Keyboard shortcut plugin for the floating toolbox

[arynvi]

I asked this in a comment but maybe it is worth to have a space on its own.

I want to write a plugin to bind the floating toolbox to a keyboard shortcut.

I have looked the documentation for plugins: it says it shouldn't be that difficult but I have not been able to do it :(

What I wrote in my plugin is as follows:

function initUi()
  app.registerUi({["menu"] = "Open floating toolbox", ["callback"] = "toolbox", ["accelerator"] = "<Shift><Alt>t"});
end

local toggleBox = false

function toolbox()
	if toggleBox == false then
		app.uiAction({["action"] = "ACTION_TOOL_FLOATING_TOOLBOX", ["enabled"] = true});
	else
		app.uiAction({["action"] = "ACTION_TOOL_FLOATING_TOOLBOX", ["enabled"] = false});
	end
	toggleBox = not toggleBox
end

But it does not work: first, it opens the toolbox only after I click somewhere, instead of just opening the toolbox; second, I can not choose anything from the toolbox: the only thing I can do is to click another tool to exit the sort of waiting mode it puts itself into.

I guess I wrote some code really dumb, but I can't figure a way out.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[rolandlo]

Your code looks more or less fine, but the floating toolbox action needs to know where to show up, so you do you have to click somewhere after you press your keyboard accelerator for the plugin action. Moreover you have to use a toolbar with tools in the floating toolbox (the default one doesn't contain any), otherwise it won't work.

This reminds me that we should add tools to the floating toolbox for all provided toolbars. In the development version (nightly build) tools can be duplicated throughout the toolbars, so there is no reason to keep the floating toolbox empty.

Another question is how to customize the tools in the floating toolbox via the gui. Seems like currently one has to edit the toolbar.ini manually.

Your toolbox function could be simplified by the way:

function toolbox()
	toggleBox = not toggleBox
        app.uiAction({["action"] = "ACTION_TOOL_FLOATING_TOOLBOX", ["enabled"] = toggleBox});
end

Also I noticed from the code, that enabled property is unused for the floating toolbox action. In the stable version when enabled is false, nothing happens. This is a minor inconsistency. The floating toolbox action switches the current tool to the floating toolbox tool (until you click somewhere and choose a tool from the floating toolbox or from one of the toolbars). You don't need a toggleBox variable. Just use

function toolbox()
        app.uiAction({["action"] = "ACTION_TOOL_FLOATING_TOOLBOX"});
end

[arynvi]

@rolandlo

You are right: the function can be reduced to a single one line instruction and it behaves the same as the original.

As for the other points you make:

• my floating toolbox is populated with tools: I already use it having bound it to the button on my pen. The point is I want to set the button free because I prefer to use it for the eraser, yet I still want to use the floating toolbox somehow and the only other option is via a mouse button, which I find quite uncomfortable.
• As for the necessity of clicking somewhere, it is not so if the toolbox is bound to the pen button: the toolbox shows up by just pressing the button, without the need to click/touch anywhere in the screen, so I do not understand why for a keyboard shortcut it should be any different: I just want the toolbox to show up where the pointer is in that precise moment when I press the keyboard shortcut.
• Finally, in any case it doesn't work: when the floating toolbox shows up after having clicked somewhere, most of the tools in it are greyed out and you can not select them. I include two images that give a hint about that: as you can see, in the "keyboard" image (the first one) the only tools you can select are the two selection tools in the upper right corner and the insert image tool in the lower left corner. If I click anywhere else it doesn't happen anything: the box just disappears and if I click somewhere it shows up again. On the other side, if I use the mouse button (second image) I can select every tool and everything works just fine.

[arynvi]

@tattsan I tried the workaround you suggest: it works, in the sense that I do not need to click any longer.
Still, I am not able to select any tool, as described in the other reply.

[tattsan]

You may need to unlock Alt modifier in your accelerator <Shift><Alt>t like:

xdotool keyup Alt_R Alt_L

before you activate the floating box (my 'xdotool key ctrl+shift+p') .

[arynvi]

@tattsan This doesn't change anything.

But thanks to your workaround, I have been able to get it: having bound the floating toolbox to the right click of the mouse, the function

function toolbox()
	os.execute("/usr/bin/xdotool click 3 sleep 0.01 key alt+shift+t");
end

does the trick for me! :)

So now, at least, I have it functioning.
It is not the way it should work, but for the moment I can live with that.

[tattsan]

It is not the way it should work,

I agree.

[arynvi]

When I use the keyboard shortcut:

When I use the mouse button:

[bhennion]

Another question is how to customize the tools in the floating toolbox via the gui. Seems like currently one has to edit the toolbar.ini manually.

If the floating toolbox is activated in the settings, then it shows up in the toolbar customization mode. To activate it in the settings, see Settings -> Drawing Area -> Action on tool tap.