QKeySequence¶

PyQt5.QtGui.QKeySequence

Description¶

The QKeySequence class encapsulates a key sequence as used by shortcuts.

In its most common form, a key sequence describes a combination of keys that must be used together to perform some action. Key sequences are used with QAction objects to specify which keyboard shortcuts can be used to trigger actions.

Key sequences can be constructed for use as keyboard shortcuts in three different ways:

For standard shortcuts, a StandardKey can be used to request the platform-specific key sequence associated with each shortcut.
For custom shortcuts, human-readable strings such as “Ctrl X” can be used, and these can be translated into the appropriate shortcuts for users of different languages. Translations are made in the “QShortcut” context.
For hard-coded shortcuts, integer key codes can be specified with a combination of values defined by the Key and Modifier enum values. Each key code consists of a single Key value and zero or more modifiers, such as SHIFT, CTRL, ALT and META.

For example, Ctrl P might be a sequence used as a shortcut for printing a document, and can be specified in any of the following ways:

# QKeySequence(QKeySequence::Print);
# QKeySequence(tr("Ctrl P"));
# QKeySequence(tr("Ctrl p"));
# QKeySequence(Qt::CTRL   Qt::Key_P);

Note that, for letters, the case used in the specification string does not matter. In the above examples, the user does not need to hold down the Shift key to activate a shortcut specified with “Ctrl P”. However, for other keys, the use of Shift as an unspecified extra modifier key can lead to confusion for users of an application whose keyboards have different layouts to those used by the developers. See the Keyboard Layout Issues section below for more details.

It is preferable to use standard shortcuts where possible. When creating key sequences for non-standard shortcuts, you should use human-readable strings in preference to hard-coded integer values.

QKeySequence objects can be cast to a QString to obtain a human-readable translated version of the sequence. Similarly, the toString() function produces human-readable strings for use in menus. On macOS, the appropriate symbols are used to describe keyboard shortcuts using special keys on the Macintosh keyboard.

An alternative way to specify hard-coded key codes is to use the Unicode code point of the character; for example, ‘A’ gives the same key sequence as Key_A.

Note: On macOS, references to “Ctrl”, CTRL, Key_Control and ControlModifier correspond to the Command keys on the Macintosh keyboard, and references to “Meta”, META, Key_Meta and MetaModifier correspond to the Control keys. Developers on macOS can use the same shortcut descriptions across all platforms, and their applications will automatically work as expected on macOS.

Standard Shortcuts¶

QKeySequence defines many StandardKey to reduce the amount of effort required when setting up actions in a typical application. The table below shows some common key sequences that are often used for these standard shortcuts by applications on four widely-used platforms. Note that on macOS, the Ctrl value corresponds to the Command keys on the Macintosh keyboard, and the Meta value corresponds to the Control keys.

