Allow Keyboard Shortcuts for User Items in Tools Menu

[Darin.K]

With the advent of scripting, it is possible to create some nifty tools to aid in code writing.  Those that work on individual elements of the FP or BD can often work nicely in Quick Drop or the Right-Click Framework.  Some of these tools however, work most naturally as an addition to to Tools menu.  The missing piece of the puzzle for seamless integration into the IDE is the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts for those additions.  I would simply like the ability to assign keyboard shortcuts to any item which appears in the Tools menu.  I have at least three things in there already more worthy of Ctrl-t.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

Add it for user items? Heck, we don't have this feature for *NI* addons in the Tools menu. I'll vote for it. 🙂

[Jim_Kring]

The good news is that this is already on NI's radar -- I've suggested it to the API team on more than one occasion.  Hopefully we can drum up lots of support here in the Idea Exchange 🙂

[rcpacini]

I like the idea. In addition to adding plugins to the tools menu, a few shortcut buttons might be nice for running and debugging your own plugins. i.e. quick drop VIs.

Just a though.

-Ryan

[Hooovahh]

Don't get me wrong I'm all for this, but I worry a little about how it maybe abused.  Imagine I install some toolkit from the Tools Network.  It can now take over any CTRL key shorcut I want, like CTRL+C, CTRL+V, CTRL+Space.  And I may have some custom ones of my own, but installing something can overwrite it.

I do what this, but I'm not sure what implications this may have.

[rolfk]

I think a Tools plugin should not be able to claim a shortcut just like that just from being installed. It should be a conscious user decision made in some configuration tool in every case. As a compromise I could maybe live with a Tools plugin somewhere specifying a prefered Shortcut, much like newer QD plugins can, but it should definitely not be able to claim any shortcut that is already registered elsewhere by explicit user configuration.

[SivaShankar]

I completely second this idea! Custom menus are a great way to extend LabVIEW's functionality, but without keyboard shortcuts, it can feel clunky to access them. Assigning shortcuts would be a huge win for efficiency, especially for frequently used custom tools. While the original request dates back to 2010, the need for this feature remains relevant for LabVIEW developers today.

I've also encountered this limitation with a custom tool I've created - "Quick Open" - Imagine having a keyboard shortcut for it instead of relying on workarounds like Quick Drop. That would be a massive time saver!. Also this, ability to define shortcuts would make them feel truly integrated into the LabVIEW environment.