OSX key bindings

DefaultKeyBinding.dict

{
    /* ~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict

        See https://gist.github.com/zsimic/1367779, prefix cheatsheet:
        Char Short Key
        $    S-    Shift ⇧
        ^    C-    CTRL ⌃
        ~    O-    Option ⌥ (⊞ Win key position on PC)
        @    M-    Command ⌘ (Alt position on PC)
        #          Numeric Keypad
    */

    /*---- Navigation ----*/

    /* Up/down is mostly for a nicer laptop navigation (no Home, PgUp etc keys) */
    "~\Uf700"   = "pageUp:";                                        /* O-up         Page up */
    "~$\Uf700"  = "pageUpAndModifySelection:";                      /* O-S-up       Select + page up */
    "@\Uf700"   = "moveToBeginningOfDocument:";                     /* M-up         Beginning of document */
    "@$\Uf700"  = "moveToBeginningOfDocumentAndModifySelection:";   /* M-S-up       Select to beginning of document */

    "~\Uf701"   = "pageDown:";                                      /* O-down       Page down */
    "~$\Uf701"  = "pageDownpAndModifySelection:";                   /* O-S-down     Select + page down */
    "@\Uf701"   = "moveToEndOfDocument:";                           /* M-down       End of document */
    "@$\Uf701"  = "moveToEndOfDocumentAndModifySelection:";         /* M-S-down     Select to end of document */

    /* Windows defaults are more convenient */
    "^\Uf702"   = "moveWordBackward:";                              /* C-left       Move word left */
    "^$\Uf702"  = "moveWordBackwardAndModifySelection:";            /* C-S-left     Select word left */

    "^\Uf703"   = "moveWordForward:";                               /* C-right      Move word right */
    "^$\Uf703"  = "moveWordForwardAndModifySelection:";             /* C-S-right    Select word right */

    "\Uf729"    = "moveToBeginningOfLine:";                         /* home         Beginning of line */
    "$\Uf729"   = "moveToBeginningOfLineAndModifySelection:";       /* S-home       Select to beginning of line */
    "^\Uf729"   = "moveToBeginningOfDocument:";                     /* C-home       Beginning of document */
    "^$\Uf729"  = "moveToBeginningOfDocumentAndModifySelection:";   /* C-S-home     Select to beginning of document */

    "\Uf72b"    = "moveToEndOfLine:";                               /* end          End of line */
    "$\Uf72b"   = "moveToEndOfLineAndModifySelection:";             /* S-end        Select to end of line */
    "^\Uf72b"   = "moveToEndOfDocument:";                           /* C-end        End of document */
    "^$\Uf72b"  = "moveToEndOfDocumentAndModifySelection:";         /* C-S-end      Select to end of document */

    "\Uf72c"    = "pageUp:";                                        /* PageUp       Page up */
    "$\Uf72c"   = "pageUpAndModifySelection:";                      /* S-PageUp     Select + page up */
    "@\Uf72c"   = "scrollPageUp:";                                  /* M-PageUp     Scroll page up */

    "\Uf72d"    = "pageDown:";                                      /* PageDn       Page down */
    "$\Uf72d"   = "pageDownAndModifySelection:";                    /* S-PageDn     Select + page down */
    "@\Uf72d"   = "scrollPageDown:";                                /* M-PageDn     Scroll page down */

    /*---- Editing ----*/

    "^\U007f"   = "deleteWordBackward:";                            /* C-Del        Delete word backward */
    "^\Uf728"   = "deleteWordForward:";                             /* C-FwdDel     Delete word forward */

    "$\U000a"   = "insertLineBreak:";                               /* S-Ret        Line break */

}

Example DefaultKeyBinding.dict

{
  "~w" = selectWord:;
  "~j" = (selectWord:, cut:);
  "~g" = (selectWord:, copy:);
  "~h" = (selectWord:, paste:);

  "~l" = selectParagraph:;
  "~z" = (selectParagraph:, deleteBackward:);
  "~x" = (selectParagraph:, cut:);
  "~c" = (selectParagraph:, copy:);

  "~s" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:);
  "~y" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, deleteBackward:);
  "~q" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, cut:);
  "~m" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, copy:);

  "~a" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, copy:);
  "~r" = (moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, copy:);
  "~t" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, cut:);
  "~k" = (moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, cut:);

  "~v" = (delete:, setMark:, paste:, selectToMark:);

  "~d" = (setMark:, moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, delete:, yank:, insertNewlineIgnoringFieldEditor:, yank:, swapWithMark:);

  "~-" = lowercaseWord:;
  "~=" = uppercaseWord:;
  "~." = capitalizeWord:;

