Keyboard Shortcuts - Time Capsule

This guide documents all keyboard shortcuts extracted from the source code. Shortcuts are implemented in accessibility.ts and throughout various application modules.

Essential Shortcuts

Most Used

Ctrl+Alt+1-4 - Switch workspaces
Ctrl+W - Close window
Ctrl+M - Minimize window
Ctrl+Alt+E - Open XEmacs
Ctrl+Shift+? - Show shortcuts help

Power User

Ctrl+Alt+F - Toggle File Manager
Ctrl+Alt+T - Open Terminal Lab
Ctrl+Alt+S - Open Style Manager
Ctrl+Alt+H - Toggle high contrast
Esc - Cancel/close dialogs

Window Management

Basic Operations
Window Manipulation
Advanced

Shortcut	Action	Implementation
`Ctrl+W`	Close active window	`accessibility.ts:180-189`
`Ctrl+M`	Minimize active window	`accessibility.ts:191-200`
`Alt+F4`	Close window (browser)	Standard browser shortcut
`Esc`	Close dialog/cancel	Global event handler

The Ctrl+W shortcut closes the currently active window by finding the .active class and triggering its close button.

Mouse Operations

Drag titlebar - Move window (disabled on mobile)
Double-click titlebar - Shade/unshade window (windowmanager.ts:734-778)
Right-click titlebar - Window menu

Keyboard Focus

Tab - Navigate between focusable elements
Shift+Tab - Navigate backwards
Enter - Activate focused element

Tab navigation updates dynamically based on visible elements. Implementation in accessibility.ts:282-319.

Window States

Maximize: Double-click titlebar or click maximize button
Minimize: Ctrl+M or click minimize button
Shade: Double-click titlebar (windowmanager.ts:823-860)
Focus: Click window or hover (point-to-focus mode)

Focus Modes

Time Capsule supports two focus modes set via data-focus-mode attribute:

Click to focus (default): Click window to activate
Point to focus: Hover over window to activate (windowmanager.ts:403-418)

Workspace Switching

Shortcut	Action	Category
`Ctrl+Alt+1`	Switch to Workspace 1	Workspaces
`Ctrl+Alt+2`	Switch to Workspace 2	Workspaces
`Ctrl+Alt+3`	Switch to Workspace 3	Workspaces
`Ctrl+Alt+4`	Switch to Workspace 4	Workspaces

These shortcuts are registered in a loop in accessibility.ts:202-214:

for (let i = 1; i <= 4; i++) {
  this.registerShortcut({
    key: String(i),
    ctrl: true,
    alt: true,
    action: () => {
      WindowManager.switchWorkspace(String(i));
    },
    description: `Switch to Workspace ${i}`,
    category: 'Workspaces',
  });
}

Desktop Context Menu

Application Launchers

Main Applications
System Tools
Desktop Icons

Shortcut	Application	Implementation
`Ctrl+Alt+E`	Open XEmacs	`accessibility.ts:86-98`
`Ctrl+Alt+F`	Toggle File Manager	`accessibility.ts:72-84`
`Ctrl+Alt+T`	Open Terminal Lab	`accessibility.ts:100-112`
`Ctrl+Alt+N`	Open Netscape Navigator	`accessibility.ts:128-140`
`Ctrl+Alt+L`	Open Lynx Browser	`accessibility.ts:114-126`

Shortcut	Tool	Implementation
`Ctrl+Alt+S`	Open Style Manager	`accessibility.ts:142-154`
`Ctrl+Shift+?`	Show keyboard shortcuts	`accessibility.ts:168-178`
`Ctrl+Alt+H`	Toggle high contrast mode	`accessibility.ts:156-166`

The Ctrl+Shift+? shortcut displays a comprehensive modal with all available shortcuts, grouped by category.

System icons on desktop can be activated by:

Double-click icon
Double-tap on mobile (300ms detection window)
Enter key when icon is focused

Available system icons (desktop.ts:21-54):

XEmacs
Share Theme
Netscape
Lynx

XEmacs Shortcuts

XEmacs uses traditional Emacs keybindings. These may conflict with browser shortcuts when not using PWA mode.

