- Qt 6.8
- Qt GUI
- C++ Classes
- QShortcut
- Qt 6.8.3 Reference Documentation

# QShortcut Class

The QShortcut class is used to create keyboard shortcuts. More...

Header: | `#include <QShortcut>`
CMake: | `find_package(Qt6 REQUIRED COMPONENTS Gui)` `target_link_libraries(mytarget PRIVATE Qt6::Gui)`
qmake: | `QT += gui`
Inherits: | QObject

- List of all members, including inherited members
- Deprecated members
- QShortcut is part of Event Classes.

## Properties

- autoRepeat : bool
- context : Qt::ShortcutContext
- enabled : bool
- key : QKeySequence

## Public Functions

| QShortcut(QObject *parent)
`(since 6.0)` | QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey standardKey, QObject *parent, const char *member = nullptr, const char *ambiguousMember = nullptr, Qt::ShortcutContext context = Qt::WindowShortcut)
| QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const char *member = nullptr, const char *ambiguousMember = nullptr, Qt::ShortcutContext context = Qt::WindowShortcut)
`(since 6.0)` | QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
| QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
`(since 6.0)` | QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
| QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
`(since 6.0)` | QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
| QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
`(since 6.0)` | QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context1, Functor functor, const QObject *context2, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
| QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context1, Functor functor, const QObject *context2, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)
virtual | ~QShortcut()
bool | autoRepeat() const
Qt::ShortcutContext | context() const
bool | isEnabled() const
QKeySequence | key() const
`(since 6.0)` QList<QKeySequence> | keys() const
QWidget * | parentWidget() const
void | setAutoRepeat(bool on)
void | setContext(Qt::ShortcutContext context)
void | setEnabled(bool enable)
void | setKey(const QKeySequence &key)
`(since 6.0)` void | setKeys(QKeySequence::StandardKey key)
`(since 6.0)` void | setKeys(const QList<QKeySequence> &keys)
void | setWhatsThis(const QString &text)
QString | whatsThis() const

## Signals

void | activated()
void | activatedAmbiguously()

## Detailed Description

The QShortcut class provides a way of connecting keyboard shortcuts to Qt's signals and slots mechanism, so that objects can be informed when a shortcut is executed. The shortcut can be set up to contain all the key presses necessary to describe a keyboard shortcut, including the states of modifier keys such as Shift, Ctrl, and Alt.

In widget applications, certain widgets can use '&' in front of a character. This will automatically create a mnemonic (a shortcut) for that character, e.g. "E&xit" will create the shortcut Alt+X (use '&&' to display an actual ampersand). The widget might consume and perform an action on a given shortcut. On X11 the ampersand will not be shown and the character will be underlined. On Windows, shortcuts are normally not displayed until the user presses the Alt key, but this is a setting the user can change. On Mac, shortcuts are disabled by default. Call qt_set_sequence_auto_mnemonic() to enable them. However, because mnemonic shortcuts do not fit in with Aqua's guidelines, Qt will not show the shortcut character underlined.

For applications that use menus, it may be more convenient to use the convenience functions provided in the QMenu class to assign keyboard shortcuts to menu items as they are created. Alternatively, shortcuts may be associated with other types of actions in the QAction class.

The simplest way to create a shortcut for a particular widget is to construct the shortcut with a key sequence. For example:

     shortcut = new QShortcut(QKeySequence(tr("Ctrl+O", "File|Open")),
                              parent);

When the user types the key sequence for a given shortcut, the shortcut's activated() signal is emitted. (In the case of ambiguity, the activatedAmbiguously() signal is emitted.) A shortcut is "listened for" by Qt's event loop when the shortcut's parent widget is receiving events.

A shortcut's key sequence can be set with setKey() and retrieved with key(). A shortcut can be enabled or disabled with setEnabled(), and can have "What's This?" help text set with setWhatsThis().

See also QShortcutEvent, QKeySequence, and QAction.

## Property Documentation

### autoRepeat : bool

This property holds whether the shortcut can auto repeat

If true, the shortcut will auto repeat when the keyboard shortcut combination is held down, provided that keyboard auto repeat is enabled on the system. The default value is true.

Access functions:

bool | autoRepeat() const
void | setAutoRepeat(bool on)

### context : Qt::ShortcutContext

This property holds the context in which the shortcut is valid

A shortcut's context decides in which circumstances a shortcut is allowed to be triggered. The normal context is Qt::WindowShortcut, which allows the shortcut to trigger if the parent (the widget containing the shortcut) is a subwidget of the active top-level window.

By default, this property is set to Qt::WindowShortcut.

Access functions:

Qt::ShortcutContext | context() const
void | setContext(Qt::ShortcutContext context)

### enabled : bool

This property holds whether the shortcut is enabled

An enabled shortcut emits the activated() or activatedAmbiguously() signal when a QShortcutEvent occurs that matches the shortcut's key() sequence.

If the application is in `WhatsThis` mode the shortcut will not emit the signals, but will show the "What's This?" text instead.

By default, this property is `true`.

Access functions:

bool | isEnabled() const
void | setEnabled(bool enable)

See also whatsThis.

### key : QKeySequence

This property holds the shortcut's primary key sequence

This is a key sequence with an optional combination of Shift, Ctrl, and Alt. The key sequence may be supplied in a number of ways:

     setKey(0);                  // no signal emitted
     setKey(QKeySequence());     // no signal emitted
     setKey(0x3b1);              // Greek letter alpha
     setKey(Qt::Key_D);              // 'd', e.g. to delete
     setKey('q');                // 'q', e.g. to quit
     setKey(Qt::CTRL | Qt::Key_P);       // Ctrl+P, e.g. to print document
     setKey("Ctrl+P");           // Ctrl+P, e.g. to print document

By default, this property contains an empty key sequence.

