Add support for Ctrl modifier key and classic keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+A)

[Miller777-dev]

Dear LeanType developers,

First of all, thank you for this great open-source keyboard — it's lightweight, privacy-friendly, and highly customizable.

I would like to request a feature that would significantly improve productivity for users who type a lot of text:

Add a Ctrl modifier key and support for classic keyboard shortcuts like:

Ctrl + C — Copy

Ctrl + V — Paste

Ctrl + X — Cut

Ctrl + A — Select All

Ctrl + Z — Undo (optional)

Ctrl + Y — Redo (optional)

Ctrl + S — Save (optional)

Ctrl + F — Find (optional)

Why this is important:

Many users are accustomed to these shortcuts from desktop environments and physical keyboards.

Other Android keyboards (e.g., jbak2, ru7pro, Hackers Keyboard) already support this natively.

It would make LeanType a more viable alternative for power users who rely on text editing on mobile devices.

Technical note:
This can be implemented by tracking the state of the Ctrl key (pressed/released) and intercepting subsequent key presses via InputConnection. The shortcut actions can then be mapped to standard EditorInfo commands like EditorInfo.IME_ACTION_COPY, EditorInfo.IME_ACTION_PASTE, etc.

Suggested implementation:

Add a new key type: "modifier": "ctrl" in layout JSON

When Ctrl is held and a letter key is pressed, execute the corresponding shortcut instead of inserting the character

Visual feedback (e.g., highlighted Ctrl key when active) would be a nice bonus

Use case:
As a user, I want to place a Ctrl key on the left side of the bottom row (next to ?123) and use it with C, V, X, A for fast text manipulation — just like on a physical keyboard.

I hope you consider adding this feature. It would make LeanType not just a minimalist Gboard alternative, but a truly professional-grade keyboard.

Thank you for your time and effort!

P.S. I can help with testing if needed.

[Karthikn341]

its already have, if you looking fir control key

[ [ { "label": "shift", "width": 0.15 }, { "type": "placeholder" }, { "label": "delete", "width": 0.15 } ], [ { "label": "symbol_alpha", "width": 0.15 }, { "$": "variation_selector", "default": { "label": "comma" }, "email": { "label": "@", "groupId": 1, "type": "function" }, "uri": { "label": "/", "groupId": 1, "type": "function" } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "languageKeyEnabled": { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "alphabet": { "label": "language_switch" } } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "emojiKeyEnabled": { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "alphabet": { "label": "emoji" } } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "symbols": { "label": "numpad" } }, { "label": "space" }, { "label": "©", "code": -1, "width": 0.15 }, { "label": "period", "labelFlags": 1073741824 }, { "label": "action", "width": 0.15 } ] ]

its my function json

[Miller777-dev]

Thank you for the suggestion! However, I think there might be a slight misunderstanding. The JSON you provided adds a visual key with a custom label (like "©" or any other symbol), but it doesn't implement the modifier logic for Ctrl.

What I'm requesting is the actual modifier behavior:

When you hold the Ctrl key and press C, it should trigger Copy (not insert the letter "c").

When you hold Ctrl and press V, it should trigger Paste, etc.

This requires tracking the state of the Ctrl key (pressed/released) and intercepting subsequent key presses via InputConnection — which is currently not supported in LeanType.

That's why this Feature Request is about adding a real Ctrl modifier key, not just a button with a custom label. I hope this clarifies the difference — or perhaps I misunderstood your suggestion.

[Karthikn341]

If i label "ctrl" i feel something wired in Keyboard, so i use custom label to display..
however its a control key, it will work fine ctrl +a, ctrl +v etc

Record_2026-09-09-20-22-44_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12.mp4

i hope i understand correctly

[Miller777-dev]

I tried to create a custom layout with a Ctrl modifier key, but the keyboard fails to load it and keeps showing an error. Could someone please take a look and let me know what might be wrong with the JSON?

I've attached my layout file below. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[ [ { "label": "shift", "width": 0.15 }, { "type": "placeholder" }, { "label": "delete", "width": 0.15 } ], [ { "label": "symbol_alpha", "width": 0.13 }, { "label": "⌘", "width": 0.10, "modifier": "ctrl" }, { "$": "variation_selector", "default": { "label": "comma", "width": 0.10 }, "email": { "label": "@", "groupId": 1, "type": "function", "width": 0.10 }, "uri": { "label": "/", "groupId": 1, "type": "function", "width": 0.10 } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "languageKeyEnabled": { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "alphabet": { "label": "language_switch", "width": 0.10 } } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "symbols": { "label": "numpad", "width": 0.10 } }, { "label": "space", "width": 0.35 }, { "label": "period", "labelFlags": 1073741824, "width": 0.10 }, { "label": "action", "width": 0.15 } ] ]

[Karthikn341]

[ [ { "label": "shift", "width": 0.15 }, { "type": "placeholder" }, { "label": "delete", "width": 0.15 } ], [ { "label": "symbol_alpha", "width": 0.13 }, { "label": "⌘", "width": 0.1, "code": -1 }, { "$": "variation_selector", "default": { "label": "comma", "width": 0.1 }, "email": { "label": "@", "groupId": 1, "type": "function", "width": 0.1 }, "uri": { "label": "/", "groupId": 1, "type": "function", "width": 0.1 } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "languageKeyEnabled": { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "alphabet": { "label": "language_switch", "width": 0.1 } } }, { "$": "keyboard_state_selector", "symbols": { "label": "numpad", "width": 0.1 } }, { "label": "space", "width": 0.35 }, { "label": "period", "labelFlags": 1073741824, "width": 0.1 }, { "label": "action", "width": 0.15 } ] ]