Character Movement

Ctrl+F - Forward character
Ctrl+B - Backward character
Ctrl+N - Next line
Ctrl+P - Previous line

Word/Line Movement

Ctrl+A - Beginning of line
Ctrl+E - End of line
Alt+F - Forward word
Alt+B - Backward word

Editing Operations

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl+D`	Delete character	Forward delete
`Backspace`	Delete backward	Backward delete
`Alt+D`	Delete word forward	Kill word
`Alt+Backspace`	Delete word backward	Backward kill word
`Ctrl+K`	Kill line	Delete to end of line
`Ctrl+Y`	Yank (paste)	Paste from kill ring
`Ctrl+W`	Kill region (cut)	Cut selection
`Alt+W`	Copy region	Copy without cutting
`Ctrl+/` or `Ctrl+_`	Undo	Undo last change

Selection and Search

Selection:
  Ctrl+Space    Set mark (start selection)
  Ctrl+X H      Select all

Search:
  Ctrl+S        Search forward (incremental)
  Ctrl+R        Search backward
  Alt+%         Query replace (with confirmation)

File Operations

Open File

Ctrl+X Ctrl+F - Opens file browser dialog

Save File

Ctrl+X Ctrl+S - Saves current file

Save As

Ctrl+X Ctrl+W - Write file to new location

Exit

Ctrl+X Ctrl+C - Exits XEmacs (prompts if unsaved changes)

Utility Commands

Ctrl+G - Cancel command (interrupt)
Ctrl+L - Recenter screen on cursor
Alt+< - Beginning of buffer
Alt+> - End of buffer
Ctrl+V - Page down
Alt+V - Page up

Terminal Lab Shortcuts

Command Line Editing
History Navigation
Auto-completion

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+A`	Move to line start
`Ctrl+E`	Move to line end
`Ctrl+U`	Clear entire line
`Ctrl+K`	Kill to end of line
`Ctrl+W`	Delete previous word
`Ctrl+C`	Cancel current command
`Ctrl+L`	Clear screen

Key	Action
`↑`	Previous command
`↓`	Next command
`Ctrl+R`	Search command history
`!!`	Repeat last command

Tab - Auto-complete filenames and commands
Tab Tab - Show all possible completions

Special commands:

cd - - Go to previous directory
mkdir -p a/b/c - Create nested directories

File Manager Shortcuts

Navigation

Shortcut	Action
`Enter`	Open selected file/folder
`Backspace`	Go to parent directory
`Alt+Home`	Jump to home directory
`Alt+↑`	Go up one level
Type letter	Jump to file starting with letter

File Operations

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+A`	Select all
`Ctrl+C`	Copy selected
`Ctrl+X`	Cut selected
`Ctrl+V`	Paste
`Delete`	Delete selected
`F2`	Rename selected
`F5`	Refresh view
`Ctrl+N`	New folder

Context Menu

Desktop Shortcuts

Desktop Icon Operations

Mouse Actions

Single click - Select icon
Double-click - Open/launch
Drag - Move icon position (snaps to grid)
Right-click - Context menu

Touch Actions

Tap - Select icon
Double-tap - Open (300ms window)
Long-press - Context menu (500ms)
Drag disabled on mobile

Icon Context Menu:
  - Open
  - Copy (disabled for system icons)
  - Cut (disabled for system icons)
  - Rename (disabled for system icons)
  - Properties
  - Delete (disabled for system icons)

Desktop Context Menu:
  - Paste
  - Programs (FileManager, XEmacs, Netscape)
  - Workspaces (1-4)
  - Tools (New File, New Folder, Style Manager, etc.)

Netscape Navigator Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+L`	Focus address bar
`Enter`	Navigate to URL
`Backspace`	Go back in history
`Shift+Backspace`	Go forward in history
`Ctrl+R`	Reload page
`Ctrl+H`	Go to home page
`Esc`	Stop loading page

Style Manager Shortcuts

Accessibility Shortcuts

Time Capsule includes comprehensive accessibility features for users with different needs.

Shortcut	Action	Implementation
`Ctrl+Alt+H`	Toggle high contrast mode	`accessibility.ts:156-166`
`Tab`	Navigate focusable elements	`accessibility.ts:282-308`
`Shift+Tab`	Navigate backwards	`accessibility.ts:289-295`
`Enter`	Activate focused element	`accessibility.ts:311-317`
`Esc`	Blur input fields	`accessibility.ts:255-258`

High Contrast Mode

When enabled:

Adds .high-contrast class to document root
Increases color contrast ratios
Persists preference to storage
Implementation: accessibility.ts:348-361

Common Clipboard Operations

Standard clipboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X) are registered but handled by individual components.

Shortcut	Action	Context
`Ctrl+C`	Copy	File Manager, Desktop, Text selection
`Ctrl+V`	Paste	File Manager, Desktop, Text editors
`Ctrl+X`	Cut	File Manager, Desktop, Text editors
`Delete`	Delete	File Manager, Desktop selected items

Registered in accessibility.ts:216-242

Shortcut Help Dialog

Press Ctrl+Shift+? anywhere in the application to view all shortcuts organized by category!

