Idea: A Visualization Tool for Learning Renoise Keybindings (Shortcuts)

Renoise keybindings are powerful but difficult to memorize, so I am creating a tool that reads the configuration file and visualizes it on a keyboard layout. I’m not sure if there is any demand for this, so I would like to share the idea here.

I will show you the prototype source code and screenshots.

Current features:

  • Reads KeyBindings.xml and visualizes it on a keyboard layout
  • Displays keybindings when modifier keys (Ctrl, Shift, Alt) are pressed

Features to be added:

  • Support for general keyboard layouts (currently only Japanese layout)
  • Automatic loading of currently applied keybindings
  • Changing and saving keybindings within the tool
  • Display of the numeric keypad
  • Improved visibility (e.g., iconizing keybinding categories)

Feel free to share any feedback.

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Welcome and nice idea!

You could also take into account what is currently visible using the window and only show the keys that are relevant to the current context.

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Cool idea!

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Updated!

  • The shortcut function name corresponding to the selected context is now displayed. (thanks to unless :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:)
  • Also, various other improvements.

It’s in a rough but usable state, so I may release it as a tool when it supports English keyboards.

Thanks!

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Nice creation!
Would be cool if we could have a smaller size (adjustable?), cause now its too large to display on a macbook air m1.
Also an Azerty layout would be great.

Thank you!

i’d love to know if progress is being made with this?

Having purchased the Steam Deck, I was thinking about another tool to control Renoise without a keyboard :slight_smile:
Anyway…

I would like to refer to esaruoho’s Paketti for Keybinding as it seems to be handled well.

  • I will create a US keyboard layout first, but will also support other layouts such as AZERTY (since I have many keyboards with different layouts).
  • I am thinking of addressing the issue of the GUI being too large, for example, with an option to make the function name text abbreviated. (e.g. Instrument → Inst.)

It may take some time to complete, so if you can’t wait, feel free to use this idea and source code and publish it as a tool you created!

hi @sdmkun, i really want to run your app with macOS and see what it does and how it does it, and maybe, if i can figure out how, incorporate it into Paketti - especially since one request that i’ve been getting is to show all unbound keyshortcut possibilities (aka “free keys / free keybinds”) - and i think this would maybe be the best way to do it.

edit: btw, i now see that it’s a xrnx, so i’ll just install that and see what it looks like :slight_smile:

btw thanks for referencing my tool!

btw, i downloaded the githurepo, renamed the zip to .xrnx and tried to install it but nothing seemed to happen.

is it possible for you to wrap this into a functional xrnx that can be installed, somehow, please?
or DM me a build (or discord to esaruoho, since i think i remember you being on discord?)

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ok i have it working multiplatform now. this is from macOS
press down highlight again

the checkbox checks and disables whether the modifiers are caught + updated live or not.

yes there is because I’ve been thinking of making one and i represent all Renoise users.

just kidding, but seriously, i’ve always been edging to take that XML file and do a better collapseable search thing with keyboard layout visuals. awesome!

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and i’ve gotten requests for Paketti to have a method for showing “free keys” aka keys that have not been mapped to any shortcut - for easier realization of “what could be mapped”. this tool seems to be a start in the right direction - and thus i’m tweaking it.

speaking of your stuff @error.eyes - i wrote these:


one flavor for showing only Paketti mappings, mapped and unmapped, and another for showing all Renoise mappings including all tool keybindings - mapped/unmapped.

with fuzzy search.

Yes, if it were possible to display which keys are assigned to which functions along with a key mapping diagram, we would naturally know which key bindings are free and available.
If this tool becomes easy to use by supporting calls from menus and key bindings, I feel that these needs can be met.

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