On this page:
add-function
break-sequence
call-function
chain-to-keymap
get-double-click-interval
handle-key-event
handle-mouse-event
map-function
remove-chained-keymap
remove-grab-key-function
remove-grab-mouse-function
set-break-sequence-callback
set-double-click-interval
set-grab-key-function
set-grab-mouse-function

keymap% : class?

  superclass: object%

A keymap% object is used by editor<%> objects to map keyboard and mouse sequences to arbitrary functions in an extensible way. Keymaps can be used without editors, as well. A keymap% object contains

A handler procedure in a keymap is invoked with a key-event% object or a mouse-event% object. It is also given another value that depends on the context in which the keymap is used (or, more specifically, the arguments to handle-key-event or handle-mouse-event). For keymaps associated with editor<%> objects, the extra parameter is generally the editor<%> object that received the keyboard or mouse event.

Creates an empty keymap.

(send a-keymap add-function name func)  void?
  name : string?
  func : (any/c (is-a?/c event%) . -> . any/c)
Names a new function to handle events, called in response to handle-key-event, handle-mouse-event, or call-function. The return value is of the procedure is ignored.

If there was already a function mapped to this name, it will be replaced with the given function.

When the function is called, it gets the arguments that were passed to handle-key-event, handle-mouse-event, or call-function. For keymaps associated with an editor, this is normally the target editor.

(send a-keymap break-sequence)  void?
Clears the state of the keymap if it is in the middle of a key sequence. For example, the user may have hit escape, and then changed to another window; if escape is part of a keyboard sequence, the keymap state needs to be cleared because the user is not going to complete the sequence.

A break callback function can be installed with set-break-sequence-callback.

(send a-keymap call-function name    
  in    
  event    
  [try-chain?])  boolean?
  name : string?
  in : any/c
  event : (is-a?/c event%)
  try-chain? : any/c = #f
Calls a named event handler directly. If the function cannot be found or the found handler did not want to handle the event, #f is returned. Otherwise, the return value is the boolean return value of the event handler.

The in and event arguments are passed on to the keymap handler procedure if one is found.

If try-chain? is not #f, keymaps chained to this one are searched for the function name. If the function is not found and try-chain? is #f; an exception is also raised, but the exception handler cannot escape (see Continuations and Event Dispatch).

(send a-keymap chain-to-keymap next    
  prefix?)  void?
  next : (is-a?/c keymap%)
  prefix? : any/c
Chains next off a-keymap The next keymap will be used to handle events which are not handled by a-keymap. If prefix? is a true value, then next will take precedence over other keymaps already chained to a-keymap.

Multiple keymaps can be chained off one keymap using chain-to-keymap. When keymaps are chained off a main keymap, events not handled by the main keymap are passed to the chained keymaps until some chained keymap handles the events. Keymaps can be chained together in an arbitrary acyclic graph.

Keymap chaining is useful because multiple-event sequences are handled correctly for chained groups. Without chaining, a sequence of events can produce state in a keymap that must be reset when a callback is invoked in one of the keymaps. This state can be manually cleared with break-sequence, though calling the break-sequence method also invokes the handler installed by set-break-sequence-callback.

(send a-keymap get-double-click-interval)
  (integer-in 0 1000000)
Returns the maximum number of milliseconds that can separate the clicks of a double-click.

The default interval is determined in a platform-specific way, but it can be overridden globally though the 'GRacket:doubleClickTime preference; see Preferences.

(send a-keymap handle-key-event in event)  boolean?
  in : any/c
  event : (is-a?/c key-event%)
Attempts to handle a keyboard event, returning #t if the event was handled (i.e., a handler was found and it returned a true value), #f otherwise.

See also call-function.

(send a-keymap handle-mouse-event in event)  boolean?
  in : any/c
  event : (is-a?/c mouse-event%)
Attempts to handle a mouse event, returning #t if the event was handled (i.e., a handler was found and it returned a true value), #f otherwise.

See also call-function.

