@alenaksu/shortcut

A lightweight JavaScript library for managing keyboard shortcuts in the browser.

Installation

You can install the library via npm or with your preferred package manager.

Using npm:

npm install @alenaksu/shortcut

Usage

Bind a Shortcut

A shortcut is string representing the desired keyboard combination. Use plus signs (+) to separate keys and modifiers (e.g., ctrl+c).

Supported key names include standard letters, numbers, symbols, arrow keys, and common modifiers like ctrl, shift, alt, cmd, and meta.

A callback is executed when the specified keyboard shortcut is pressed.

Example: Simple Shortcut

import { shortcut } from "@alenaksu/shortcut";

const unbindShortcut = shortcut("ctrl+c", () => {
  // Simulate copying for this example
  console.log("Content copied!");
});

// Unbind the shortcut when no longer needed
unbindShortcut();

Multiple Shortcuts

You can combine keyboard shortcuts using commas (,):

shortcut("ctrl+j, ctrl+k", () => {
  console.log("Jumped to next item!");
});

Timeouts (Optional)

For complex key sequences, you can optionally provide a timeout value (in milliseconds) to the options. This prevents accidental triggers if the key presses don't occur within the specified timeframe:

shortcut(
  "ArrowUp, ArrowUp, ArrowDown, ArrowDown, ArrowLeft, ArrowRight, ArrowLeft, ArrowRight, b, a",
  () => {
    console.log("Konami Code activated!");
  },
  { timeout: 3000 },
); // Timeout of 3 seconds

Key aliases

The shortcut library provides key aliases for simpler shortcut bindings. For example, esc can be used instead of escape, cmd or win instead of meta, and ctl or ctrl instead of control.

Here's a table of all available aliases:

Alias	Key
space
esc	escape
del	delete
ins	insert
cmd, win	meta
ctl, ctrl	control
opt, alt	alt
pause	pausebreak
pgup	pageup
pgdn	pagedown
caps	capslock
return	enter

License

This library is licensed under the MIT License, a permissive open-source license that allows for free use, modification, and distribution. See the LICENSE file for details.