Access functions:

QKeySequence | key() const
void | setKey(const QKeySequence &key)

## Member Function Documentation

### `[explicit]` QShortcut::QShortcut(QObject *parent)

Constructs a QShortcut object for the parent, which should be a QWindow or a QWidget.

Since no shortcut key sequence is specified, the shortcut will not emit any signals.

See also setKey().

### `[explicit, since 6.0]` QShortcut::QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey standardKey, QObject *parent, const char *member = nullptr, const char *ambiguousMember = nullptr, Qt::ShortcutContext context = Qt::WindowShortcut)

Constructs a QShortcut object for the parent, which should be a QWindow or a QWidget.

The shortcut operates on its parent, listening for QShortcutEvents that match the standardKey. Depending on the ambiguity of the event, the shortcut will call the member function, or the ambiguousMember function, if the key press was in the shortcut's context.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

### `[explicit]` QShortcut::QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const char *member = nullptr, const char *ambiguousMember = nullptr, Qt::ShortcutContext context = Qt::WindowShortcut)

Constructs a QShortcut object for the parent, which should be a QWindow or a QWidget.

The shortcut operates on its parent, listening for QShortcutEvents that match the key sequence. Depending on the ambiguity of the event, the shortcut will call the member function, or the ambiguousMember function, if the key press was in the shortcut's context.

### `[since 6.0]` template <typename Functor> QShortcut::QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

### template <typename Functor> QShortcut::QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor.

### `[since 6.0]` template <typename Functor> QShortcut::QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor.

The functor can be a pointer to a member function of the context object.

If the context object is destroyed, the functor will not be called.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

### template <typename Functor> QShortcut::QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor.

The functor can be a pointer to a member function of the context object.

If the context object is destroyed, the functor will not be called.

### `[since 6.0]` template <typename Functor, typename FunctorAmbiguous> QShortcut::QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor and activatedAmbiguously() signal to the functorAmbiguous.

The functor and functorAmbiguous can be a pointer to a member function of the context object.

If the context object is destroyed, the functor and functorAmbiguous will not be called.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

### template <typename Functor, typename FunctorAmbiguous> QShortcut::QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context, Functor functor, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor and activatedAmbiguously() signal to the functorAmbiguous.

The functor and functorAmbiguous can be a pointer to a member function of the context object.

If the context object is destroyed, the functor and functorAmbiguous will not be called.

### `[since 6.0]` template <typename Functor, typename FunctorAmbiguous> QShortcut::QShortcut(QKeySequence::StandardKey key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context1, Functor functor, const QObject *context2, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor and activatedAmbiguously() signal to the functorAmbiguous.

The functor can be a pointer to a member function of the context1 object. The functorAmbiguous can be a pointer to a member function of the context2 object.

If the context1 object is destroyed, the functor will not be called. If the context2 object is destroyed, the functorAmbiguous will not be called.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

### template <typename Functor, typename FunctorAmbiguous> QShortcut::QShortcut(const QKeySequence &key, QObject *parent, const QObject *context1, Functor functor, const QObject *context2, FunctorAmbiguous functorAmbiguous, Qt::ShortcutContext shortcutContext = Qt::WindowShortcut)

This is an overloaded function.

This is a QShortcut convenience constructor which connects the shortcut's activated() signal to the functor and activatedAmbiguously() signal to the functorAmbiguous.

The functor can be a pointer to a member function of the context1 object. The functorAmbiguous can be a pointer to a member function of the context2 object.

If the context1 object is destroyed, the functor will not be called. If the context2 object is destroyed, the functorAmbiguous will not be called.

### `[virtual noexcept]` QShortcut::~QShortcut()

Destroys the shortcut.

### `[signal]` void QShortcut::activated()

This signal is emitted when the user types the shortcut's key sequence.

See also activatedAmbiguously().

### `[signal]` void QShortcut::activatedAmbiguously()

When a key sequence is being typed at the keyboard, it is said to be ambiguous as long as it matches the start of more than one shortcut.

When a shortcut's key sequence is completed, activatedAmbiguously() is emitted if the key sequence is still ambiguous (i.e., it is the start of one or more other shortcuts). The activated() signal is not emitted in this case.

See also activated().

### `[since 6.0]` QList<QKeySequence> QShortcut::keys() const

Returns the list of key sequences which trigger this shortcut.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

See also key and setKeys().

### QWidget *QShortcut::parentWidget() const

Returns the shortcut's parent widget.

### `[since 6.0]` void QShortcut::setKeys(QKeySequence::StandardKey key)

Sets the triggers to those matching the standard key key.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

See also key and keys().

### `[since 6.0]` void QShortcut::setKeys(const QList<QKeySequence> &keys)

Sets keys as the list of key sequences that trigger the shortcut.

This function was introduced in Qt 6.0.

See also key and keys().

### void QShortcut::setWhatsThis(const QString &text)

Sets the shortcut's "What's This?" help text.

The text will be shown when a widget application is in "What's This?" mode and the user types the shortcut key() sequence.

To set "What's This?" help on a menu item (with or without a shortcut key), set the help on the item's action.

By default, the help text is an empty string.

This function has no effect in applications that don't use widgets.

See also whatsThis(), QWhatsThis::inWhatsThisMode(), and QAction::setWhatsThis().

### QString QShortcut::whatsThis() const

Returns the shortcut's "What's This?" help text.

See also setWhatsThis().