Chromebook keyboard shortcut for selecting text
The keyboard shortcut on a chromebook for selecting the next word or letter is Ctrl+Shift and right or left arrow.
In Workflowy, that same shortcut indents and dedents a bullet.
This is very frustrating because:
1. it's the only app I use on my chromebook that reprograms that built-in shortcut
2. there's no other way to select a word using the keyboard
Can this keyboard shortcut please be changed for chromebooks? I really want to be able to use that keyboard shortcut for selecting text.
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I switch platforms all the time between Linux, ChromeOS, windows, and Mac. I feel y'all on the shortcut woes... I'd recommend trying the vimflowy extension. I use it because I want my muscle memory to be the same everywhere, and Vim key bindings are incredibly useful. If you can handle the learning curve it will be very beneficial.
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Basic Vim primer:
1. Vim is modal. Meaning, depending on what "mode" you're in, keys do different things. Ie. "o" creates a new line in "Normal" mode and types 'o' like a regular keyboard in "Insert" mode.
2. In general this means you're navigating and performing actions like select text, copy, paste, etc. with your hands still on the home row. This reduces wrist injury and increases speed.
3. Not having to use your mouse to edit your files and navigating with just your keyboard (for example, Ctrl+j allows you to jump to any visible node on the screen, super fast) makes you look like a super hacker and impresses everyone with your skillz!
4. Though seriously, worth trying imho. :) -
Sorry @Frank! Missed the mention somehow. :) I'm pretty sure it was built specifically for WorkFlowy. At least the extension only recognizes the WorkFlowy domain for activation. You should really try it out. It's a 1 click install and can be disabled just as easily. I don't know if you've ever used Vim before but if you haven't give it about 1.5 weeks to build that muscle memory. It's a bit like riding a bike lol. Lots of stumbling around in the beginning but you'll fly once you find your balance. :)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimflowy/jhoonlfajlaihdlcocigbpeacapaepng?hl=en
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@Collin, thanks for pointing out the Linux app. That works as expected and seems to remove all of the frustrations I've had with using Workflowy on Chromebook. I tried Vimflowy, which is pretty cool, but there's a learning curve and it still couldn't do some things like exploding tags and using the shortcut CTRL+Shift+Arrows to select words.
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Yes, this has been an issue for me ever since I started using chromebooks back in 2016. I've no idea why it hasn't been fixed. I reported it in the bug system once, I think.
I found a solution by installing a javascript addition (using violentmonkey). You can find it here: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/388097-fix-workflowy-shortcuts-on-chromebook.
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I just got my first Chromebook, and ran right smack into the issue.
Us, power-users use this key combination over and over, all day long. I cannot believe that after two years it has not been resolved.
I was able to ascertain that google docs on the same computer behaves as expected, so this is being caused by workflowy HTML code acting this way on Chromebook. Given how quickly chromium is growing please get it fixed, asap. The Linux version workaround is great, but I tend to run several instances of workflowy at once, and need that functionality on a day-to-day basis.
THANKS
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The greasyfork/greasemonkey script was been working until a few weeks ago. My heart sank when it stopped. I use Workflowy every day, and it has become significantly less usable because of this.
If a simple JS script could fix this issue, then it should be a piece of cake for workflowy devs. The code was simply:
document.addEventListener('keydown', function(event) {
if (event.ctrlKey && event.shiftKey && [37, 39].includes(event.keyCode)) {
event.stopImmediatePropagation();
}
});The script has since been deleted from online - there was a comment saying why it no longer worked (I think it said the stopImmediatePropagation() stopped working.
Please Workflowy, I've been a paid subscriber for years, and this should be an easy fix. Take it seriously and spend half a day to solve it.
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@MichaelHayes thank you for sharing the script.
I am not a Workflowy user; I am just experimenting, but I think I can help.From the script you shared, it is just missing a parameter for the capture phase. It is a straightforward fix.
So, here is my contribution: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/467652-workflowy-ctrl-shift-arrow-fix-on-chromebook
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@Daniel That's awesome, thank you so much. Such a relief. I just wish I'd posted the script when it first broke!
Great to see the community crowdsource thing work though :D
(BTW I've just posted a comment about adding @match https://beta.workflowy.com/* )
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