This is an experimental ergoemacs feature to banish key chord and replace ergoemacs keys. The background is given in the following pages

Changing Ctrl+x and Ctrl+c

For emacs, the most common key sequences start with C-x or C-c. This usually requires the use of the control key, and leads to the dreaded emacs pinky. It also conflicts with the standard Cut and Copy commands (see standard shortcuts).

I've thought about how to take out the use of the control key and reduce the key chord reduction. This is how I came up with the Ctrl+c and Ctrl+x replacements:

  • Ctrl-x commands can be accessed by QWERTY Menu d
    • This is not the same as the traditional Ctrl+x. Heres how its different:
      • By default all Ctrl commands are translated to Alt commands.
        • Ctrl+x Ctrl+b could be accessed by Menu d Alt+b (list-buffers)
        • C-x b could be accessed by Menu d b (switch-to-buffer)
      • Pressing Menu will change the type of key translation used. The default for Ctrl+x is translate/swap the Alt and Ctl keys. Pressing Menu again will:
        • Make the keyboard translation for C-x "unchorded"
        • The pressing Menu would remove the keyboard translation for Ctrl+x.
        • Finally pressing Menu again would result the translation/swap of Ctrl and Alt (as at the beginning).

For your information, an "unchorded" filter/translation would translate:

  • Ctrl key combinations to standard keys. For example Ctrl+b would be just b.
  • Standard keys like b would be translated to Alt+b.
  • Alt key combinations would be translated to Ctrl key combinations. Therefore Alt+b would be translated to Ctrl+b.
  • C-c commands can be accessed by QWERTY Menu f
    • This is not the same as the traditional Ctrl+c. Heres how its different:
      • By default the "unchorded" filter is on. This is because by convention, major modes bind control keys like Ctrl+c Ctrl+r and leave keys like Ctrl+c r to be bound by the user. This means that you would put less strain on your hand to have these key combinations to be unchorded by default.
      • Ctrl commands are translated to Alt commands.
    • Like C-x, pressing Menu changes the filter
      • First Menu press changes the unchorded filter to the ctl <-> alt filter
      • Second Menu press removes the filter
      • Press Menu again to go back to the unchorded keyboard filter.*