StandardKey	Windows	macOS	KDE Plasma	GNOME
HelpContents	F1	Ctrl ?	F1	F1
WhatsThis	Shift F1	Shift F1	Shift F1	Shift F1
Open	Ctrl O	Ctrl O	Ctrl O	Ctrl O
Close	Ctrl F4, Ctrl W	Ctrl W, Ctrl F4	Ctrl W	Ctrl W
Save	Ctrl S	Ctrl S	Ctrl S	Ctrl S
Quit		Ctrl Q	Ctrl Q	Ctrl Q
SaveAs		Ctrl Shift S		Ctrl Shift S
New	Ctrl N	Ctrl N	Ctrl N	Ctrl N
Delete	Del	Del, Meta D	Del, Ctrl D	Del, Ctrl D
Cut	Ctrl X, Shift Del	Ctrl X, Meta K	Ctrl X, F20, Shift Del	Ctrl X, F20, Shift Del
Copy	Ctrl C, Ctrl Ins	Ctrl C	Ctrl C, F16, Ctrl Ins	Ctrl C, F16, Ctrl Ins
Paste	Ctrl V, Shift Ins	Ctrl V, Meta Y	Ctrl V, F18, Shift Ins	Ctrl V, F18, Shift Ins
Preferences		Ctrl ,
Undo	Ctrl Z, Alt Backspace	Ctrl Z	Ctrl Z, F14	Ctrl Z, F14
Redo	Ctrl Y, Shift Ctrl Z, Alt Shift Backspace	Ctrl Shift Z	Ctrl Shift Z	Ctrl Shift Z
Back	Alt Left, Backspace	Ctrl [	Alt Left	Alt Left
Forward	Alt Right, Shift Backspace	Ctrl ]	Alt Right	Alt Right
Refresh	F5	F5	F5	Ctrl R, F5
ZoomIn	Ctrl Plus	Ctrl Plus	Ctrl Plus	Ctrl Plus
ZoomOut	Ctrl Minus	Ctrl Minus	Ctrl Minus	Ctrl Minus
FullScreen	F11, Alt Enter	Ctrl Meta F	F11, Ctrl Shift F	Ctrl F11
Print	Ctrl P	Ctrl P	Ctrl P	Ctrl P
AddTab	Ctrl T	Ctrl T	Ctrl Shift N, Ctrl T	Ctrl T
NextChild	Ctrl Tab, Forward, Ctrl F6	Ctrl }, Forward, Ctrl Tab	Ctrl Tab, Forward, Ctrl Comma	Ctrl Tab, Forward
PreviousChild	Ctrl Shift Tab, Back, Ctrl Shift F6	Ctrl {, Back, Ctrl Shift Tab	Ctrl Shift Tab, Back, Ctrl Period	Ctrl Shift Tab, Back
Find	Ctrl F	Ctrl F	Ctrl F	Ctrl F
FindNext	F3, Ctrl G	Ctrl G	F3	Ctrl G, F3
FindPrevious	Shift F3, Ctrl Shift G	Ctrl Shift G	Shift F3	Ctrl Shift G, Shift F3
Replace	Ctrl H	(none)	Ctrl R	Ctrl H
SelectAll	Ctrl A	Ctrl A	Ctrl A	Ctrl A
Deselect			Ctrl Shift A	Ctrl Shift A
Bold	Ctrl B	Ctrl B	Ctrl B	Ctrl B
Italic	Ctrl I	Ctrl I	Ctrl I	Ctrl I
Underline	Ctrl U	Ctrl U	Ctrl U	Ctrl U
MoveToNextChar	Right	Right, Meta F	Right	Right
MoveToPreviousChar	Left	Left, Meta B	Left	Left
MoveToNextWord	Ctrl Right	Alt Right	Ctrl Right	Ctrl Right
MoveToPreviousWord	Ctrl Left	Alt Left	Ctrl Left	Ctrl Left
MoveToNextLine	Down	Down, Meta N	Down	Down
MoveToPreviousLine	Up	Up, Meta P	Up	Up
MoveToNextPage	PgDown	PgDown, Alt PgDown, Meta Down, Meta PgDown, Meta V	PgDown	PgDown
MoveToPreviousPage	PgUp	PgUp, Alt PgUp, Meta Up, Meta PgUp	PgUp	PgUp
MoveToStartOfLine	Home	Ctrl Left, Meta Left	Home	Home
MoveToEndOfLine	End	Ctrl Right, Meta Right	End, Ctrl E	End, Ctrl E
MoveToStartOfBlock	(none)	Alt Up, Meta A	(none)	(none)
MoveToEndOfBlock	(none)	Alt Down, Meta E	(none)	(none)
MoveToStartOfDocument	Ctrl Home	Ctrl Up, Home	Ctrl Home	Ctrl Home
MoveToEndOfDocument	Ctrl End	Ctrl Down, End	Ctrl End	Ctrl End
SelectNextChar	Shift Right	Shift Right	Shift Right	Shift Right
SelectPreviousChar	Shift Left	Shift Left	Shift Left	Shift Left
SelectNextWord	Ctrl Shift Right	Alt Shift Right	Ctrl Shift Right	Ctrl Shift Right
SelectPreviousWord	Ctrl Shift Left	Alt Shift Left	Ctrl Shift Left	Ctrl Shift Left
SelectNextLine	Shift Down	Shift Down	Shift Down	Shift Down
SelectPreviousLine	Shift Up	Shift Up	Shift Up	Shift Up
SelectNextPage	Shift PgDown	Shift PgDown	Shift PgDown	Shift PgDown
SelectPreviousPage	Shift PgUp	Shift PgUp	Shift PgUp	Shift PgUp
SelectStartOfLine	Shift Home	Ctrl Shift Left	Shift Home	Shift Home
SelectEndOfLine	Shift End	Ctrl Shift Right	Shift End	Shift End
SelectStartOfBlock	(none)	Alt Shift Up, Meta Shift A	(none)	(none)
SelectEndOfBlock	(none)	Alt Shift Down, Meta Shift E	(none)	(none)
SelectStartOfDocument	Ctrl Shift Home	Ctrl Shift Up, Shift Home	Ctrl Shift Home	Ctrl Shift Home
SelectEndOfDocument	Ctrl Shift End	Ctrl Shift Down, Shift End	Ctrl Shift End	Ctrl Shift End
DeleteStartOfWord	Ctrl Backspace	Alt Backspace	Ctrl Backspace	Ctrl Backspace
DeleteEndOfWord	Ctrl Del	(none)	Ctrl Del	Ctrl Del
DeleteEndOfLine	(none)	(none)	Ctrl K	Ctrl K
DeleteCompleteLine	(none)	(none)	Ctrl U	Ctrl U
InsertParagraphSeparator	Enter	Enter	Enter	Enter
InsertLineSeparator	Shift Enter	Meta Enter, Meta O	Shift Enter	Shift Enter
Backspace	(none)	Meta H	(none)	(none)
Cancel	Escape	Escape, Ctrl .	Escape	Escape

Note that, since the key sequences used for the standard shortcuts differ between platforms, you still need to test your shortcuts on each platform to ensure that you do not unintentionally assign the same key sequence to many actions.

