Use ShortcutKey2URL to make your browser operation more comfortable

onozaty
5 min readOct 5, 2021

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ShortcutKey2URL is a very useful extension for Chrome/Firefox that I have been using for a long time, so I would like to introduce it as an article.

What is ShortcutKey2URL

This is an extension that allows you to open and navigate URLs and execute JavaScript using shortcut keys.
The startup key will display a list of pre-defined actions, and the next key will execute the action.

The following are some of the actions that can be set.

  • Jump to URL. For already opened URL, go to that tab. Open it as a new tab if it is not already open.
  • Open URL in new tab.
  • Open URL in current tab.
  • Execute the JavaScript on the current tab.
  • Open URL as a new tab and then execute the JavaScript.

About what you find useful

Shortcut keys are not limited to a single character

When the number of things you want to register as shortcuts increases, you may find that the keys overlap.
With ShortcutKey2URL, you can specify not only a single key but also multiple keys, so there is no problem even if the number of shortcuts increases.

For example, Google provides multiple services, and you can set the first letter as G and the second letter as the first letter of each service.

When a key is entered consecutively, the system is designed to execute the action once the shortcut target is narrowed down to one.

You can jump to an already open tab

Jump to url is a shortcut key action.
When this is specified, the behavior is as follows.

  • If the URL is already open, go to that tab.
    URLs are compared by forward matching.
  • If the URL is not already open, open it as a new tab.

For frequently opened sites (e.g. Twitter), it is very convenient to use jump to url to move to an already open tab without opening a new tab each time.

Bookmarklets can be registered

In addition to the url, you can also register a bookmarklet.
Bookmarklets can be specified as an Execute script.

javascript: can be used with or without it.

JavaScript can be executed after the URL is opened

You can also set up JavaScript to be executed immediately after opening a URL.
If you enter the JavaScript you want to execute in the Script (Optional) field, the JavaScript will be executed when you open or navigate to the URL.

For example, right after opening a website, you may want to

  • I want to change the initial focus position.
  • I want to put a value in the input form as the initial value.

This will allow you to do such things as.

Usage

Install

Install from below.

Setting the Startup Key

The startup key is, by default, Ctrl+. (period).
On Mac, it is Command+,(comma).

You can change it by going to Menu > More Tools > Extensions > Keyboard shortcuts.

How to operate

When you press the startup key, a pop-up window will appear with a list of shortcuts.

Entering a key in the list will execute the corresponding shortcut.

Shortcut settings

Set the shortcut keys in the Options screen.

The Options screen can be accessed from the Options link on the pop-up screen.

You can also navigate to Options in the Extensions menu.

Settings

Column count specifies the number of columns for the shortcut to be displayed in the popup.
On the left is the case when 2 is specified, and on the right is the case when 3 is specified.

If you check the Interactive filter of shortcut keys on the popupin Option, you can interactively filter the shortcuts to be displayed in the popup.

Shortcut Keys

By clicking Add current page, you can easily set the current page as a shortcut key.

It can also be added from the context menu.

Set the Key to be assigned as a shortcut key. It can be multiple characters.
After pressing the Startup key, you can execute the shortcut by pressing the key you set here.

If you check the Hide in shortcut key list displayed in popup, you can hide the shortcut key in the list of shortcuts displayed in popup.
It will only be hidden, but it is still a valid shortcut key.

Specify the action to be taken as a shortcut key in Action.
The following items can be specified.

  • Jump to URL
    If the URL is already open, go to that tab.
    URLs are compared by forward matching.
  • Open url in new tab
  • Open url in current tab
  • Execute script
    Execute the specified JavaScript in the current tab.

By specifying Script (optional), you can execute any JavaScript after opening the URL.

Import / Export

The list of shortcut keys can be exported/imported.
This allows you to make backups and migrations. (e.g. migration between Firefox and Chrome).

Support

It is developed on GitHub.

If you have any questions or requests, please ask on GitHub.

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