Panel Shortcuts

There are two types of Shortcut: Application Shortcuts that are built-in to TouchDesigner's authoring interface and Panel Shortcuts (described here). Panel Shortcuts can be added to any custom built panel to add keyboard functionality.

Here are default Panel Shortcuts, as you would use in Perform Mode or in operating any panel:

To stop the timeline, hold down Shift and press the Space Bar.
To step forward one frame, hold down Shift and press the right-arrow
To step back one frame, hold down Shift and press the left-arrow.

Setting Panel Shortcutsedit

In Designer Mode, the Application Shortcuts behavior is: Space bar pauses, right-arrow steps forward one frame, and left arrow steps back one frame.

To create new Panel Shortcuts, add a DAT at location local/shortcuts for each desired panel component. The first column is blank, the second column is the character, and the third column is the script command. It’s only read by panels, not worksheets. The reason for the unused first column is to keep the format the same as the application shortcuts table. Note: the third column is currently only TScript. To use Python place your code in macro and simply reference the macro from this table instead.

Example: local/shortcuts table: (Remember the first column is blank.)

label	key	command
	c	echo you pressed c
	D	echo you pressed D
	b	echo you pressed b
	B	echo you pressed B

You can use specially reserved labels to specify specific keyboard characters: (Remember the first column is blank.)

label	key	command
	up	echo You pressed up
	down	echo You pressed down
	left	echo You pressed left
	right	echo You pressed right
	tab	echo You pressed tab
	enter	echo you pressed enter
	esc	echo you pressed escape
	backspace	echo you pressed backspace
	space	echo you pressed space bar
	prtsc	echo you pressed print screen
	scrlk	echo you pressed scroll lock
	pause	echo you pressed pause
	insert	echo you pressed insert
	home	echo you pressed home
	pgup	echo you pressed page up
	del	echo you pressed del
	end	echo you pressed end
	pgdn	echo you pressed page down
	numlk	echo you pressed num lock
	F1	echo you pressed F1
	F2	echo you pressed F2
	F3	echo you pressed F3

You may also specify characters by their ASCII value: (Remember the first column is blank.)

label	key	command
	65	echo you pressed capital A
	66	echo you pressed a

You can add ctrl, alt, shift modifiers: (Remember the first column is blank.)

label	key	command
	alt.b	echo you pressed alt b
	ctrl.b	echo you pressed ctrl b
	shift.tab	echo you pressed shift tab
	ctrl.alt.down	echo you pressed ctrl alt down
	shift.ctrl.up	echo you pressed ctrl shift up

The compound modifier order is arbitrary: alt.ctrl.shift, ctrl.alt, etc. Also note, not all keyboards report the same keys combinations identically.

Using Panel Values for Shortcutsedit

Alternatively, every panel also includes the 'key' Panel Value, which pulses the numeric value of the key pressed over it. Whenever a key is pressed the 'key' panel value gets set to the ASCII value of the character, then immediately back to zero. Be sure your scripts capture the off-to-on key value change.

Every key press event is sent up its panel chain, until it is intercepted by either a field component, or a shortcut script along the way.

Use the following functions to convert between ASCII values and characters:

string  ftoc(int num)   // float to char
num     ctof(string)    // char to float

Examples:

ftoc(65) = "a"
ctof("a") = 65

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Panel Shortcuts

Setting Panel Shortcutsedit

Using Panel Values for Shortcutsedit