Keyboard Layout Issues¶

Many key sequence specifications are chosen by developers based on the layout of certain types of keyboard, rather than choosing keys that represent the first letter of an action’s name, such as Ctrl S (“Ctrl S”) or Ctrl C (“Ctrl C”). Additionally, because certain symbols can only be entered with the help of modifier keys on certain keyboard layouts, key sequences intended for use with one keyboard layout may map to a different key, map to no keys at all, or require an additional modifier key to be used on different keyboard layouts.

For example, the shortcuts, Ctrl plus and Ctrl minus, are often used as shortcuts for zoom operations in graphics applications, and these may be specified as “Ctrl ” and “Ctrl -” respectively. However, the way these shortcuts are specified and interpreted depends on the keyboard layout. Users of Norwegian keyboards will note that the and - keys are not adjacent on the keyboard, but will still be able to activate both shortcuts without needing to press the Shift key. However, users with British keyboards will need to hold down the Shift key to enter the symbol, making the shortcut effectively the same as “Ctrl Shift =”.

Although some developers might resort to fully specifying all the modifiers they use on their keyboards to activate a shortcut, this will also result in unexpected behavior for users of different keyboard layouts.

For example, a developer using a British keyboard may decide to specify “Ctrl Shift =” as the key sequence in order to create a shortcut that coincidentally behaves in the same way as Ctrl plus. However, the = key needs to be accessed using the Shift key on Norwegian keyboard, making the required shortcut effectively Ctrl Shift Shift = (an impossible key combination).

As a result, both human-readable strings and hard-coded key codes can both be problematic to use when specifying a key sequence that can be used on a variety of different keyboard layouts. Only the use of StandardKey guarantees that the user will be able to use the shortcuts that the developer intended.

Despite this, we can address this issue by ensuring that human-readable strings are used, making it possible for translations of key sequences to be made for users of different languages. This approach will be successful for users whose keyboards have the most typical layout for the language they are using.

GNU Emacs Style Key Sequences¶

Key sequences similar to those used in GNU Emacs, allowing up to four key codes, can be created by using the multiple argument constructor, or by passing a human-readable string of comma-separated key sequences.

For example, the key sequence, Ctrl X followed by Ctrl C, can be specified using either of the following ways:

# QKeySequence(tr("Ctrl X, Ctrl C"));
# QKeySequence(Qt::CTRL   Qt::Key_X, Qt::CTRL   Qt::Key_C);

Warning: A QApplication instance must have been constructed before a QKeySequence is created; otherwise, your application may crash.

Enums¶

SequenceFormat

Member	Value	Description
NativeText	0	The key sequence as a platform specific string. This means that it will be shown translated and on the Mac it will resemble a key sequence from the menu bar. This enum is best used when you want to display the string to the user.
PortableText	1	The key sequence is given in a “portable” format, suitable for reading and writing to a file. In many cases, it will look similar to the native text on Windows and X11.

SequenceMatch

Member	Value	Description
ExactMatch	2	The key sequences are the same.
NoMatch	0	The key sequences are different; not even partially matching.
PartialMatch	1	The key sequences match partially, but are not the same.

StandardKey

This enum represent standard key bindings. They can be used to assign platform dependent keyboard shortcuts to a QAction.

Note that the key bindings are platform dependent. The currently bound shortcuts can be queried using keyBindings().

