Keyboard Shortcuts

Status: Current Last updated: 2026-03-30 13:40 EDT

This chapter lists all keyboard shortcuts provided by the TalkBank CHAT extension, grouped by feature area. All shortcuts are active only when a .cha file is open in the editor (editorLangId == chat), unless otherwise noted.

Media Playback

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Play Media at Cursor	`Cmd+Shift+Enter`	`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	CHAT file open
Play Media Continuously	`Cmd+Shift+/`	`Ctrl+Shift+/`	CHAT file open
Rewind Media (2 s)	`F8`	`F8`	CHAT file open
Toggle Segment Loop	`Shift+F5`	`Shift+F5`	CHAT file open
Show Waveform View	`Cmd+Shift+W`	`Ctrl+Shift+W`	CHAT file open

Walker Mode

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Walker: Next Utterance	`Alt+Down`	`Alt+Down`	CHAT file open
Walker: Previous Utterance	`Alt+Up`	`Alt+Up`	CHAT file open

Transcription Mode

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Stamp Timestamp Bullet	`F4`	`F4`	Transcription mode active

The F4 key is only active when transcription mode has been started via TalkBank: Start Transcription Mode (the talkbank.transcriptionActive context is set).

Coder Mode

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Coder: Next Utterance	`Cmd+Enter`	`Ctrl+Enter`	Coder mode active
Coder: Insert Code	`Cmd+Shift+C`	`Ctrl+Shift+C`	Coder mode active

These keys are only active when coder mode has been started via TalkBank: Start Coder Mode (the talkbank.coderActive context is set).

Review Mode

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Review: Next Flagged	`Alt+]`	`Alt+]`	Review mode active
Review: Previous Flagged	`Alt+[`	`Alt+[`	Review mode active
Review: Rate Good	`1`	`1`	Review mode active, not editing text
Review: Rate Early	`2`	`2`	Review mode active, not editing text
Review: Rate Late	`3`	`3`	Review mode active, not editing text
Review: Rate Wrong	`4`	`4`	Review mode active, not editing text
Review: Skip	`5`	`5`	Review mode active, not editing text

The number keys (1-5) for rating are active only when the editor does not have text focus (!editorTextFocus). This prevents accidental ratings while typing corrections. Click outside the text area (e.g., on the editor margin or the media panel) to enable the rating keys.

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Show Dependency Graph	`Cmd+Shift+G`	`Ctrl+Shift+G`	CHAT file open

Special Character Input

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	When Active
Insert CA Special Character	`Cmd+Shift+1`	`Ctrl+Shift+1`	Editor focused, CHAT file
Insert CHAT Special Character	`Cmd+Shift+2`	`Ctrl+Shift+2`	Editor focused, CHAT file

Standard VS Code Shortcuts (CHAT-Aware)

These are standard VS Code shortcuts that gain CHAT-specific behavior through the extension’s LSP:

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	Description
Quick Fix	`Cmd+.`	`Ctrl+.`	Show available code actions (fixes for 21 error codes)
Rename	`F2`	`F2`	Rename speaker code across the entire file
Find All References	`Shift+F12`	`Shift+F12`	Find all occurrences of a speaker code
Go to Definition	`F12` or `Cmd+Click`	`F12` or `Ctrl+Click`	Jump to speaker declaration or aligned tier
Document Symbols	`Cmd+Shift+O`	`Ctrl+Shift+O`	Navigate utterances by speaker in the outline
Workspace Symbols	`Cmd+T`	`Ctrl+T`	Search across all open CHAT files
Format Document	`Shift+Alt+F`	`Shift+Alt+F`	Reformat to canonical CHAT form
Open Problems	`Cmd+Shift+M`	`Ctrl+Shift+M`	Show all diagnostics in the Problems panel

Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

To change any keybinding:

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
Select Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts
Search for “talkbank” to see all extension keybindings
Click the pencil icon next to any shortcut to assign a new key combination

Transcription Keybinding Configuration

The extension provides a dedicated command for configuring transcription keys:

Open the Command Palette
Select TalkBank: Configure Transcription Keybindings
The keybindings editor opens, pre-filtered to show only TalkBank transcription commands (stamp, rewind, loop)

This is the recommended way to remap keys for foot pedals or other input devices.

Keybindings in keybindings.json

For manual configuration, add entries to your keybindings.json:

[
  {
    "key": "f9",
    "command": "talkbank.stampBullet",
    "when": "editorLangId == chat && talkbank.transcriptionActive"
  },
  {
    "key": "f10",
    "command": "talkbank.rewindMedia",
    "when": "editorLangId == chat"
  }
]

The when clause ensures the keybinding is only active in the appropriate context.

Settings Reference – extension settings
Transcription Workflow – transcription mode details
Coding Workflow – coder mode details
Post-Alignment Review – review mode details

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