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Pocket Letter Chords inserts saved text with overlapping letter keys
Hold two saved letter keys to insert a phrase in the editor.
MIT · no telemetry · core features free
- version
- 1.1.0
- downloads
- 20
- review
- Passed
- health
- Excellent
- license
- MIT
- listed for
- Desktop, Mobile
- obsidian
- 1.13.4 or later
Automated desktop checks use synthetic key events. Physical tablet keyboards, pop-out windows and device keyboard timing remain untested.
Directory facts fetched from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.
About Pocket Letter Chords
You use a physical keyboard and want saved phrases on letter pairs while editing Markdown notes.
Save a letter pair and the text it should insert. Hold one letter, then press the other before the fixed 80 ms window ends. Pocket Letter Chords inserts the phrase once when the holds overlap.
Ordinary typing can overlap too. Try rare pairs in a sample note and pause chord input during normal writing.
Play demoFree features
Save two-letter chords
The default dictionary holds pairs of different lowercase ASCII letters and static text. Edit its JSON list and select Save. Invalid rows leave the saved dictionary unchanged.
Insert with overlapping keys
Either press order can trigger a saved pair within 80 ms, while both letters remain held. The saved text replaces your selection in a focused Markdown editor with one cursor. Release the keys before the next chord cycle.
Keep unbound input
A pending letter waits for release or the window ending. Unbound pairs keep press order, while modifiers, uppercase input and text composition pass through. Buffering can add a short delay to an isolated chord letter.
Pause and resume
Run Pause or resume chord input, or use the settings toggle. The saved pause state survives reloads alongside your dictionaries. The command has no default hotkey.
Pro features
Pro costs $5 a month or $15 one time through GitHub Sponsors. One sponsorship turns on Pro in every plugin that has it.
Folder dictionaries Pro
Save a dictionary for a vault folder and its children. The longest complete folder path wins and replaces the default set. Without Pro, input uses the default dictionary.
Dictionary files Pro
Import a local JSON file into the draft, inspect it and select Save. Export downloads the valid draft as pocket-letter-chords.json. Limits are 1 MB per import, 500 bindings and 10,000 characters per value.
Three-letter chords Pro
Three different lowercase ASCII letters must overlap within the same 80 ms window. A pair contained in a triple is rejected, as are duplicate key sets. Without Pro, saved triples stay stored but input ignores them.
Set up Pocket Letter Chords
needs
- Obsidian 1.13.4 or later
- A physical keyboard that reports overlapping letter key holds.
steps
Run Edit the chord dictionary from the command palette.
Enter
[{"keys":"qw","text":"Done"}]and select Save.Focus a Markdown note for editing, hold q and press w before 80 ms ends.
Release both keys and use Undo if you need to restore the previous text.
If the app can't find a new plugin yet, try again later. Obsidian says a plugin that passes the review shows in the app within 24 hours.
Known limits of Pocket Letter Chords
- Chords need different lowercase ASCII letters and overlapping holds within a fixed 80 ms window.
- Ordinary typing can overlap and insert a saved phrase; choose rare pairs or pause chord input.
- The handler requires a focused Markdown editor with one cursor.
- Buffering can briefly delay an isolated chord letter.
- Folder dictionaries replace the default set rather than merging with it.
- A pair contained in a triple and duplicate key sets are rejected.
- Imported dictionary files are limited to 1 MB, with 500 bindings and 10,000 characters per value.
- Without Pro, saved triples stay stored but input ignores them; remove triples before saving a free dictionary edit.
- Physical tablet keyboards, screen keyboards, pop-out editors and native IME candidate entry remain untested.
- Synthetic desktop events do not prove device keyboard timing, and dictionary downloads were tested only in the desktop app.
Need a change for your team? I build custom Obsidian plugins and features.
Questions about Pocket Letter Chords
Why did normal typing insert a phrase?
Your letters overlapped within the chord window. Choose a rare pair or pause chord input. Releasing the first letter before pressing the second prevents that chord.
Can I use a screen keyboard?
The plugin needs overlapping key holds. A screen keyboard that sends completed text can't provide them. Physical tablet keyboards remain untested.
Does saved text run a template or command?
Values insert as literal text, including Unicode and newlines. They don't run templates, JavaScript or commands.
Where do my dictionaries stay?
Dictionaries and pause state stay in the vault plugin data.json. Export creates a separate local file. Inserted phrases remain normal Markdown text after you disable the plugin.
What happens with several cursors?
The handler requires one cursor in the focused Markdown editor. Multiple cursors, settings fields and Reading view use normal input.
Network use
After you select Sign in with GitHub, device-flow requests send the public client ID, read:user scope and authorization codes to github.com. Authenticated sponsorship queries to api.github.com request your tier and total payment, without note content, file names or other vault data. No requests precede sign-in; successful checks last seven days, failed checks can retry after six hours, and Refresh checks sooner.
Questions or ideas?
Tell me what is broken in Pocket Letter Chords, or what it should do next.
Pocket Letter Chords 1.1.0, MIT license
MIT · no telemetry · core features free
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