Customizing the keyboard

When a key is pressed, the editor performs the action associated with it.  Many keys have default actions, depending on the active editor profile.

In editor applications that provide preference pages, you can reassign keys or assign actions to new keys from the User Key Actions preference page.  For example, to redefine the Backspace key so that it does not join lines of text:

  1. Select the LPEX editor User Key Actions preference page.
  2. In the Key field, type the key definition:
    backSpace 
  3. In the Action field, type the action to associate with this key:
    backSpaceInLine 
  4. Click Set.
  5. Click Apply or OK.

You can also customize the keyboard with the set keyAction command.  The setting will be in effect only in the current view during the current edit session.  For example, the following command makes the Ctrl+T key scroll the text in a window up by one screen:

set keyAction.c-t pageUp
Use the updateProfile.userKeyActions parameter for persistent, global key customizations.

Make sure you use the correct mixed-case sequence when defining both the key definition and the action name.

Your operating system or editor application may reserve certain keys, such as F1.

Related concepts
Editor Profiles

Related tasks
Issuing editor commands

Related references
keyAction parameter
updateProfile.userKeyActions parameter
Default editor actions