== Specification title == || Overview || || '''Title''' || Implement Keyboard-Shortcuts overlay/window || || '''Blueprint''' || [[https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/other-q-xubuntu-shortcuts-overlay]] || || '''Assignee''' || Sean Davis, Simon Steinbeiß || || '''Release''' || [[Xubuntu/Roadmap/Goals/Quantal|Quantal Quetzal]] || == Detailed specification == === Rationale === In this section we'll briefly outline what the KSO is and why and how it could help to improve the current situation of keyboard shortcuts. ==== What is the Keyboard-Shortcuts Overlay? ==== Ubuntu introduced an interesting small goody in the Precise-cycle, namely a keyboard-shortcuts overlay. This can easily be triggered by holding the Super-Key a bit longer. It shows an overlay (i.e. semi-transparent window without window-decoration) that displays an overview over the most important keyboard shortcuts. This gives users quick access to something that is usually only for power-users and I think it could improve the workflow of Xubuntu users as well. ==== Keyboard Shortcuts in Xubuntu/Xfce (currently) ==== Currently keyboard shortcuts can easily be accessed in two settings-dialogs, window-manager settings > keyboard and keyboard-settings > applications. Personally I think it's a pity that these shortcuts are spread over two very different places, even if the type of shortcuts differ by category. It's just not very discoverable at first. ==== How this could be improved ==== Obviously one way of fixing this would be to create one place in the settings-manager where all keyboard-shortcuts can be accessed and edited. The Keyboard-Shortcut Overlay could help by providing an overview and theoretically it could contain links to the respective dialogs for editing an existing shortcut. === Implementation === This section will contain more practical stuff that concern the implementation of the KSO directly. ==== Technical Stuff ==== * How the keyboard-shortcuts can be queried via xfconf-query. * How to create an overlay that has some transparency/alpha and now window-borders. Look at other applications. * Fallback-mode for people without compositing, what could that look like? * Show user-defined keyboard shortcuts as well, or show only our specialized set? ==== Categories ==== The KSO in Unity uses the following categories: Launcher, Dash, HUD & Menubar, Switching, Workspaces, Windows. Xubuntu does not have the first three, but does have application specific shortcuts. I propose the following categories: * Applications (Open the Menu, Firefox, Thunderbird, Thunar, etc.) * Switching * Workspaces * Windows ==== Screenshots/Current look in Unity ==== {{attachment:shortcut-hints-overlay-unity.png|Keyboard Shortcuts Overlay in Unity (Precise)|width=300}}[[attachment:shortcut-hints-overlay-unity.png|Keyboard Shortcuts Overlay in Unity (Precise)]] ==== Mockups for Xubuntu ==== {{attachment:CurrentPythonImplementation.png|Current Python Implementation|width=300}} [[attachment:CurrentPythonImplementation.png|Current Python Implementation]] -- https://launchpad.net/xfce4-keyboard-overlay