Navigate any code editor from a game controller
The Code Editor Navigation layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: Uses keys most Mac editors share. Two rows differ by editor, redo and tab switching, so check them against yours, as below.
Yes, you can read and move through code on a Mac from a game controller in almost any editor: save, find, undo and redo on the face buttons, tabs and lines on the D-pad. It uses keys most Mac editors share, and two rows differ by editor, so check them once. The words of code come from your voice or your keyboard time. The controller carries everything around them.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Common commands. Save (Command S), Find (Command F) and Undo (Command Z) on the bottom, right and left face buttons.
- Move. D-pad up and down move a line, D-pad left and right switch tabs.
- Point and scroll. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick scrolls, the right trigger clicks.
Check the two rows that differ by editor
Step 1: Redo
- You: Change the top face button from Command Option Z to Command Shift Z.
- InputConfig: Sends the redo key most Mac editors use, VS Code and Xcode included.
- Check: Undo something with the left face button, then press the top one. The change comes back.
Step 2: Tabs
- You: In Xcode, change D-pad left and right to Command Shift Left Bracket and Command Shift Right Bracket.
- InputConfig: Sends Command Option and the arrows until you change them, which switch editor tabs in VS Code and its forks but fold and unfold code in Xcode.
- Check: Press D-pad right with two files open. The next tab comes forward.
Two rows checked, and the layout works in any editor.
Work with one hand, RSI or no typing
People who search for coding with one hand or without hands are rarely after a gimmick. The split is this: the words come from your voice or the keyboard time your hands allow, and a controller carries the rest. For the words, macOS Voice Control is built in, and Talon is a hands-free coding tool with a Mac version that many developers with RSI use.
- Word jumps and selection. Option and the arrows behind one chord, Shift plus the same behind another.
- Held arrows. Turn on Repeat keys while held in the line rows' Options.
- One hand. A single Joy-Con held sideways carries a stick and four buttons. The one-handed guide builds that.
Let your voice write the code and your thumbs move around it.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Code Editor Navigation and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll down |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Click |
| A / Cross | Command (Left), S | Save |
| B / Circle | Command (Left), F | Find |
| X / Square | Command (Left), Z | Undo |
| Y / Triangle | Command (Left), Alt / Option (Left), Z | Redo |
| D-pad left | Command (Left), Alt / Option (Left), Left | Previous tab |
| D-pad right | Command (Left), Alt / Option (Left), Right | Next tab |
| D-pad up | Up | Line up |
| D-pad down | Down | Line down |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Which editors does it work in?
Any that uses the standard Mac shortcuts, after the two checks above. VS Code and Xcode have their own pages with more.
Can you code with one hand on a Mac?
Yes, with a split: dictation or a voice coding tool for the words, and a controller or a single Joy-Con for moving, selecting, saving and running.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated