How To Override Sublime Text Packages Shortcuts and Preferences

I recently began using a Sublime Text 3 package that automatically generates inline YARD documentation for my Ruby code (Yardgen). The only problem with this package is that the key bindings it provides are overriding other Sublime Text shortcuts that I want to keep.

Since this plugin is packed in a zip file, it is not possible to simply edit one of its keymap files (see Package Control - Customizing Packages). At the same time, unpacking the original zipped file and creating a new zip file would not work.

Following are the steps that you need in order to solve this problem and, more generally, to override Sublime Text 3 packed packages preferences.

NOTE: If your package is overriding some default binding you wanted to keep, but you do not know the command it was binded to, please refer to my previous post.

The steps!

Install your package (Yardgen, in my case) using the Package Manager or any other method you prefer.

Your zipped package file should be now placed within the folder ~/.config/sublime-text-3/Installed Packages/<your-package>.sublime-package.

Check the content of the package by unzipping it (just make sure to keep the original zipped file).

In my case I want to edit one of the default Yardgen keybindings. Key bindings for Linux are usually stored in the Default (Linux).sublime-keymap file within the Yardgen package archive. This is the file content:

[
  { "keys": ["ctrl+enter"], "command": "yard_gen"},
]

We now have to create a folder named Yardgen inside ~/.config/sublime-text-3/Packages. We can then place inside it our new key bindings file that will override the default package behaviour:

cd ~/.config/sublime-text-3/Packages
mkdir Yardgen
gedit "Default (Linux).sublime-keymap"

Now copy the following json content in Default (Linux).sublime-keymap:

[
  { "keys": ["ctrl+alt+shift+enter"], "command": "yard_gen"},
]

As you can see, we just associated the yard_gen command to a different key sequence. You can obviously choose the one that best suits your needs.

At the moment, the yard_gen command is binded to two different key sequences: the default one, still present in the original package, and the new one we just defined. In my case, I’m not ok with this. Yardgen key bindings have in fact overridden the default CTRL + Enter behaviour, and I want to have it back.

If you too want to restore the default binding, you just need to figure out which command it was originally associated with and then explicitly add its binding to the Key Bindings preference file. For more details, please refer to my other post: How To Find out Sublime Text Key Binding Commands.

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References

• Yardgen
• Package Control - Customizing Packages
• How To Find out Sublime Text Key Binding Commands

How To Find out Sublime Text Key Binding Commands

I just happened to download an awesome package for Sublime Text. Unluckily, this package uses a keyboard shortcut that overwrites a default binding I really need (the CTRL + Enter command that adds a line below the current line). I therefore want to restore the normal ST behaviour and, in order to do that, I need to figure out which command was originally called when using that shortcut.

If a new package is overwriting some default binding you want to keep, but you do not know the command it was binded to, please keep reading.

NOTE: In order to make these steps work, you need to temporarily uninstall the package that is currently overwriting your key binding.

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The Steps

Open Sublime Text console. To do so, you can either click on View > Show Console or use the CTRL + ` shortcut.

We can now activate the console log to show every command we run. Give the following command in the Sublime Text console:

sublime.log_commands(True)

Now press (in the appropriate context) the key sequence that you want to analyze. For example, if you want to find out the command associated with CTRL + Enter, press that sequence of keys while editing a file. In this case you will see something like the following appear in your console:

command: run_macro_file {"file": "res://Packages/Default/Add Line.sublime-macro"}

That is the command we are looking for. We can now deactivate the command logging feature before we proceed:

sublime.log_commands(False)

If you need to overwrite some package key bindings and restore the old ones, you can simply bind your old key sequence to that command. In the CTRL + Enter case, add this entry to your Default (Linux).sublime-keymap json file (Preferences > Key Bindings):

{ "keys": ["ctrl+enter"],
  "command": "run_macro_file",
  "args": {
    "file": "res://Packages/Default/Add Line.sublime-macro"
  }
}

If you also want to keep your new package shortcuts, binding them to a different key binding, please refer to How To Override Sublime Text Packages Shortcuts and Preferences.

