View source for Completed: Proposal Binding Effects to Hot-Keys

{{Proposal_Header|This page is a proposal to enable the Binding of chosen effects to buttons or keyboard shortcuts.

This is not intended to be tackled prior to the release of Audacity version 2.0 |}}

__NOTOC__

==The Problem==
The Effects list has grown very long in Audacity, most users use only a small subset of these effects and finding the ones they need in the long list is difficult ''(and requires at least two or more clicks)''.

A typical user's use of effects means that they will use a small subset - but each item will be used many times in the editing process.


== Proposed Feature ==
Keys (and key comninations) to be assignable to commonly used effects. 

The keys used and the effects to be bound to them to be definable by the user.  


==Developer/QA Backing==
*Peter
*Greg Kozikowski
*Ed Musgrove--though neither QA nor Developer, I am going to vote -1 here.  +1 for the concept of allowing shortcut key binding for effects; -1 for limiting the number.


==Use Cases==
'''User transcribing LPs or tapes'''  This user will typically be repeatedly using the following five effects: Fade In, Fade Out, Click Removal, Noise Removal and Amplify (or Normalize).  In particular the Fades are used at the beginning and end of each track, so several time for each LP, these involve 2 clicks each to activate.  Each use of the effect.  The other effects will often involve more than two clicks to activate.

==Details==
*Keys (and keystroke combinations) to be assignable to commonly used effects. The keys used and the effects to be bound to them to be definable by the user.  

*The keys to be usable in combination would be:  Ctrl, Alt and Shift ''(as for the existing keyboard bindings)''.

*Although  5 to 7 keybindings for effects are likely to be ample for most users, there is no real need to limit the number as there are plenty of available keys that are not currently assigned in Preferences>Keyboard.

*The effects bindings to keys to be managed by the user through a new Preference page called "Effects Keyboard Shortcuts" (see GUI mockup below).

*Checkbox by each effect in the list to indicate which keys are to be bound to effects.

*Two radio buttons to be provided for each effect (where appropriate) for "Use Last Values" or "Use Default Values".
**If neither is checked "on" then using the assigned hot-key will invoke the dialog for the effect enabling the user to set the parameter values to be used.
**If "Use Last Values" is checked, the effect dialog will be by-passed and the effect will be applied immediately to the selected audio using the parameter values that were used the last time the effect was invoked.
**If "Use Default Values" is checked, the effect dialog will be by-passed and the effect will be applied immediately to the selected audio using the default parameter values dor the effect.
**Only one of "Use Last Values" or "Use Default Values" can be selected "on" at a time.  
***Clicking on the currently selected radio button will de-select it.  
***Clicking on the radio button that is not currently slected will select that one and de-select the previously selected one

*Audacity to check that the user is not attempting to define a key which already has a binding, either here or in Preferences>Keyboard - in which case the binding would be denied and a warning/error message raised.

*Default to be no bindings assigned ''(I believe there is no really "typical" user)''.

*The assigned hotkeys will be inoperable if no audio is selected.


===GUI Examples===
[[File:Effects mapping to keys.png]]

Thanks to Ed Musgrove for supplying this mockup.

Ed's comments:

"This is real code but only built-in Effects are considered and only the GUI is implemented at this time. I have some ideas about how to install the shortcuts on the menu. I realize that post-2.0 the Developers have plans to add the Effects plug-ins to the Commands Manager – this should make managing their shortcuts a lot easier.  
My interim solution allows the user to turn any Effect on or off in the menu, select whether the Effect dialog opens showing the default values or the most recently used values and, obviously, allows the association of the keyboard shortcut. It also creates a separate Preferences page – the Keyboard page is already very long."

Please see the [[User talk:PeterSampson/Proposal: Binding Effects to Hot-Keys|Talk]] page for further relevant details of the forum thread discussing this proposed GUI.

==Previous Feature Requests relating to this proposal==
This is one of the "Highest Rated" items in the list of Feature Requests on the Wiki.


'''Bind effects to buttons or keyboard shortcuts:''' including particular parameters thereof e.g. one keystroke to amplify + 3 dB, another keystroke -3 dB, another to compress (34 votes) 
*Effects for which this has been requested: Amplify; Change Speed; Fade In/Out; Generate Tone; Insert Silence; Noise Removal; Repair; DC removal ; Chris' Compressor 


{{Proposal}}