I want to simulate GMail/Twitter keyboard shortcuts of pressing a key, followed by another key to navigate somewhere in jQuery.

For example, G then H to go "Home" in GMail. Twitter also has G then H and other "bo" shortcuts.

Is there a jQuery plugin that simulates this behaviour?

I want to simulate GMail/Twitter keyboard shortcuts of pressing a key, followed by another key to navigate somewhere in jQuery.

For example, G then H to go "Home" in GMail. Twitter also has G then H and other "bo" shortcuts.

Is there a jQuery plugin that simulates this behaviour?

• javascript
• jquery

• You mean something like this : github./jeresig/jquery.hotkeys help...? – Sudhir Bastakoti Commented Dec 19, 2011 at 5:01
• I haven't seen a way to have bo shortcuts with the jquery.hotkeys plugin. You can do multiple keypresses (like Ctrl+A), but not G, H. If I am mistaken, I would be very pleased, as I already want to use this plugin. – Brad Leach Commented Dec 19, 2011 at 5:03

4 Answers 4

I just released a library last week called mousetrap that has this functionality built in. Check out http://craig.is/killing/mice

You can do

Mousetrap.bind('g h', function() {
    console.log('go home!');
});

Not sure about plugins, but you can achieve this other wise by keeping a key queue and processing that queue on each mouseup.

i.e. Something like:

var myKeyQueue = [];

$(document).keydown(function(e) {
    var code e.charCode != 0 ? e.charCode : e.keyCode;
    myKeyQueue.push(code);
});

$(document).keyup(function(e) {
    processKeyQueue();
});

And you processKeyQueue function will be something like:

function processKeyQueue() {

    // check if the Q contains any actionable key-bo, if so do it!
    /*
    if(myKeyQueue.length == 2) {
        if(String.fromCharCode(myKeyQueue[0]) == 'G' &&  String.fromCharCode(myKeyQueue[0]) == 'H') {
            // you code here ...
        }
    }
    */

    if(myKeyQueue.length >= 2) {
        myKeyQueue = []; // remove all keys in Q
    }
}

Check out this Doing key bos with jQuery / JavaScript I think that it will answer your problem. Also this guy wrote his own VERY small plugin to handle CTRL+[Any Key] listener so that he could use shortcuts like CTRL+S to call a function that saves the active document, it might be able to be modified for your use

I think this: http://www.openjs./scripts/events/keyboard_shortcuts/ might help in some way for adding your own shotcuts