[FR]: Keyboard Ergonomics for Tabular Data

[bitmage]

Contact Details

obsidian@cosigli.org

Present your request

Spreadsheets or tabular data have well established ergonomics that facilitate an effective workflow. Improvements in this regard would multiply the utility of this (already valuable) plugin.

Features Commonly Supported by Spreadsheets

• Once the table has focus, a specific cell is always selected
• Typing alphanumeric characters changes to "edit mode" and the current cell receives the keyboard input
• Tab confirms entry in the current cell and moves to the next cell to the right, returning to "move mode"
• Enter confirms entry in the current cell and moves one cell down, returning to "move mode"
• In "move mode" arrow keys move the cursor to adjacent cells, in "edit mode" they move the cursor within the cell text
• Up/Down arrow keys select options for a "Select" type cell. How do we indicate "entry" into edit mode?
• Escape aborts entry in the current cell, returning to "move mode"

Features Supported by Relational Systems

• Relationship selectors allow the dynamic addition of a new record
• Selectors allow the dynamic addition of a new option

I'm sure there's a lot that I missed, but the basics would go a long way towards making this a pleasure to use. Right now, I'm willing to pay the price as "worth it" to be able to own my own data within Obsidian and have privacy and autonomy.

Good job on this plugin! Stable and useful. Grateful to have it.

For which platform do you request this request??

Desktop

[RafaelGB]

thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

we can add it as long term

[aaronjconway]

I would also very much like to be able to navigate via the arrows/vim

[amantinband]

Likewise. Even only the following 6 vim shortcuts would be a game changer: hjkl: navigate around cells i: change to "insert" mode to edit a cell \<ESC>: change to "normal" mode

[userrand]

It seems that pressing tab creates a second focus area where :

• arrow keys work
• pressing letters on a focused cell inserts letters.
• when editing a text cell, tab moves the text around but does not move to the next cell
• when editing a number cell, tab moves to the next cell
• Escape seems to cancel the edit but also removes the extra focus cell and so requires using tab again to create a new focused cell again