QKeySequence

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

Synopsis

Functions

• def __eq__ (other)

• def __ge__ (other)

• def __getitem__ ()

• def __gt__ (other)

• def __le__ (other)

• def __lt__ (ks)

• def __ne__ (other)

• def __reduce__ ()

• def __repr__ ()

• def count ()

• def isEmpty ()

• def matches (seq)

• def swap (other)

• def toString ([format=PortableText])

Static functions

• def fromString (str[, format=PortableText])

• def keyBindings (key)

• def listFromString (str[, format=PortableText])

• def listToString (list[, format=PortableText])

• def mnemonic (text)

Detailed Description

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 standard key 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 standard keyboard shortcuts 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 standard shortcuts 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.

See also

QShortcut

class PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence(key)

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence(ks)

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence(key[, format=NativeText])

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence(k1[, k2=0[, k3=0[, k4=0]]])

param k1:

int

param k2:

int

param k3:

int

param k4:

int

param format:

SequenceFormat

param ks:

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

param key:

StandardKey

Constructs an empty key sequence.

Constructs a QKeySequence object for the given key . The result will depend on the currently running platform.

The resulting object will be based on the first element in the list of key bindings for the key .

Creates a key sequence from the key string, based on format .

For example “Ctrl+O” gives CTRL+’O’. The strings “Ctrl”, “Shift”, “Alt” and “Meta” are recognized, as well as their translated equivalents in the “ QShortcut “ context (using tr() ).

Up to four key codes may be entered by separating them with commas, e.g. “Alt+X,Ctrl+S,Q”.

This constructor is typically used with tr (), so that shortcut keys can be replaced in translations:

file = QMenu(self)
file.addAction(tr("&Open..."), self, SLOT("open()"),
               QKeySequence(tr("Ctrl+O", "File|Open")))

Note the “File|Open” translator comment. It is by no means necessary, but it provides some context for the human translator.

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 .

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.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() .

Constant	Description
QKeySequence.AddTab	Add new tab.
QKeySequence.Back	Navigate back.
QKeySequence.Backspace	Delete previous character.
QKeySequence.Bold	Bold text.
QKeySequence.Close	Close document/tab.
QKeySequence.Copy	Copy.
QKeySequence.Cut	Cut.
QKeySequence.Delete	Delete.
QKeySequence.DeleteEndOfLine	Delete end of line.
QKeySequence.DeleteEndOfWord	Delete word from the end of the cursor.
QKeySequence.DeleteStartOfWord	Delete the beginning of a word up to the cursor.
QKeySequence.DeleteCompleteLine	Delete the entire line.
QKeySequence.Find	Find in document.
QKeySequence.FindNext	Find next result.
QKeySequence.FindPrevious	Find previous result.
QKeySequence.Forward	Navigate forward.
QKeySequence.HelpContents	Open help contents.
QKeySequence.InsertLineSeparator	Insert a new line.
QKeySequence.InsertParagraphSeparator	Insert a new paragraph.
QKeySequence.Italic	Italic text.
QKeySequence.MoveToEndOfBlock	Move cursor to end of block. This shortcut is only used on the macOS.
QKeySequence.MoveToEndOfDocument	Move cursor to end of document.
QKeySequence.MoveToEndOfLine	Move cursor to end of line.
QKeySequence.MoveToNextChar	Move cursor to next character.
QKeySequence.MoveToNextLine	Move cursor to next line.
QKeySequence.MoveToNextPage	Move cursor to next page.
QKeySequence.MoveToNextWord	Move cursor to next word.
QKeySequence.MoveToPreviousChar	Move cursor to previous character.
QKeySequence.MoveToPreviousLine	Move cursor to previous line.
QKeySequence.MoveToPreviousPage	Move cursor to previous page.
QKeySequence.MoveToPreviousWord	Move cursor to previous word.
QKeySequence.MoveToStartOfBlock	Move cursor to start of a block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
QKeySequence.MoveToStartOfDocument	Move cursor to start of document.
QKeySequence.MoveToStartOfLine	Move cursor to start of line.
QKeySequence.New	Create new document.
QKeySequence.NextChild	Navigate to next tab or child window.
QKeySequence.Open	Open document.
QKeySequence.Paste	Paste.
QKeySequence.Preferences	Open the preferences dialog.
QKeySequence.PreviousChild	Navigate to previous tab or child window.
QKeySequence.Print	Print document.
QKeySequence.Quit	Quit the application.
QKeySequence.Redo	Redo.
QKeySequence.Refresh	Refresh or reload current document.
QKeySequence.Replace	Find and replace.
QKeySequence.SaveAs	Save document after prompting the user for a file name.
QKeySequence.Save	Save document.
QKeySequence.SelectAll	Select all text.
QKeySequence.Deselect	Deselect text. Since 5.1
QKeySequence.SelectEndOfBlock	Extend selection to the end of a text block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
QKeySequence.SelectEndOfDocument	Extend selection to end of document.
QKeySequence.SelectEndOfLine	Extend selection to end of line.
QKeySequence.SelectNextChar	Extend selection to next character.
QKeySequence.SelectNextLine	Extend selection to next line.
QKeySequence.SelectNextPage	Extend selection to next page.
QKeySequence.SelectNextWord	Extend selection to next word.
QKeySequence.SelectPreviousChar	Extend selection to previous character.
QKeySequence.SelectPreviousLine	Extend selection to previous line.
QKeySequence.SelectPreviousPage	Extend selection to previous page.
QKeySequence.SelectPreviousWord	Extend selection to previous word.
QKeySequence.SelectStartOfBlock	Extend selection to the start of a text block. This shortcut is only used on macOS.
QKeySequence.SelectStartOfDocument	Extend selection to start of document.
QKeySequence.SelectStartOfLine	Extend selection to start of line.
QKeySequence.Underline	Underline text.
QKeySequence.Undo	Undo.
QKeySequence.UnknownKey	Unbound key.
QKeySequence.WhatsThis	Activate “what’s this”.
QKeySequence.ZoomIn	Zoom in.
QKeySequence.ZoomOut	Zoom out.
QKeySequence.FullScreen	Toggle the window state to/from full screen.
QKeySequence.Cancel	Cancel the current operation.

