App specific settings possible?

[danz54]

Is there a way to implement App-specific settings to change keys?
Thanks

[jonaskello]

Looking for this too.
In old karabiner I used that for remote desktop.
In macos I have switched CTRL and CMD with karabiner elements which works fine.
But when i RDP into a Windows machine the mapping will make Windows use CMD for CTRL and vice-verca.
Bascially I'm looking to have CTRL+C etc. to work the same regardless if I'm using macos or RDP into Windows.

[jixiuf]

it seems supported now

                    {
                        "manipulators": [
                            {
                                "conditions": [
                                    {
                                        "bundle_identifiers": [
                                            "^com\\.apple\\.finder$"
                                        ],
                                        "type": "frontmost_application_if"
                                    }
                                ],
                                "description": "Finder Ctrl-; goto location",
                                "from": {
                                    "key_code": "semicolon",
                                    "modifiers": {
                                        "mandatory": [
                                            "left_control"
                                        ],
                                        "optional": [
                                            "caps_lock",
                                            "shift",
                                            "option"
                                        ]
                                    }
                                },
                                "to": [
                                    {
                                        "key_code": "g",
                                        "modifiers": [
                                            "command",
                                            "shift"
                                        ]
                                    }
                                ],
                                "type": "basic"
                            }
                        ]
                    },

[jonaskello]

@jixiuf Yes, looks like the conditions section is it. Is there somewhere in the UI we could set this? Or where is the file you are looking at located?

[jixiuf]

795fe1f
https://github.com/pqrs-org/KE-complex_modifications/blob/master/docs/json/emacs_key_bindings.json

[transamericamoon]

You can copy this example into ~/.config/karabiner/assets/complex_modifications/windows-binding.json

Got to karabiner preferences->complex Modifications->Add rule and press enable on it.

You can modify it to your liking but make sure you run it through a json validator first.

{
  "title": "Windows keys",
  "rules": [
    {
      "description": "swap control/command fix home/end/redo except for iterm2/vim",
      "manipulators": [
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "y",
            "modifiers": {
              "mandatory": [
                "command"
              ]
            }
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "z",
              "modifiers": [
                "command",
                "shift"
              ]
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "end"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "e",
              "modifiers": [
                "control"
              ]
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "home"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "a",
              "modifiers": [
                "control"
              ]
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "left_command"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "left_control"
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "left_control"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "left_command"
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "right_command"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "right_control"
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "basic",
          "from": {
            "key_code": "right_control"
          },
          "to": [
            {
              "key_code": "right_command"
            }
          ],
          "conditions": [
            {
              "type": "frontmost_application_unless",
              "bundle_identifiers": [
                "^org\\.vim\\.",
                "^com.googlecode.iterm2"
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

[jonaskello]

Yupp, already done it and it works perfectly :-)

[garbage914]

This is awesome. Thank you. I have it running in Karibiner elements. Can you please tell me how I would tweak it so that it only works when typing from within Teamviewer?

[garbage914]

I was given a solution to switch the command and control keys only using team viewer. It is here:
https://forum.keyboardmaestro.com/t/switching-command-and-control-keys/7721/27?u=cinematree

[Palisand]

It looks like there is no way to define "conditions" once so it applies to all manipulators?

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[dPowNextdoor]

Could we possibly re-open this to address @Palisand's comment? It's a huge pain to copy the conditions field into every single entry. It'd be nice if we could have both so we could choose to apply it to all rules or only some rules.

Even better, allow a top-level conditions object in both rules and rules[i].manipulators so it can be applied to all rules or all key maps within individual rules.

Even better, let the inner conditions entries extend (or override if applicable) the outer conditions entries.

[MuhammedZakir]

I agree a GUI window to modify this will be great. But IMO, I don't think this will be implemented soon as there a couple of serious bugs to be fixed. Meanwhile, you can use Ruby helper scripts [1], or Goku to simplify writing config. Ruby scripts are probably more beginner-friendly. Check .erb files of other users in that repo [2]. But writing in GokuEDN is much more simple once you get used to it.

[1] https://github.com/pqrs-org/KE-complex_modifications/tree/master/src/lib
[2] https://github.com/pqrs-org/KE-complex_modifications/tree/master/src/json

[dPowNextdoor]

Oh no, I'm fine without a GUI. What I meant was to remove the need to have the same condition duplicated superfluously, i.e.

{
    "title": "My key combo with lots of duplicated code that isn't user friendly",
    "rules": [
        {
            "description": "I'm not following the DRY principle :(",
            "manipulators": [
                {
                    "type": "basic",
                    "from": {},
                    "to": [],
                    "conditions": [
                        "duplicate_condition_objects"
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "type": "basic",
                    "from": {},
                    "to": [],
                    "conditions": [
                        "duplicate_condition_objects"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

would be replaced with

{
    "title": "My key combo that is user friendly",
    "rules": [
        {
            "description": "Yay, I'm following the DRY principle!",
            "conditions": [
                "unique_condition_objects"
            ],
            "manipulators": [
                {
                    "type": "basic",
                    "from": {},
                    "to": []
                },
                {
                    "type": "basic",
                    "from": {},
                    "to": []
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Even better, we could simultaneously replace the restrictive, non-extensible manipulator priority with one that is very extensible. (I imagine that to implement the first, this format would also have to be implemented, but they're basically the same thing when you think about it.)

{
    "title": "My key combo that is SUPER user friendly",
    "conditions": [
        "default conditions to apply to all rules"
    ],
    "rules": [
        {
            "description": "Wow, this is both DRY and way easier to read!",
            "manipulators": [
                "manipulators without unnecessary code duplication"
            ]
        },
        {
            "description": "Oh cool, I can keep the global rules that I want and delete the ones I don't!",
            "conditions": [
                "Conditions to only apply to this rule's manipulators.",
                "Maintains global, root-level rules",
                "or overrides them if applicable."
            ],
            "manipulators": [
                "yay I'm not duplicating the global rules",
                "nor do I have to add a superfluous frontmost_application_unless",
                "(or similar) conditions to every single entry I contain!",
                {
                    "type": "Even my custom manipulator is easier to write",
                    "from": {},
                    "to": [],
                    "conditions": [
                        "Extra condition to add only for me.",

                        "Alternatively, override the global rule(s) I don't want",
                        "while keeping the rest of them.",

                        "Alternatively, override the rule-level rules",
                        "so the other rules don't have to add",
                        "_unless entries."
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

This would be an incredibly better way to write rules/conditions, especially since the entries' contents have to be written manually. It also means that similar manipulators can be grouped into one rule instead of spreading their logic across multiple rules (e.g. frontmost_application_unless) and/or breaking because the user accidentally imported them in the wrong order (e.g. frontmost_application_if not working due to a previous/global rule using the same key combo).

[MuhammedZakir]

That's nice! :-) pinging @tekezo.

[hitriyvalenok]

+100500 @dPowNextdoor

[dPowNextdoor]

FYI I just created this issue that would help solve the pain points we've been discussing. Feel free to comment/upvote to attract greater attention from the devs!