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References

• Sublime Text API Reference
• How To Override Sublime Text Packages Shortcuts and Preferences

How To Make Terminator Behave Like Guake (Ubuntu)

Terminator is a tool to arrange multiple terminals in a single window, structured on a customizable grid.

When I started using Terminator on Ubuntu, I missed two key features that I had with Guake: an hide/show shortcut, and the possibility to hide its icon from the alt-tab list of running applications.

Hide/Show Terminator like Guake

This solution has been proposed on StackOverflow (see references). I will just copy the code with its attributions and some minor changes.

• Install xdotool and wmctrl:

  sudo apt-get install xdotool wmctrl

• Create a file /usr/bin/launch_focus_min.sh.

• Add the following content to the file:

  #!/bin/bash
  #
  # This script does this:
  # launch an app if it isn't launched yet,
  # focus the app if it is launched but not focused,
  # minimize the app if it is focused.
  #
  # by desgua - 2012/04/29
  # modified by olds22 - 2012/09/16
  #  - customized to accept a parameter
  #  - made special exception to get it working with terminator
  
  # First let's check if the needed tools are installed:
  tool1=$(which xdotool)
  tool2=$(which wmctrl)
  
  if [ -z $tool1 ]; then
    echo "Xdotool is needed, do you want to install it now? [Y/n]"
    read a
    if [[ $a == "Y" || $a == "y" || $a = "" ]]; then
      sudo apt-get install xdotool
    else
      echo "Exiting then..."
      exit 1
    fi
  fi
  
  if [ -z $tool2 ]; then
    echo "Wmctrl is needed, do you want to install it now? [Y/n]"
    read a
    if [[ $a == "Y" || $a == "y" || $a = "" ]]; then
      sudo apt-get install wmctrl
    else
      echo "Exiting then..."
      exit 1
    fi
  fi
  
  
  # check if we're trying to use an app that needs a special process name
  # (because it runs multiple processes and/or under a different name)
  app=$1
  if [[ $app == terminator ]]; then
    process_name=usr/bin/terminator
  else
    process_name=$app
  fi
  
  # Check if the app is running (in this case $process_name)
  
  #pid=$(pidof $process_name) # pidof didn't work for terminator
  pid=$(pgrep -f $process_name)
  
  # If it isn't launched, then launch
  
  if [ -z $pid ]; then
    $app
  
  else
  
    # If it is launched then check if it is focused
  
    foc=$(xdotool getactivewindow getwindowpid)
  
    if [[ $pid == $foc ]]; then
  
      # if it is focused, then minimize
      xdotool getactivewindow windowminimize
    else
      # if it isn't focused then get focus
      wmctrl -x -R $app
    fi
  fi
  
  exit 0
  

• Make the script executable:

  sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/launch_focus_min.sh

• Assign the script to a keyboard shortcut. You can do it on Ubuntu using the Keyboard settings:

  Keyboard > Shortcuts > Customized Shortcuts

  From there, you can now add the following custom command:

  /usr/bin/launch_focus_min.sh terminator

  Note that the **launch_focus_min.sh** script can be also used with applications other than **terminator**.

Hide Terminator icon from Alt-Tab menu

• Download CompizConfig Settings Manager and the compiz-plugins-extra package

  sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-plugins-extra

• Open CompizConfig Settings Manager.

• Click on Manage Windows.

• Tick the box next to Window Rules to enable them.

• Click on Window Rules.

• Fill in the Skip Taskbar and Skip Pager fields with the following:

  (name=terminator) & class=Terminator

  Note - Here is the meaning of the two fields we filled:

  Skip taskbar	These windows will not show up on the task bar (the list of buttons you click on to switch between open windows).
  Skip pager	These windows will not show up on the desktop pager (the applet you click on to switch to desktops/workspaces/viewports).

Terminator should now disappear from the Alt-Tab menu.

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References

• How do I make Terminator emulator appear and disappear like Guake
• WindowMatching - Compiz Wiki