Add quick bar extension point

[twschiller]

Context

• Context menus are annoying to navigate

Libraries

• Ninja Keys: https://github.com/ssleptsov/ninja-keys

Related

• https://www.alfredapp.com/
• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/spotlight-mchlp1008/mac
• https://www.commandbar.com/

Considerations

• May need to register the hotkey: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/commands/ so that PixieBrix can get temporary access to the page

Related

• 1865

[twschiller]

@fregante any idea if adding a hotkey to the manifest would result in users having to re-active the PixieBrix extension?

[fregante]

No it would not, it's not an extra permission. You can install GhostText to see the exact installation dialog of an extension with hotkeys (in short: it doesn't mention them)

[fregante]

I suppose this is mine now and I have to look into the "not implemented yet" list here: https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/pull/2095#issue-1076029135

Regarding the keyboard shortcuts

We don't need to use chrome.commands because:

• This bar will only have items in it if an extension was registered for the current domain. On registration we already ask for permissions, so we'll always be able to listen to it. "Permission denied" means the brick won't run, just like most kinds of extensions.
• chrome.commands does not give us any control. We can't set, check, nor link to the page to set a shortcut. We'd only be limited to instructions like "Open the extensions page, click here, click there, etc." We only receive a "command" event.

Disadvantages of a custom keyboard shortcut implementation:

• We need to offer a UI to register this command

I suggest we have a single/global keyboard shortcut and that it's registered to the current browser rather than the extension/brick. I'll need someone to:

• [ ] Implement a keyboard shortcut registration UI in the options. Inspiration:

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1402241/145687337-62379c81-87e8-47ee-a94a-2d6a7317c167.mov

I didn't see any ready-made components for this, but maybe I didn't look well. Ideally what we use to capture this would be compatible with the library that registers the actual shortcut in the content script.

This could also be the base for:

• https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/1865

[twschiller]

Apologies for the delay, I think I somehow missed your comment. I opened a couple tickets related to the registering/configuring the shortcut:

• https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/2188
• https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/2189

We don't need to use chrome.commands because:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the main advantage of using the commands API is that triggering the Chrome command grants activeTab for the page like the context menu? This would allow you to use the quick bar on any page without PixieBrix having to request access to all pages?

I've added some notes/links on the https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/2188 issue

I suggest we have a single/global keyboard shortcut and that it's registered to the current browser rather than the extension/brick

I agree that we want a single shortcut. I don't think it's urgent to allow the user to configure what the shortcut is yet. I've created a ticket for that customization here: https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/2189. As you mention, I think it depends on if/how we use the commands API?

[fregante]

Anything else to do here? I think we have specific issues for everything. I just opened:

• https://github.com/pixiebrix/pixiebrix-extension/issues/2299