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Function keys productivity trick

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Re: Function keys productivity trick

#3

Post by devmor »

awelxtr wrote: post #2

Windows users can do this by pressing Win+digit with open apps or apps you have pinned on the task bar. Linux Mint, as with many other windows shortcuts, has this also

Yep, I've been doing this for quite some time. Like the author says, it's a genuine boost to productivity.

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#4

Post by thrdbndndn »

awelxtr wrote: post #2

Windows users can do this by pressing Win+digit with open apps or apps you have pinned on the task bar. Linux Mint, as with many other windows shortcuts, has this also

I use shortcuts heavily, but Win+number is something I never get used to despite knowing them. They way they work when you have multiple X programs opened (say, editors, explorers..) is kinda weird and I ended up just using alt+tab, which is much easier to press anyway.

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#5

Post by trumpeta »

Another way of doing this is assign Hyper key to Caps Lock with Karabiner and then use that to set up hyper+X shortcuts to different or macros using Hammerspoon.

So e.g. I have hyper+a for Alacritty, hyper+b for Browser etc.

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#6

Post by hprotagonist »

~/.config/i3/config:

  # emacsclient
  set $em_daemon ~/.local/bin/em

  # make a quick launcher for specific things I do all the time
  bindsym $mod+o mode "spotlight"

  mode "spotlight" {
       ## specific files in a new emacs buffer
       # dired in home
       bindsym d exec $em_daemon ~/; mode "default"
       # ibuffer
       bindsym e exec $em_daemon --eval "(ibuffer)"; mode "default" #
       # guaranteed new scratch buffer
       bindsym s exec $em_daemon --eval '(switch-to-buffer (format-time-string "%d %b %Y %H:%M:%S"))'; mode "default"

       ## common binaries
       bindsym f exec firefox ; mode "default"
       bindsym h exec --no-startup-id zeal ; mode "default"
       bindsym j exec --no-startup-id ~/.local/share/JetBrains/Toolbox/bin/jetbrains-toolbox ; mode "default"
       bindsym m exec --no-startup-id mendeley ; mode "default"
       bindsym k exec --no-startup-id keepassxc ; mode "default"
       ## special launchers
       # ipython
       bindsym i exec zsh -c '$alacritty -e ~/.local/pipx/venvs/ipython/bin/ipython'; mode "default"
       # app switcher
       bindsym a exec "rofi -show window -show-icons -theme gruvbox-dark-hard.rasi"; mode "default"
       ## just in case we did this by mistake
       bindsym Escape mode "default"
  }

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#7

Post by lewispollard »

trumpeta wrote: post #5

Another way of doing this is assign Hyper key to Caps Lock with Karabiner and then use that to set up hyper+X shortcuts to different or macros using Hammerspoon. So e.g. I have hyper+a for Alacritty, hyper+b for Browser etc.

i3wm workspaces + bindkeys shortcuts come to mind, this is my natural workflow in i3

meta+1-9 to switch workspaces, meta+various keys to launch applications (and can configure i3 to launch them into preferred workspaces if desired)

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#8

Post by Configure0251 »

thrdbndndn wrote: post #4
awelxtr wrote: post #2

Windows users can do this by pressing Win+digit with open apps or apps you have pinned on the task bar. Linux Mint, as with many other windows shortcuts, has this also

I use shortcuts heavily, but Win+number is something I never get used to despite knowing them. They way they work when you have multiple X programs opened (say, editors, explorers..) is kinda weird and I ended up just using alt+tab, which is much easier to press anyway.

Microsoft's PowerToys has a shortcut guide that might help get you over that last hurdle towards using win+number effectively. Might want to give it a look.

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#9

Post by hbn »

Can people hit their function keys without looking at the keyboard? Sure, hitting F5 to go to your terminal is less keystrokes than e.g. Cmd+tab+tab, but I can't hit anything in the function row without glancing down at my keyboard. And I put a lot of value in looking at my keyboard as little as possible

Re: Function keys productivity trick

#10

Post by p2hari »

trumpeta wrote: post #5

Another way of doing this is assign Hyper key to Caps Lock with Karabiner and then use that to set up hyper+X shortcuts to different or macros using Hammerspoon. So e.g. I have hyper+a for Alacritty, hyper+b for Browser etc.

Yep, this was the way I use it too. I had 'qmk' shortcuts but later moved to hammerspoon approach. Right now trying this set up . Andweeb's 'Ki Spoon' [1] for much efficient workflow. It is still under development

1. https://github.com/andweeb/Ki

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