#189 Allow Command key instead of Control key on Macs

[Sean W Franklin]

I still find myself trying to Command-whatever (Command-G for straight track, Command-Slash for pan, Command-Shift-M for move; but especially Command-C copy. Command-V paste, Command-P Print which are fairly universal among apps).
* It's pretty heavily ingrained into "Muscle memory" for Mac users
* If you're using a laptop, there is only ONE "Control" key on the far left. There are two Command keys, on either side of the spacebar. This greatly simplifies a one-handed Command-Slash, for example, which is a de facto two-handed operation with Control due to the distance between the keys.
I suppose it would make sense to make it configurable; if someone is very used to the Control key (and particularly, if they're using a desktop or external keyboard so they have two Control keys) there's no need to "Force" the change on them. But I would personally like it.

[Chris Klomp]

I support this request for configurable keys.
In train running mode I don't see the need for shift click iso click to throw a switch.
Also it would be preferable to have keyboard speed control over mouse control.

Thank you for your consideration.

[Adam Richards]

The keyboard support on Mac/UNIX versions is especially complex as it relies on the mapping coming from X11/XQuartz and before that the OS (either Unix or Mac).

What is thought of as standard for Macs is not standard for Linux - which is what X11 is emulating. X11 maps the OS provided keys to a set of independent UNIX keys with names like "Alt", "Meta" and "Super" which means that the program does not have any direct knowledge of what the keys actually pressed are or what keys the keyboard has.

Added to this, there are XQuartz input options XQuartz->Settings->Input that are overrides mostly designed for folks using X11 to ssh into a remote Unix/Linux/Windows box. And then the key combinations that OSX has designated for other uses - often to support window/screen selection

In short, it is often a miracle that the key combinations that we already have do work for most folks as they have to run the gamut of these other systems.

There is a provision inside XQuartz to run commands to remap keys on a per user basis. A file called .Xmodmap allows keycodes to be mapped to achieve some level of conversion of keystrokes into other keystrokes. For example, a control key can be remapped to emulate a Command key and vice versa. The associated command xmodmap can be run in a XQuartz->Applications->Terminal to set the keymap. Google can help find some suggestions for how to use these things - but please notice that this will mean the documentation and the help will not be as useful.

The more general question of short-cut remapping inside XTrackCAD is one that should allow things like the mapping of function keys to favored commands. There is a table that is used to map the shortcuts which today is static. One could envisage a menu that allows keycombos to be entered for each command into the table - this would be equally applicable to Windows and allow a means to dynamically show the current key combos as well.