The shortcuts help dialog (accessibility.ts:376-423) displays:

All registered shortcuts grouped by category
Visual key representations with <kbd> tags
Scrollable interface
Categories: Applications, System, Window Management, Workspaces, Help, Common, Accessibility

Learning Tips

Start with the Essential 5

Ctrl+Alt+1-4 - Workspace switching
Ctrl+W - Close window
Ctrl+Alt+E - Open XEmacs
Ctrl+X Ctrl+S - Save in XEmacs
Ctrl+Shift+? - View all shortcuts

Practice Daily

Force yourself to use keyboard shortcuts instead of mouse for one week. Muscle memory develops after 2-3 weeks.

Print Quick Reference

Keep a printed reference card near your workspace:

GLOBAL              XEMACS              WORKSPACES
Ctrl+Alt+E  XEmacs  Ctrl+X Ctrl+S Save  Ctrl+Alt+1-4 Switch
Ctrl+Alt+F  Files   Ctrl+S Search       
Ctrl+Alt+T  Term    Ctrl+W Cut          
Ctrl+W      Close   Alt+W  Copy         
Ctrl+M      Min     Ctrl+Y Paste        

Use PWA Mode

Install Time Capsule as a PWA to avoid browser shortcut conflicts, especially for XEmacs keybindings.

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows
macOS
Linux

All Ctrl and Alt shortcuts work as documented
No special modifications needed
May conflict with Windows system shortcuts

Some shortcuts may use Cmd instead of Ctrl
Option key functions as Alt
May conflict with macOS system shortcuts
Recommend PWA mode for best experience

Troubleshooting

Shortcuts not working

Possible causes:

Focus is in an input field or textarea (shortcuts disabled)
Browser intercepting the shortcut
Conflicting browser extension

Solutions:

Press Esc to blur input fields
Use PWA mode to avoid browser conflicts
Disable conflicting extensions

XEmacs shortcuts conflict with browser

Common conflicts:

Ctrl+W - Browser closes tab vs. XEmacs cut
Ctrl+T - Browser new tab vs. XEmacs transpose
Ctrl+N - Browser new window vs. XEmacs next line

Solution: Install Time Capsule as a PWA for isolated environment.

Shortcut help not showing

Ensure you’re pressing Ctrl+Shift+? (question mark requires Shift)
Check that CDEModal system is loaded
Try refreshing the application

Technical Implementation

public registerShortcut(shortcut: KeyboardShortcut): void {
  this.shortcuts.push(shortcut);
  logger.log(`[Accessibility] Registered shortcut: ${this.formatShortcut(shortcut)}`);
}

private formatShortcut(shortcut: KeyboardShortcut): string {
  const parts: string[] = [];
  if (shortcut.ctrl) parts.push('Ctrl');
  if (shortcut.alt) parts.push('Alt');
  if (shortcut.shift) parts.push('Shift');
  if (shortcut.meta) parts.push('Meta');
  parts.push(shortcut.key.toUpperCase());
  return parts.join('+');
}

Workspaces Guide

Learn to organize work across 4 virtual desktops

XEmacs Guide

Complete XEmacs editing tutorial

Terminal Lab

22 interactive Unix command lessons

Tips & Tricks

Power user tips and hidden features

Style Manager

Customize with 76 palettes and 168 backdrops

File Manager

Navigate the virtual filesystem

Documentation Index

​Essential Shortcuts

Most Used

Power User

​Window Management

​Mouse Operations

​Keyboard Focus

​Window States

​Focus Modes

​Workspace Navigation

​Application Launchers

​XEmacs Shortcuts

​Navigation

Character Movement

Word/Line Movement

​Editing Operations

​Selection and Search

​File Operations

​Utility Commands

​Terminal Lab Shortcuts

​File Manager Shortcuts

​Desktop Shortcuts

​Desktop Icon Operations

Mouse Actions

Touch Actions

​Context Menu Options

​Netscape Navigator Shortcuts

​Style Manager Shortcuts

​Accessibility Shortcuts

​High Contrast Mode

​Common Clipboard Operations

​Shortcut Help Dialog

​Learning Tips

​Platform-Specific Notes

​Troubleshooting

​Technical Implementation

​Related Documentation

Workspaces Guide

XEmacs Guide

Terminal Lab

Tips & Tricks

Style Manager

File Manager

Essential Shortcuts

Window Management

Mouse Operations

Keyboard Focus

Window States

Focus Modes

Workspace Navigation

Application Launchers

XEmacs Shortcuts

Navigation

Editing Operations

Selection and Search

File Operations

Utility Commands

Terminal Lab Shortcuts

File Manager Shortcuts

Desktop Shortcuts

Desktop Icon Operations

Context Menu Options

Netscape Navigator Shortcuts

Style Manager Shortcuts

Accessibility Shortcuts

High Contrast Mode

Common Clipboard Operations

Shortcut Help Dialog

Learning Tips

Platform-Specific Notes

Troubleshooting

Technical Implementation

Related Documentation