(send a-keymap map-function keyname fname)  void?
  keyname : string?
  fname : string?
Maps an input state sequence to a function name using a string-encoded sequence in keyname. The format of keyname is a sequence of semicolon-delimited input states; each state is made up of a sequence of modifier identifiers followed by a key identifier.

The modifier identifiers are:

If a particular modifier is not mentioned in a state string, it matches states whether that modifier is pressed or not pressed. A ~ preceding a modifier makes the string match only states where the corresponding modifier is not pressed. If the state string begins with :, then the string matches a state only if modifiers (other than Caps Lock) not mentioned in the string are not pressed.

A key identifier can be either a character on the keyboard (e.g., a, 2, ?) or a special name. The special names are as follows:

For a special keyword, the capitalization does not matter. However, capitalization is important for single-letter keynames. Furthermore, single-letter ASCII keynames are treated specially: A and s:a are both treated as s:A. However, when c: is included under Windows without m:, or when d: is included under Mac OS X, then ASCII letters are not upcased with s:, since the upcasing behavior of the Shift key is cancelled by Control without Alt (under Windows) or by Command (under Mac OS X).

A state can match multiple state strings mapped in a keymap (or keymap chain); when a state matches multiple state strings, a mapping is selected by ranking the strings according to specificity. A state string that mentions more pressed modifiers ranks higher than other state strings, and if two strings mention the same number of pressed modifiers, the one that mentions more unpressed modifiers ranks higher. Finally, a state string that includes ?: and matches only with the opposite use of Shift, AltGr/Option, and/or Caps Lock ranks below all matches that do not depend on ?:, and one that requires the opposite use of both Shift and AltGr/Option ranks even lower. In the case that multiple matching strings have the same rank, a match is selected arbitrarily.

Examples:

A call to map-function that would map a particular key sequence both as a prefix and as a complete sequence raises an exception, but the exception handler cannot escape (see Continuations and Event Dispatch).

A function name does not have to be mapped to a handler before input states are mapped to the name; the handler is dispatched by name at the time of invocation. The event handler mapped to a function name can be changed without affecting the map from input states to function names.

(send a-keymap remove-chained-keymap keymap)  void?
  keymap : (is-a?/c keymap%)
If keymap was previously chained from this keymap (through chain-to-keymap), then it is removed from the chain-to list.

Removes a callback installed with set-grab-key-function.

Removes a callback installed with set-grab-mouse-function.

(send a-keymap set-break-sequence-callback f)  void?
  f : (-> any)
Installs a callback procedure that is invoked when break-sequence is called. After it is invoked once, the callback is removed from the keymap. If another callback is installed before break-sequence is called, the old callback is invoked immediately before the new one is installed.

(send a-keymap set-double-click-interval n)  void?
  n : (integer-in 0 1000000)
Sets the maximum number of milliseconds that can separate the clicks of a double-click.

(send a-keymap set-grab-key-function f)  void?
  f : 
((or/c string? false?)
 (is-a?/c keymap%)
 any/c
 (is-a?/c key-event%)
 . -> . any)
Installs a callback procedure that is invoked after the keymap matches input to a function name or fails to match an input. Only one keyboard grab function can be installed at a time. When keymaps are chained to a keymap with a grab callback, the callback is invoked for matches in the chained keymap (when the chained keymap does not have its own grab callback).

If a grab callback returns a true value for a matching or non-matching callback, the event is considered handled. If the callback returns a true value for a matching callback, then the matching keymap function is not called by the keymap.

The callback procedure f will be invoked as:

  (f str keymap editor event)

The str argument is the name of a function for a matching callback, or #f for a non-matching callback. The keymap argument is the keymap that matched (possibly a keymap chained to the one in which the callback was installed) or the keymap in which the callback was installed. The editor and event arguments are the same as passed on to the matching keymap function.

Key grab callback functions are de-installed with remove-grab-key-function.

(send a-keymap set-grab-mouse-function f)  void?
  f : 
((or/c string? false?)
 (is-a?/c keymap%)
 any/c
 (is-a?/c mouse-event%)
 . -> . any)
Like set-grab-key-function, but for mouse events.