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Hotkeys API Reference

createFormatForDisplay

ts
function createFormatForDisplay(): {
  (hotkey, options): string[][];
  (hotkey, options): string[];
  (hotkey, options?): string;
  (hotkey, options): string | string[] | string[][];
};

Defined in: createFormatForDisplay.ts:21

Returns formatForDisplay with the provider's platform as the default, so labels match the user's platform. Call in a component; the returned function works anywhere, and JSX updates when the provider's platform changes. An explicit platform option wins.

Server-rendered apps should set the provider's defaultOptions.platform from the request user agent with detectPlatform(userAgent).

Returns

ts
(hotkey, options): string[][];

Formats a hotkey for display in a user interface.

On macOS, uses symbols (⇧⌘S) in Control, Option, Shift, Command order. Display ordering does not change the normalized hotkey used for registration. On Windows/Linux, uses text (Ctrl+Shift+S) with + separators. The separator can be customized with separatorToken. Physical codes use conventional display labels: [KeyS] becomes S and [Digit2] becomes 2. These labels do not infer the active keyboard layout or change matching. Supply a resolved layoutMap for layout-aware labels; keyLabels overrides both layout entries and fallback labels. Sequence steps are formatted individually and joined with sequenceSeparator (a space by default).

A key reported by a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key from KeyStateTracker, can be outside the key types: pass it as { key }.

Parameters

hotkey

readonly DisplayHotkeyChord[]

A logical or physical hotkey string, raw object, ParsedHotkeyChord, or sequence

options

FormatDisplayOptions & object

Formatting options

Returns

string[][]

Display text, or individual key labels when parts is true (one array per step for sequences)

Example

ts
formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧ ⌘ S' (symbols separated by spaces on macOS)

formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'windows' })
// Returns: 'Ctrl+Shift+S'

formatForDisplay('Escape')
// Returns: 'Esc' (on all platforms)

formatForDisplay('Shift', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧'

formatForDisplay({ key: heldKey })
// A key from a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key

formatForDisplay(['G', 'H'])
// Returns: 'G H'
ts
(hotkey, options): string[];

Formats a hotkey for display in a user interface.

On macOS, uses symbols (⇧⌘S) in Control, Option, Shift, Command order. Display ordering does not change the normalized hotkey used for registration. On Windows/Linux, uses text (Ctrl+Shift+S) with + separators. The separator can be customized with separatorToken. Physical codes use conventional display labels: [KeyS] becomes S and [Digit2] becomes 2. These labels do not infer the active keyboard layout or change matching. Supply a resolved layoutMap for layout-aware labels; keyLabels overrides both layout entries and fallback labels. Sequence steps are formatted individually and joined with sequenceSeparator (a space by default).

A key reported by a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key from KeyStateTracker, can be outside the key types: pass it as { key }.

Parameters

hotkey

DisplayHotkeyChord

A logical or physical hotkey string, raw object, ParsedHotkeyChord, or sequence

options

FormatDisplayOptions & object

Formatting options

Returns

string[]

Display text, or individual key labels when parts is true (one array per step for sequences)

Example

ts
formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧ ⌘ S' (symbols separated by spaces on macOS)

formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'windows' })
// Returns: 'Ctrl+Shift+S'

formatForDisplay('Escape')
// Returns: 'Esc' (on all platforms)

formatForDisplay('Shift', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧'

formatForDisplay({ key: heldKey })
// A key from a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key

formatForDisplay(['G', 'H'])
// Returns: 'G H'
ts
(hotkey, options?): string;

Formats a hotkey for display in a user interface.

On macOS, uses symbols (⇧⌘S) in Control, Option, Shift, Command order. Display ordering does not change the normalized hotkey used for registration. On Windows/Linux, uses text (Ctrl+Shift+S) with + separators. The separator can be customized with separatorToken. Physical codes use conventional display labels: [KeyS] becomes S and [Digit2] becomes 2. These labels do not infer the active keyboard layout or change matching. Supply a resolved layoutMap for layout-aware labels; keyLabels overrides both layout entries and fallback labels. Sequence steps are formatted individually and joined with sequenceSeparator (a space by default).

A key reported by a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key from KeyStateTracker, can be outside the key types: pass it as { key }.

Parameters

hotkey

DisplayHotkey

A logical or physical hotkey string, raw object, ParsedHotkeyChord, or sequence

options?

FormatDisplayOptions & object

Formatting options

Returns

string

Display text, or individual key labels when parts is true (one array per step for sequences)

Example

ts
formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧ ⌘ S' (symbols separated by spaces on macOS)

formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'windows' })
// Returns: 'Ctrl+Shift+S'

formatForDisplay('Escape')
// Returns: 'Esc' (on all platforms)

formatForDisplay('Shift', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧'

formatForDisplay({ key: heldKey })
// A key from a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key

formatForDisplay(['G', 'H'])
// Returns: 'G H'
ts
(hotkey, options): string | string[] | string[][];

Formats a hotkey for display in a user interface.

On macOS, uses symbols (⇧⌘S) in Control, Option, Shift, Command order. Display ordering does not change the normalized hotkey used for registration. On Windows/Linux, uses text (Ctrl+Shift+S) with + separators. The separator can be customized with separatorToken. Physical codes use conventional display labels: [KeyS] becomes S and [Digit2] becomes 2. These labels do not infer the active keyboard layout or change matching. Supply a resolved layoutMap for layout-aware labels; keyLabels overrides both layout entries and fallback labels. Sequence steps are formatted individually and joined with sequenceSeparator (a space by default).

A key reported by a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key from KeyStateTracker, can be outside the key types: pass it as { key }.

Parameters

hotkey

DisplayHotkey

A logical or physical hotkey string, raw object, ParsedHotkeyChord, or sequence

options

FormatDisplayOptions

Formatting options

Returns

string | string[] | string[][]

Display text, or individual key labels when parts is true (one array per step for sequences)

Example

ts
formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧ ⌘ S' (symbols separated by spaces on macOS)

formatForDisplay('Mod+Shift+S', { platform: 'windows' })
// Returns: 'Ctrl+Shift+S'

formatForDisplay('Escape')
// Returns: 'Esc' (on all platforms)

formatForDisplay('Shift', { platform: 'mac' })
// Returns: '⇧'

formatForDisplay({ key: heldKey })
// A key from a KeyboardEvent, such as a held key

formatForDisplay(['G', 'H'])
// Returns: 'G H'

Example

tsx
function SaveButton() {
  const format = createFormatForDisplay()
  return <kbd>{format('Mod+S')}</kbd>
}