Add custom commands with shortcuts to Xcode

add_custom_shortcuts_to_xcode.md

Add Custom Commands with Shortcuts to Xcode

To add custom key bindings in Xcode, you have to edit this file (su privileges required): '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Frameworks/IDEKit.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/IDETextKeyBindingSet.plist

To facilitate this, just add the following code to .bash_profile/.zshrc:

# Add custom commands to Xcode.
# Run this every time Xcode updates.
function addCustomCommandsToXcode() {
	PLB="/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy"
	PLIST="/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Frameworks/IDEKit.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/IDETextKeyBindingSet.plist"
	$PLB -c "Add :'Custom Commands':'Duplicate Current Lines Down' string 'selectParagraph:, delete:, yank:, moveToBeginningOfParagraph:, yank:, moveUp:, moveToEndOfParagraph:, moveToEndOfLine:'" "$PLIST"
	$PLB -c "Add :'Custom Commands':'Delete Current Line' string 'deleteToBeginningOfLine:, moveToEndOfLine:, deleteToBeginningOfLine:, deleteBackward:, moveDown:, moveToEndOfLine:'" "$PLIST"
}

Each line is a new custom command of your choice. The code above has commands for deleting the current line and duplicating the current selection.

Usage

NOTE: you will have to do this every time Xcode is updated!

1. Call addCustomCommandsToXcode() from the terminal;
2. Open Xcode and go to Xcode Preferences -> Key Bindings;
3. Search for your custom commands and add a shortcut to them;
4. ?
5. Profit.

Very cool.

Any idea how I can get Ctrl-X Ctrl-S style bindings?! Preferences won't allow me to set them but I can see a few similar key sequences set.

I need this because XCode keeps throwing invisible ^S chars into the file I'm editing. As an Emacs user of about 30 years, C-x C-s is so ingrained into my muscle memory that I can't stop doing it. XCode keeps bugging me with inconvenient invalid character in source file messages.

addCustomCommandsToXcode
addCustomCommandsToXcode:3: no such file or directory: sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy
addCustomCommandsToXcode:4: no such file or directory: sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy

Works ok when I take sudo out of the func.

addCustomCommandsToXcode
addCustomCommandsToXcode:3: no such file or directory: sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy
addCustomCommandsToXcode:4: no such file or directory: sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy

Works ok when I take sudo out of the func.

Thanks for the fix!

Karabiner elements allowed me to not only capture the ^X ^S but also to remap them to save etc.

Free and open source