Keyboard shortcuts not working in overrides.json

[GergelyKalmar]

Description

Keyboard shortcuts do not work when defined in overrides.json (as described here: https://jupyterlab.readthedocs.io/en/stable/user/directories.html#overrides-json).

Reproduce

Create a file called overrides.json and add it to the correct place (shown under "Application directory" in jupyter lab path):

{
  "@jupyterlab/apputils-extension:themes": {
    "theme": "JupyterLab Dark",
  },
  "@jupyterlab/shortcuts-extension:shortcuts": {
    "shortcuts": [
      {
        "command": "launcher:create",
        "selector": "body",
        "keys": ["Alt L"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Start a new JupyterLab session with jupyter lab and notice that it launches with the dark theme, however, the Alt + L shortcut does not work.

Now copy the contents under @jupyterlab/shortcuts-extension:shortcuts into a user settings file (typically at ~/.jupyter/lab/user-settings/@jupyterlab/shortcuts-extension/shortcuts.jupyterlab-settings), restart the session, and notice how the keyboard shortcut now works.

Expected behavior

I would expect that keyboard shortcuts defined in overrides.json work.

Context

• Operating System and version: Ubuntu 20.04
• Browser and version: Chrome Version 121.0.6167.85 (Official Build) (64-bit)
• JupyterLab version: 4.0.12

Note that the keyboard shortcuts are probably processed in overrides.json, because occasionally I can see warnings in the console about clashing options. This feature was supposedly added in this PR: #9858

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[krassowski]

Thanks for the report. I believe this is a duplicate of #15713 which just got fixed by #15716 and is available in 4.1.0rc1 and will be available in 4.0.13

[GergelyKalmar]

Ah cool! I missed that issue during my search because it's already closed 🙃. Any chance to release it as a small patch sometime soon? It's blocking my latest release on MindLab.

[krassowski]

Any chance to release it as a small patch sometime soon?

Most likely some time next week once we get enough PRs to warrant a new patch release.

[GergelyKalmar]

Works fine in 4.1, thank you very much! 🎉

[GergelyKalmar]

I might have been too eager, seems like the following override doesn't work:

      {
        "command": "notebook:copy-cell",
        "keys": ["C"],
        "selector": ".jp-Notebook.jp-mod-commandMode :focus:not(:read-write)",
        "disabled": true
      },
      {
        "command": "notebook:change-cell-to-code",
        "selector": ".jp-Notebook.jp-mod-commandMode :focus:not(:read-write)",
        "keys": ["Y"],
        "disabled": true
      },
      {
        "command": "notebook:change-cell-to-code",
        "keys": ["C"],
        "selector": ".jp-Notebook.jp-mod-commandMode :focus:not(:read-write)"
      },

Any ideas? Everything else seems to work fine. Changing the key to something else (like "O") also works, but "C" does not. There seems to be no clashing or anything.

[GergelyKalmar]

Changing the setting in the settings editor works fine, and it produces the exact same entry in user-settings.

[krassowski]

When you edit something with UI settings it will set custom values for all entries (which is not how it should work, but it is how it works today) hence the overrides.json are no longer in effect. overrides.json only sets the defaults, not the current value. When you clean it in JSON editor to {} do the overrides work?

[GergelyKalmar]

Yes, I understand that I think. All of the overrides do work, except for this specific keyboard shortcut. What I meant is that if I add this configuration to the user-settings, it works, however, if I add it to the overrides.json (without having any user-settings), it doesn't.

[Michael-ljn]

Thanks for raising this issue. I face a similar one, and it is a bit frustrating if you have an international keyboard. I work with both, Australian and French keyboards. No problem with the Australian one but somehow when working with my French keyboard, "command + Z" translates to "option+W" (alt+W) which is the closing tab command. If we look at the keyboard layouts are below, and you can see that a Z input in French keyboard gives a W input in the English layout.

QWERTY (English)
AZERTY (french)

I never use that shortcut, so tried to disable, but I cannot override it or even change the input because the default one persists.

Besides this, all inputs of the French keyboard are properly read by JupyterLab, even when I try to assign a new shortcut I can see that Z is Z and W is W.

I have upgraded to Jupyterlab 4.1.6, the issue is still active.

[krassowski]

I never use that shortcut, so tried to disable, but I cannot override it or even change the input because the default one persists.

Did you add the default one with disabled: true?

Of note in JupyterLab 4.2.0 (currently in beta) you can disable default shortcuts from the Keyboard Shortcuts editor, see #16043:

[Michael-ljn]

I did pass the following in the user preference, but there is no change, the issue persists.

"shortcuts": [
        {
            "args": {},
            "command": "application:close",
            "keys": [
                "Alt W"
            ],
            "selector": ".jp-Activity",
            "disabled": true
        }
    ]

In the beta version, if it is disabled from the editor, would that effectively work? Because it seems that the delete button is registering what I am doing manually.

[krassowski]

It should work. Are you pasting the snippet above in overrides.json or in settings editor? Importantly, are you using JupyterLab or JupyterLab Desktop?

[Michael-ljn]

I will give it a try. Yes, I am pasting the snippet above in the overrides.json I also tried in the settings editor. I am using JupyterLab, but I also tried on the desktop version, same issue.

[Michael-ljn]

I can confirm that the issue is no longer present in 4.2.0b. I didn't need to modify the shortcut, the French input keys are now properly working for the shortcuts. Many thanks!!

[kolibril13]

just tried pip install -U --pre jupyterlab on a Mac, and overwriting shortcuts via the GUI is not working:

Screen.Recording.2024-04-18.at.13.02.31.mov

[krassowski]

@kolibril13 can you open a new issue for this one?

[kolibril13]

Sure, here we go #16186