  "@\r" = (moveToEndOfParagraph:, insertNewlineIgnoringFieldEditor:, deleteToBeginningOfParagraph:);
  "$\r" = (moveToBeginningOfParagraph:, insertNewlineIgnoringFieldEditor:, moveBackward:);

  "~\Uf700" = (moveUp:, moveUp:, moveUp:, moveUp:, moveUp:, moveUp:, moveUp, moveUp);
  "~\Uf701" = (moveDown:, moveDown:, moveDown:, moveDown:, moveDown:, moveDown:, moveDown, moveDown);
  "~$\Uf700" = (moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection:, moveUpAndModifySelection, moveUpAndModifySelection);
  "~$\Uf701" = (moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection:, moveDownAndModifySelection, moveDownAndModifySelection);

  "^~\Uf700" = (selectParagraph:, setMark:, deleteToMark:, moveBackward:, moveToBeginningOfParagraph:, setMark:, yank:, moveBackward:, selectToMark:);
  "^~\Uf701" = (selectParagraph:, setMark:, deleteToMark:, moveToEndOfParagraph:, moveForward:, setMark:, yank:, moveBackward:, selectToMark:);

  "@\Uf728" = deleteToEndOfParagraph:;

  "^," = moveToBeginningOfDocument:;
  "^." = moveToEndOfDocument:;
  "^$," = moveToBeginningOfDocumentAndModifySelection:;
  "^$." = moveToEndOfDocumentAndModifySelection:;
  "^~," = (moveToBeginningOfDocumentAndModifySelection:, deleteBackward);
  "^~." = (moveToEndOfDocumentAndModifySelection:, deleteBackward);
  "^d" = deleteToBeginningOfParagraph:;
}

Notes

Key combinations that enter dead key states cannot be reassigned.
They include option-E, option-I, option-N, option-U, and option-` in the U.S. keyboard layout.

setMark:, selectToMark: removes anchoring so that the methods that modify a selection expand the selection.

delete: (bound to the clear key) doesn't delete anything if there is no selection.
deleteBackward: (bound to the delete key) doesn't add deleted selections to the kill ring.
deleteBackward: doesn't add single character selections to the kill ring but setMark:, deleteToMark: does.

scrollPageDown: (bound to page down) doesn't move the caret but pageDown: (bound to option-page down) does.
I haven't changed the page down key to pageDown: because pageDown: doesn't do anything in Safari or other web views.

moveToBeginningOfParagraphAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection: or
selectParagraph:, moveForwardAndModifySelection:, moveBackwardAndModifySelection:, moveBackwardAndModifySelection:, moveToEndOfParagraphAndModifySelection:
select a line without a newline.

delete:, setMark:, paste:, selectToMark: pastes text and selects the pasted text.
If you remove the delete: method, the original selection is kept when the original selection is longer than the pasted text.

defaults write -g NSTextKillRingSize -int 100 makes yankPop: cycle through previously killed pieces of text.

Methods

• http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/selectors.html
• NSResponder
• NSApplication
• NSDocument
• NSTextView
• NSWindow

Emacs keybindings

{
  "^ " = setMark:;
  "^/" = undo:;
  "^u" = deleteToBeginningOfParagraph:;
  "^w" = deleteToMark:;
  "^x" = {
    "^x" = swapWithMark:;
    "^m" = selectToMark:;
  };
  "^V" = pageDownAndModifySelection:;
  "~@" = selectWord:;
  "~b" = moveWordBackward:;
  "~c" = (capitalizeWord:, moveForward:, moveForward:);
  "~d" = deleteWordForward:;
  "~f" = moveWordForward:;
  "~l" = (lowercaseWord:, moveForward:, moveForward:);
  "~u" = (uppercaseWord:, moveForward:, moveForward:);
  "~v" = pageUp:;
  "~w" = (deleteToMark:, setMark:, yank:, swapWithMark:);
  "~B" = moveWordBackwardAndModifySelection:;
  "~F" = moveWordForwardAndModifySelection:;
  "~V" = pageUpAndModifySelection:;
}

This page includes a few more keybindings, but for example transposeWords: doesn't work in most applications, openDocument: and saveDocument: don't work in applications that use auto-save, and performClose: doesn't work everywhere either.