Member	Value	Description
AddTab	19	Add new tab.
Back	13	Navigate back.
Backspace	TODO	Delete previous character.
Bold	27	Bold text.
Cancel	TODO	Cancel the current operation.
Close	4	Close document/tab.
Copy	9	Copy.
Cut	8	Cut.
Delete	7	Delete.
DeleteCompleteLine	TODO	Delete the entire line.
DeleteEndOfLine	60	Delete end of line.
DeleteEndOfWord	59	Delete word from the end of the cursor.
DeleteStartOfWord	58	Delete the beginning of a word up to the cursor.
Deselect	TODO	Deselect text. Since 5.1
Find	22	Find in document.
FindNext	23	Find next result.
FindPrevious	24	Find previous result.
Forward	14	Navigate forward.
FullScreen	TODO	Toggle the window state to/from full screen.
HelpContents	1	Open help contents.
InsertLineSeparator	62	Insert a new line.
InsertParagraphSeparator	61	Insert a new paragraph.
Italic	28	Italic text.
MoveToEndOfBlock	41	Move cursor to end of block. This shortcut is only used on the macOS.
MoveToEndOfDocument	43	Move cursor to end of document.
MoveToEndOfLine	39	Move cursor to end of line.
MoveToNextChar	30	Move cursor to next character.
MoveToNextLine	34	Move cursor to next line.
MoveToNextPage	36	Move cursor to next page.
MoveToNextWord	32	Move cursor to next word.
MoveToPreviousChar	31	Move cursor to previous character.
MoveToPreviousLine	35	Move cursor to previous line.
MoveToPreviousPage	37	Move cursor to previous page.
MoveToPreviousWord	33	Move cursor to previous word.
MoveToStartOfBlock	40	Move cursor to start of a block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
MoveToStartOfDocument	42	Move cursor to start of document.
MoveToStartOfLine	38	Move cursor to start of line.
New	6	Create new document.
NextChild	20	Navigate to next tab or child window.
Open	3	Open document.
Paste	10	Paste.
Preferences	64	Open the preferences dialog.
PreviousChild	21	Navigate to previous tab or child window.
Print	18	Print document.
Quit	65	Quit the application.
Redo	12	Redo.
Refresh	15	Refresh or reload current document.
Replace	25	Find and replace.
Save	5	Save document.
SaveAs	63	Save document after prompting the user for a file name.
SelectAll	26	Select all text.
SelectEndOfBlock	55	Extend selection to the end of a text block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
SelectEndOfDocument	57	Extend selection to end of document.
SelectEndOfLine	53	Extend selection to end of line.
SelectNextChar	44	Extend selection to next character.
SelectNextLine	48	Extend selection to next line.
SelectNextPage	50	Extend selection to next page.
SelectNextWord	46	Extend selection to next word.
SelectPreviousChar	45	Extend selection to previous character.
SelectPreviousLine	49	Extend selection to previous line.
SelectPreviousPage	51	Extend selection to previous page.
SelectPreviousWord	47	Extend selection to previous word.
SelectStartOfBlock	54	Extend selection to the start of a text block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
SelectStartOfDocument	56	Extend selection to start of document.
SelectStartOfLine	52	Extend selection to start of line.
Underline	29	Underline text.
Undo	11	Undo.
UnknownKey	0	Unbound key.
WhatsThis	2	Activate “what’s this”.
ZoomIn	16	Zoom in.
ZoomOut	17	Zoom out.

Methods¶

__init__(): Constructs an empty key sequence.

__init__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]): Copy constructor. Makes a copy of keysequence.

__init__(Any): TODO

__init__(str, format: SequenceFormat = NativeText): TODO

__init__(int, key2: int = 0, key3: int = 0, key4: int = 0)

Constructs a key sequence with up to 4 keys k1, k2, k3 and k4.

The key codes are listed in Key and can be combined with modifiers (see Modifier) such as SHIFT, CTRL, ALT, or META.

count() → int: Returns the number of keys in the key sequence. The maximum is 4.

__eq__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

@staticmethod fromString(str, format: SequenceFormat = PortableText) → QKeySequence: TODO

__ge__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

__getitem__(int) → int: TODO

__gt__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

__hash__() → int: TODO

isDetached() → bool: TODO

isEmpty() → bool: Returns true if the key sequence is empty; otherwise returns false.

@staticmethod keyBindings(StandardKey) → List[QKeySequence]: Returns a list of key bindings for the given key. The result of calling this function will vary based on the target platform. The first element of the list indicates the primary shortcut for the given platform. If the result contains more than one result, these can be considered alternative shortcuts on the same platform for the given key.

__le__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

__len__() → int: TODO

@staticmethod listFromString(str, format: SequenceFormat = PortableText) → List[QKeySequence]: TODO

@staticmethod listToString(Iterable[Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]], format: SequenceFormat = PortableText) → str: TODO

__lt__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

matches(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → SequenceMatch: Matches the sequence with seq. Returns ExactMatch if successful, PartialMatch if seq matches incompletely, and NoMatch if the sequences have nothing in common. Returns NoMatch if seq is shorter.

@staticmethod mnemonic(str) → QKeySequence

Returns the shortcut key sequence for the mnemonic in text, or an empty key sequence if no mnemonics are found.

For example, mnemonic(“E&xit”) returns Qt::ALT Qt::Key_X, mnemonic(”&Quit”) returns ALT Key_Q, and mnemonic(“Quit”) returns an empty QKeySequence.

We provide a list of common mnemonics in English. At the time of writing, Microsoft and Open Group do not appear to have issued equivalent recommendations for other languages.

__ne__(Union[QKeySequence, StandardKey, str, int]) → bool: TODO

swap(QKeySequence): TODO

toString(format: SequenceFormat = PortableText) → str: TODO