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.SequenceFormat

Constant	Description
QKeySequence.NativeText	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.
QKeySequence.PortableText	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.

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.SequenceMatch

Constant	Description
QKeySequence.NoMatch	The key sequences are different; not even partially matching.
QKeySequence.PartialMatch	The key sequences match partially, but are not the same.
QKeySequence.ExactMatch	The key sequences are the same.

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__getitem__()

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__reduce__()

Return type:

object

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__repr__()

Return type:

object

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.count()

Return type:

int

Returns the number of keys in the key sequence. The maximum is 4.

static PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.fromString(str[, format=PortableText])

Parameters:

• str – str

• format – SequenceFormat

Return type:

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return a QKeySequence from the string str based on format .

See also

toString()

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.isEmpty()

Return type:

bool

Returns true if the key sequence is empty; otherwise returns false.

static PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.keyBindings(key)

Parameters:

key – StandardKey

Return type:

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 .

static PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.listFromString(str[, format=PortableText])

Parameters:

• str – str

• format – SequenceFormat

Return type:

Return a list of QKeySequence from the string str based on format .

See also

fromString() listToString()

static PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.listToString(list[, format=PortableText])

Parameters:

• list –

• format – SequenceFormat

Return type:

str

Return a string representation of list based on format .

See also

toString() listFromString()

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.matches(seq)

Parameters:

seq – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

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.

static PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.mnemonic(text)

Parameters:

text – str

Return type:

PySide2.QtGui.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.

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__ne__(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

Returns true if this key sequence is not equal to the other key sequence; otherwise returns false .

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__lt__(ks)

Parameters:

ks – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__le__(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__eq__(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

Returns true if this key sequence is equal to the other key sequence; otherwise returns false .

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__gt__(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

Returns true if this key sequence is larger than the other key sequence; otherwise returns false .

See also

operator==() operator!=() operator operator operator>=()

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.__ge__(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Return type:

bool

Returns true if this key sequence is larger or equal to the other key sequence; otherwise returns false .

See also

operator==() operator!=() operator operator>() operator

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.swap(other)

Parameters:

other – PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence

Swaps key sequence other with this key sequence. This operation is very fast and never fails.

PySide2.QtGui.QKeySequence.toString([format=PortableText])

Parameters:

format – SequenceFormat

Return type:

str

Return a string representation of the key sequence, based on format .

For example, the value CTRL + Key_O results in “Ctrl+O”. If the key sequence has multiple key codes, each is separated by commas in the string returned, such as “Alt+X, Ctrl+Y, Z”. The strings, “Ctrl”, “Shift”, etc. are translated using tr() in the “ QShortcut “ context.

If the key sequence has no keys, an empty string is returned.

On macOS, the string returned resembles the sequence that is shown in the menu bar if format is NativeText ; otherwise, the string uses the “portable” format, suitable for writing to a file.

See also

fromString()