principle of REAPER's native hotkeys... Main, MIDI, so on and so forth... Where certain hotkeys are specific to whatever the focused window may be.



Here's what it looks like in the text data file:

[Dafarkias]

Originally Posted by lowellben

Which JS extension is this?

Only the finest: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=212174

[foxAsteria]

Originally Posted by Dafarkias

I'm also investigation the possibility of including the 'section' principle of REAPER's native hotkeys... Main, MIDI, so on and so forth... Where certain hotkeys are specific to whatever the focused window may be.

Wow, that would be great. If it could translate hotkeys from ones we set to e.g the hard-coded shortcuts of the fx chain window (and other windows that we can't customize), it could solve a lot of old ass problems.

[Dafarkias]

https://forums.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=230415

I'm still hashing out some bugs, as well as trying to improve usability.

If you're interested in taking part in the production of the script, feel free to head over to the thread and comment away.