GlobalShortcut

Register global keyboard shortcuts that work even when the application is not focused.

Overview

The Electron.GlobalShortcut API provides the ability to register global keyboard shortcuts that can be triggered even when the application does not have keyboard focus. This is useful for creating system-wide hotkeys and shortcuts.

Methods

🧊 Task<bool> IsRegisteredAsync(string accelerator)

Check if the accelerator is registered.

Parameters:

• accelerator - Keyboard shortcut to check

Returns:

Whether this application has registered the accelerator.

🧊 void Register(string accelerator, Action function)

Registers a global shortcut of accelerator. The callback is called when the registered shortcut is pressed by the user.

Parameters:

• accelerator - Keyboard shortcut combination
• function - Callback function to execute when shortcut is pressed

🧊 void Unregister(string accelerator)

Unregisters the global shortcut of accelerator.

Parameters:

• accelerator - Keyboard shortcut to unregister

🧊 void UnregisterAll()

Unregisters all of the global shortcuts.

Usage Examples

Basic Global Shortcuts

// Register global shortcuts
Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("CommandOrControl+N", () =>
{
    CreateNewDocument();
});

Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("CommandOrControl+O", () =>
{
    OpenDocument();
});

Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("CommandOrControl+S", () =>
{
    SaveDocument();
});

Media Control Shortcuts

// Media playback shortcuts
Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("MediaPlayPause", () =>
{
    TogglePlayback();
});

Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("MediaNextTrack", () =>
{
    NextTrack();
});

Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("MediaPreviousTrack", () =>
{
    PreviousTrack();
});

Application Control Shortcuts

// Application control shortcuts
Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("CommandOrControl+Shift+Q", async () =>
{
    var result = await Electron.Dialog.ShowMessageBoxAsync("Quit Application?", "Are you sure you want to quit?");
    if (result.Response == 1) // Yes
    {
        Electron.App.Quit();
    }
});

Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("CommandOrControl+Shift+H", () =>
{
    ToggleMainWindow();
});

Dynamic Shortcut Management

// Register shortcuts based on user preferences
public void RegisterUserShortcuts(Dictionary<string, Action> shortcuts)
{
    foreach (var shortcut in shortcuts)
    {
        Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register(shortcut.Key, shortcut.Value);
    }
}

// Check if shortcut is available
public async Task<bool> IsShortcutAvailable(string accelerator)
{
    return await Electron.GlobalShortcut.IsRegisteredAsync(accelerator);
}

// Unregister specific shortcut
public void UnregisterShortcut(string accelerator)
{
    Electron.GlobalShortcut.Unregister(accelerator);
}

Platform-Specific Shortcuts

// macOS specific shortcuts
if (RuntimeInformation.IsOSPlatform(OSPlatform.OSX))
{
    Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("Command+Comma", () =>
    {
        OpenPreferences();
    });

    Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("Command+H", () =>
    {
        Electron.App.Hide();
    });
}

// Windows/Linux shortcuts
else
{
    Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("Ctrl+Shift+P", () =>
    {
        OpenPreferences();
    });

    Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register("Alt+F4", () =>
    {
        Electron.App.Quit();
    });
}

Shortcut Validation

// Validate shortcuts before registration
public async Task<bool> TryRegisterShortcut(string accelerator, Action callback)
{
    if (await Electron.GlobalShortcut.IsRegisteredAsync(accelerator))
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Shortcut {accelerator} is already registered");
        return false;
    }

    try
    {
        Electron.GlobalShortcut.Register(accelerator, callback);
        Console.WriteLine($"Successfully registered shortcut: {accelerator}");
        return true;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Failed to register shortcut {accelerator}: {ex.Message}");
        return false;
    }
}

Related APIs

• Electron.App - Application lifecycle events
• Electron.Menu - Menu-based shortcuts
• Electron.WindowManager - Window focus management

Additional Resources

• Electron GlobalShortcut Documentation - Official Electron global shortcut API