How to use certain keymaps of IntelliJ Idea with german Mac Keyboard

Question

update

I'm using us layout now. But the problem is that the key bindings are not bound to the characters a key would produce but to the key itself. So for example commenting is cmd+- as - is on the same key on German layout as / on us. So cmd+\ translates to cmd+- on German layout. It's not fixed on Idea14, don't know about 15.

When using default shortcuts of IntelliJ Idea, some of them are not working properly on a German Keyboard. Mostly because there is a key that is available without pressing Shift on an us layout. E.g. pressing Cmd+; can only be achieved by pressing Cmd+Shift+, on a german layout, so this keymapping for opening the projects structure doesn't work. I helped myself out by mapping Cmd+Shift+, instead of Cmd+;.

However for Cmd+/ (toggle line comment; Cmd+Shift+7 on german layout), this is not working. First problem of course is that Cmd+Shift+7 is already mapped unlike Cmd+Shift+,. So I tried to remap to Cmd+Shift+L which wasn't mapped already, but the comment toggling won't work.

I gotta add that I'm using IdeaVim Plugin and I have three different options that are called "Comment with (Line|Block) comment", all under a different hierarchy (Code->Folding, Plugins->IdeaVim and just Other. Which one is the right?

How do you tackle these problems on a non-us layout and a mac keyboard?

Solution 1

Try this out, CMD + _ on the German keyboard for comment: https://victorvolle.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/intellij-german-keyboard-shortcuts-reference/

Solution 2

This thread on their bug database has better answers:

https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-63779#tab=Comments

Specifically, go to Find Action..., type "Registry", scroll down to

ide.non.english.keyboard.layout.fix

And check the box

Solution 3

You just have to know where the shortcut symbols displayed in the editors are on a US-keyboard.

On OSX you can look this up in the Keyboard settings. Add a US-Keyboard as a source and you get the positions of the symbols displayed. On Windows there should be tools for that as well.

For example the shortcuts cmd+[ and cmd+] (for navigating back and forward) are cmd+ü and cmd++ on a german keyboard because "ü" and "+" on german keyboard are "[" and "]" on US-keyboards. I think this is alright because on a german keyboard this shortcut would not be usable because it would be wrongly interpreted as "cmd+alt+5" and "cmd+alt+6".

It's a bit ugly that the editors (PHPStorm has the same issue) don't display the right keys, but for me it wasn't a big issue anymore as soon as I learned the positions on a US-Keyboard.

Anyway I really wonder why only the symbols are affected by this issue. "Y" und "Z" keys are shown correctly in the IDE.

Solution 4

Unfortunately this is a known problem, e.g. http://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-16116 I suggest you remap the shortcuts which do not work on DE keyboard.

Solution 5

You can still use the symbols that are on the numeric pad. So instead of normal Cmd + / where you reach "/" via Shift, you can use Cmd + Num /; same goes for commands using + and - on numeric pad.

Now I do this on PC (so Ctrl instead of Cmd), but I do not see why it should not work on Mac the same way.

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Comments

[Yann Cébron]

Please file a bug with version + OS information and steps which reproduce this behavior youtrack.jetbrains.com/issues/IDEA

[ohcibi]

I dont have any numpad ob my MacBook 8-)

[ohcibi]

In fact I'm using us layout now

[QLag]

@ohcibi You can disable the default Mac OS behaviour for Cmd+Num+/ shortcut in Settings=>Keyboafrd=>Shortcuts=>AppShortcuts

[Grmpfhmbl]

This translates to CMD + SHIFT + - and will additionally 'fold all'.. very annoying behavior of IntelliJ :-(

[novice]

I think, @gopek mean CMD + -. At least, it works for me.

[fiorentinoing]

valid for Italian keyboard too