More links

• http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jrus/site/cocoa-text.html

• Apple TextDefaultsBindings

• https://github.com/ttscoff/KeyBindings/blob/master/DefaultKeyBinding.dict

• Salvaged from gnustep/apps/gorm/tags/Gorm-0_1_0/ClassInformation.plist:

{
  IBInspector = {
    Actions = (
      "ok:",
      "revert:",
      "touch:"
    );
    Outlets = (
      window
    );
    Super = NSObject;
  };
  NSApplication = {
    Super = NSResponder;
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
    Actions = (
        "arrangeInFront:",
        "hide:",
        "hideOtherApplications:",
        "miniaturizeAll:",
        "orderFrontColorPanel:",
        "orderFrontDataLinkPanel:",
        "orderFrontHelpPanel:",
        "orderFrontStandardAboutPanel:",
        "orderFrontStandardInfoPanel:",
        "runPageLayout:",
        "stop:",
        "terminate:",
        "unhide:",
        "unhideAllApplications:"
    );
  };
  NSButton = {
    Super = NSControl;
  };
  NSBrowser =
  {
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
    Super = NScontrol;
    Actions = (
        "doClick:",
        "doDoubleClick:"
    );
  };
  NSColorWell = {
    Super = NSControl;
    Actions = (
        "takeColorFrom:"
    );
  };
  NSControl = {
    Actions = (
      "takeDoubleValueFrom:",
      "takeFloatValueFrom:",
      "takeIntValueFrom:",
      "takeObjectValueFrom:",
      "takeStringValueFrom:"
    );
    Outlets = (
      target
    );
    Super = NSView;
  };
  NSDocumentController =
  {
    Super = NSObject;
    Actions = (
      "saveAllDocuments:",
      "openDocument:",
      "newDocument:",
      "clearRecentDocuments:"
    );
  };
  NSDocument =
  {
    Super = NSObject;
    Actions = (
        "runPageLayout:",
        "printDocument:",
        "saveDocument:",
        "saveDocumentAs:",
        "saveDocumentTo:",
        "revertDocumentToSaved:"
    );
  };
  NSDrawer =
  {
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "close:",
        "open:",
        "toggle:"
    );
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
  };
  NSFontManager =
  {
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "addFontTrait:",
        "removeFontTrait:",
        "modifyFont:",
        "modifyFontViaPanel:",
        "orderFrontFontPanel:"
    );
  };

  NSHelpManager =
  {
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "showHelp:",
        "activateContextHelpMode:"
    );
  };


  NSMenu = {
    Super = NSObject;
  };
  NSMenuItem = {
    Outlets = (
      target
    );
    Super = NSObject;
  };
  NSPanel = {
    Super = NSWindow;
  };
  NSProgressIndicator = {
    Super = NSObject;
    Actions = (
        "animate:",
        "startAnimation:",
        "stopAnimation:"
    );
  };

  NSSlider = {
    Super = NSControl;
  };

  NSTextField = {
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
    Super = NSControl;
  };

  NSResponder = {
    Super = NSObject;
    Actions = (
        "selectAll:",
        "deselectAll:",
        "selectText:"
    );
  };

  NSTabView = {
    Super = NSView;
    Actions = (
        "selectFirstTabViewItem:",
        "selectLastTabViewItem:",
        "selectNextTabViewItem:",
        "selectPreviousTabViewItem:",
        "takeSelectedTabViewItemFromSender:"
    );
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
  };

  NSText = {
    Super = NSView;
    Actions = (
        "toggleRuler:",
        "copy:",
        "copyFont:",
        "copyRuler:",
        "cut:",
        "delete:",
        "paste:",
        "pasteFont:",
        "pasteRuler:",
        "selectAll:",
        "changeFont:",
        "alignCenter:",
        "alignLeft:",
        "alignRight:",
        "subscript:",
        "superscript:",
        "underline:",
        "unscript:",
        "checkSpelling:",
        "showGuessPanel:",
        "changeSpelling:",
        "ignoreSpelling:"
    );
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
  };

  NSTextView = {
    Super = NSText;
    Actions = (
        "changeColor:",
        "alignJustified:",
        "pasteAsPlainText:",
        "pasteAsRichText:",
        "turnOffKerning:",
        "tightenKerning:",
        "loosenKerning:",
        "useStandardKerning:",
        "turnOffLigatures:",
        "useStandardLigatures:",
        "useAllLigatures:",
        "raiseBaseline:",
        "lowerBaseline:",
        "toggleTraditionalCharacterShape:",
        "toggleContinuousSpellChecking:"
    );
  };

  NSView = {
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "fax:",
        "print:"
    );
  };

  NSWindow = {
    Outlets = (
      delegate
    );
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "performZoom:",
        "zoom:",
        "orderBack:",
        "orderFront:",
        "orderOut:",
        "makeKeyAndOrderFront:",
        "selectNextKeyView:",
        "selectPreviousKeyView:",
        "performClose:",
        "deminiaturize:",
        "miniaturize:",
        "performMiniaturize:",
        "fax:",
        "print:",
        "toggleToolbarShown:",
        "runToolbarCustomizationPalette:"
    );
  };
  NSWindowController = {
    Outlets = (
      document
    );
    Super = NSResponder;
    Actions = (
        "showWindow:"
    );
  };

