KeyBindings

HomePage | RecentChanges | EditorIndex | TextEditorFamilies | Preferences

KeyBindings are the mapping of editor commands and functions to keys on the keyboard. Some are more or less common across any editor, such as the arrow keys moving the cursor up, down, left or right on the screen. Other bindings may differ, depending upon the editor, platform, and particular keyboard.

Several common sets exist. IBM developed the [CUA], or Common User Access standard, and an assortment of editors on Windows and elsewhere implement it. The famous WordStar editor which originated under the CP/M OS and was later ported to MS-DOS featured the WordStarDiamond, and mapped editor commands to Control-Key combinations and key chords. The Emacs editor used Control and Meta key combinations with a mnemonic scheme, so Control-N meant Next Char, and Control-P meant Previous Char. the vi editor is modal: when in Command mode, normal alphabet keys on the keyboard amp to editor functions, and h, j, k, and l move the cursor left, down, up, and right respectively. Emacs, vi, and WordStar all began in the days when keyboards were far less standardized than they are now, and were keyboard independant: if you had a Control key and an Escape key, you could use them. (Some early terminals used on Unix systems didn't have arrow keys or function keys, and there was wide variation in the keyboards supplied with CP/M systems.)

Many editors are customizable, and allow the user to remap editor commands and functions to keys of their choice. Emacs, for example, holds custom keybindings in a file called .emacsrc in the user's home directory, which is read by emacs on startup.


HomePage | RecentChanges | EditorIndex | TextEditorFamilies | Preferences
Edit text of this page | View other revisions
Last edited February 27, 2010 7:26 am (diff)
Search: