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https://github.com/gillescastel/inkscape-shortcut-manager

Inkscape shorcut manager
https://github.com/gillescastel/inkscape-shortcut-manager

inkscape latex productivity shortcut-manager shortcuts vim

Last synced: 20 days ago
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Inkscape shorcut manager

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# Inkscape shortcut manager



*A shortcut manager that speeds up drawing (mathematical) figures in [Inkscape](https://inkscape.org/).*



## Problem



[I write my lecture notes in LaTeX](https://castel.dev/post/lecture-notes-1) and I want to draw figures in real time, i.e. while the lecturer is drawing on the blackboard. While the figures I want to draw quite simple, drawing them in Inkscape with default shortcuts takes too much time to keep up with a fast paced lecture. My goal is to draw figures like this:



![Elliptic curve](./examplefigures/fig_1.png)



![Complex Analysis](./examplefigures/fig_2.png)



## Solution



I created a custom shortcut manager that intercepts all keyboard events sent to Inkscape windows giving me full control of user input. The script has the following features 



- **Press clusters of keys (key chords) to apply common styles.** Pressing d+a gives a **d**otted **a**rrow, f+s **f**ills the selection in gray and adds a **s**troke. You want a circle that's **d**otted and **f**illed? Press f + d. Try pressing combinations of s, a, d, g, h, x, e, b, f, w. Being able to combine these common styles by pressing key chords feels quite intuitive after a while.

- **Save custom styles and objects.** Press Shift+S or Shift+A to give a style or object a name. Use it by pressing s or a and typing the name. For common styles that aren't covered by the key chords, this comes in handy.

- **Use your editor to write LaTeX.** Pressing t opens an instance of vim (or any editor you want). Write some LaTeX, close it, and the shortcut manager pastes the text in the figure. Pressing Shift+T does the same but renders the LaTeX as an svg and adds it to the document.

- **Ergonomic shortcuts for frequently used functions**. Press w for pencil, x to toggle snapping, f for Bézier, z to undo, Shift+z to delete and \` to dis/enable the shortcut manager.



For more details and context, feel free to read my [blog post](https://castel.dev/post/lecture-notes-2).



## Installing



Note that this script only works on GNU/Linux using Python ≥ 3.6.

It also has the following dependencies:



- `Xlib` python library to intercept keyboard events

- `pdflatex` and `pdf2svg` to render LaTeX in Inkscape

- `xclip` to access the clipboard

- `rofi` for a selection dialog when saving styles and objects



Use the shortcut manager by running `python3 main.py` and opening an Inkscape window.



## Configuration



You can configure the shortcut manager by creating a file located at `~/.config/inkscape-shortcut-manager/config.py`. You can override the rofi theme, font, editor, as well as the LaTeX template that's being used. It's merged with the default config located at `config.py`. An example configuration file is located in the `examples` directory.



## Related



* [Inkscape figure manager](https://github.com/gillescastel/inkscape-figures)