Key Bindings¶

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Key bindings map key presses to commands.

File Format¶

Key bindings are stored in .sublime-keymap files and defined in JSON. All key map filenames need to follow this pattern: Default (<platform>).sublime-keymap. Otherwise, Sublime Text will ignore them.

Platform-Specific Key Maps¶

Each platform gets its own key map:

Default (Windows).sublime-keymap
Default (OSX).sublime-keymap
Default (Linux).sublime-keymap

Separate key maps exist to abide by different vendor-specific HCI guidelines.

Structure of a Key Binding¶

Key maps are arrays of key bindings. Below you’ll find valid elements in key bindings.

keys: An array of case-sensitive keys to be pressed. Modifiers can be specified with the + sign. Chords are built by adding elements to the array, e.g. ["ctrl+k","ctrl+j"]. Ambiguous chords are resolved with a timeout.
command: Name of the command to be executed.
args: Dictionary of arguments to be passed to command. Keys must be the names of parameters to command.
context: Array of contexts to selectively enable the key binding. All contexts must be true for the key binding to trigger. See Structure of a Context below.

Here’s an example illustrating most of the features outlined above:

{ "keys": ["shift+enter"], "command": "insert_snippet", "args": {"contents": "\n\t$0\n"}, "context":
        [
                { "key": "setting.auto_indent", "operator": "equal", "operand": true },
                { "key": "selection_empty", "operator": "equal", "operand": true, "match_all": true },
                { "key": "preceding_text", "operator": "regex_contains", "operand": "\\{$", "match_all": true },
                { "key": "following_text", "operator": "regex_contains", "operand": "^\\}", "match_all": true }
        ]
}

Structure of a Context¶

key: Name of a context operand to query.
operator: Type of test to perform against key.
operand: Value against which the result of key is tested.
match_all: Requires the test to succeed for all selections. Defaults to false.

Context Operands¶

auto_complete_visible: Returns true if the autocomplete list is visible.
has_next_field: Returns true if a next snippet field is available.
has_prev_field: Returns true if a previous snippet field is available.
num_selections: Returns the number of selections.
overlay_visible: Returns true if any overlay is visible.
panel_visible: Returns true if any panel is visible.
following_text: Restricts the test just to the text following the caret.
preceding_text: Restricts the test just to the text preceding the caret.
selection_empty: Returns true if the selection is an empty region.
setting.x: Returns the value of the x setting. x can be any string.
text: Restricts the test just to the selected text.
selector: Returns the current scope.
panel_has_focus: Returns true if the current focus is on a panel.
panel: Returns true if the panel given as operand is visible.

Context Operators¶

equal, not_equal: Test for equality.
regex_match, not_regex_match: Match against a regular expression.
regex_contains, not_regex_contains: Match against a regular expression (containment).

Command Mode¶

Sublime Text provides a command_mode setting to prevent key presses from being sent to the buffer. This is useful when emulating Vim’s modal behavior.

Bindable Keys¶

Keys may be specified literally or by name. Here’s the list of valid names:

up
down
right
left
insert
home
end
pageup
pagedown
backspace
delete
tab
enter
pause
escape
space
keypad0
keypad1
keypad2
keypad3
keypad4
keypad5
keypad6
keypad7
keypad8
keypad9
keypad_period
keypad_divide
keypad_multiply
keypad_minus
keypad_plus
keypad_enter
clear
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f13
f14
f15
f16
f17
f18
f19
f20
sysreq
break
context_menu
browser_back
browser_forward
browser_refresh
browser_stop
browser_search
browser_favorites
browser_home

Modifiers¶

shift
ctrl
alt
super (Windows key, Command key...)

Warning about Bindable Keys¶

If you’re developing a package, keep this in mind:

Ctrl+Alt+<alphanum> should not be used for any Windows key bindings.
Option+<alphanum> should not be used for any OS X key bindings.

In both cases, the user’s ability to insert non-ASCII characters would be compromised.

If you are the end-user, you are free to remap those key combinations.

Keeping Key Maps Organized¶

Sublime Text ships with default key maps under Packages/Default. Other packages may include their own key map files. The recommended storage location for your personal key map is Packages/User.

See Merging and Order of Precedence for information about how Sublime Text sorts files for merging.

International Keyboards¶

Due to the way Sublime Text maps key names to physical keys, there might be a mismatch between the two.

Troubleshooting¶

To enable command logging, see sublime.log_commands(flag). This may help in debugging key maps.