Question

Basically I have run-time loaded class that looks like this:

[Plugin("Plugin name")]
class PluginActions
{
  [Action("Flip Normals")
  public void FlipNormals()
  {
    // code ....
  }

  [Action("Export .X object")
  public void ExportX()
  {
    // code ....
  }
}

This basically adds buttons to the form with the onClick eventhandlers set up.

Now I would like to specify HOTKEYs in the same style using attributes:

[Plugin("Plugin name")]
class PluginActions
{
  [Action("Flip Normals", Hotkey = "Ctrl+N")
  public void FlipNormals()
  {
    // code ....
  }

  [Action("Export .X object", Hotkey = "Ctrl+E")
  public void ExportX()
  {
    // code ....
  }
}

The question is, how to represent and capture the hotkeys? As strings? Is there perhaps a class for that?

void Form_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
  // reflection magic ...

  foreach(var action in actionAttributes)
  {
    string action_hotkey = action.hotkey;

    /**** How to match KeyEventArgs against action_hotkey? ****/
  }
}

Is there a .net helper class for dealing with hotkeys?

Or do i have to roll out my own hotkey class of some kind?

What is the correct approach here?

Answer 1

There is the Keys enumeration in the System.Windows.Forms namespace. Then for hotkey Ctrl+A you can write something like this:

public class Action : Attribute {
  public Keys HotKey {get;set;} 
}


[Action(HotKey = (Keys.Control | Keys.A))]
public void MyMethod() {
  ...
}