  FirstResponder = {
    Actions = (
      "activateContextHelpMode:",
      "alignCenter:",
      "alignJustified:",
      "alignLeft:",
      "alignRight:",
      "arrangeInFront:",
      "cancel:",
      "capitalizeWord:",
      "changeColor:",
      "changeFont:",
      "checkSpelling:",
      "close:",
      "complete:",
      "copy:",
      "copyFont:",
      "copyRuler:",
      "cut:",
      "delete:",
      "deleteBackward:",
      "deleteForward:",
      "deleteToBeginningOfLine:",
      "deleteToBeginningOfParagraph:",
      "deleteToEndOfLine:",
      "deleteToEndOfParagraph:",
      "deleteToMark:",
      "deleteWordBackward:",
      "deleteWordForward:",
      "deminiaturize:",
      "deselectAll:",
      "fax:",
      "hide:",
      "hideOtherApplications:",
      "indent:",
      "loosenKerning:",
      "lowerBaseline:",
      "lowercaseWord:",
      "makeKeyAndOrderFront:",
      "miniaturize:",
      "miniaturizeAll:",
      "moveBackward:",
      "moveBackwardAndModifySelection:",
      "moveDown:",
      "moveDownAndModifySelection:",
      "moveForward:",
      "moveForwardAndModifySelection:",
      "moveLeft:",
      "moveRight:",
      "moveToBeginningOfDocument:",
      "moveToBeginningOfLine:",
      "moveToBeginningOfParagraph:",
      "moveToEndOfDocument:",
      "moveToEndOfLine:",
      "moveToEndOfParagraph:",
      "moveUp:",
      "moveUpAndModifySelection:",
      "moveWordBackward:",
      "moveWordBackwardAndModifySelection:",
      "moveWordForward:",
      "moveWordForwardAndModifySelection:",
      "ok:",
      "open:",
      "orderBack:",
      "orderFront:",
      "orderFrontColorPanel:",
      "orderFrontDataLinkPanel:",
      "orderFrontHelpPanel:",
      "orderFrontStandardAboutPanel:",
      "orderFrontStandardInfoPanel:",
      "orderOut:",
      "pageDown:",
      "pageUp:",
      "paste:",
      "pasteAsPlainText:",
      "pasteAsRichText:",
      "pasteFont:",
      "pasteRuler:",
      "performClose:",
      "performMiniaturize:",
      "performZoom:",
      "print:",
      "raiseBaseline:",
      "runPageLayout:",
      "runToolbarCustomizationPalette:",
      "scrollLineDown:",
      "scrollLineUp:",
      "scrollPageDown:",
      "scrollPageUp:",
      "scrollViaScroller:",
      "selectAll:",
      "selectLine:",
      "selectNextKeyView:",
      "selectParagraph:",
      "selectPreviousKeyView:",
      "selectText:",
      "selectText:",
      "selectToMark:",
      "selectWord:",
      "showContextHelp:",
      "showGuessPanel:",
      "showHelp:",
      "showWindow:",
      "stop:",
      "subscript:",
      "superscript:",
      "swapWithMark:",
      "takeDoubleValueFrom:",
      "takeFloatValueFrom:",
      "takeIntValueFrom:",
      "takeObjectValueFrom:",
      "takeStringValueFrom:",
      "terminate:",
      "tightenKerning:",
      "toggle:",
      "toggleContinuousSpellChecking:",
      "toggleRuler:",
      "toggleToolbarShown:",
      "toggleTraditionalCharacterShape:",
      "transpose:",
      "transposeWords:",
      "turnOffKerning:",
      "turnOffLigatures:",
      "underline:",
      "unhide:",
      "unhideAllApplications:",
      "unscript:",
      "uppercaseWord:",
      "useAllLigatures:",
      "useStandardKerning:",
      "useStandardLigatures:",
      "yank:",
      "zoom:",
    );
    Super = NSObject;
  };
}

You've assembled an amazing resource... Thank you!

This is really helpful. Thank you!

Great resource! Thank you!

Just a note if anyone's faced the same issue. For the following to work I had to disable or change the Mission Control shortcuts for moving spaces left and right.

    /* Windows defaults are more convenient */
    "^\Uf702"   = "moveWordBackward:";                              /* C-left       Move word left */
    "^$\Uf702"  = "moveWordBackwardAndModifySelection:";            /* C-S-left     Select word left */

    "^\Uf703"   = "moveWordForward:";                               /* C-right      Move word right */
    "^$\Uf703"  = "moveWordForwardAndModifySelection:";             /* C-S-right    Select word right */

Thank you for this, truly helpful. Question, is there a shortcut string that would specifically point to the right option key? Can left and right be differentiated in the key bindings?