Access keys for new tab drop down menu items #8613

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opened 2026-01-31 01:33:48 +00:00 by claunia · 1 comment
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Originally created by @zackste on GitHub (May 26, 2020).

Description of the new feature/enhancement

Currently, bringing up the new tab drop down requires using arrow keys to move to each option. It would make accessibility easier if users could press access keys that correlate with each entry to jump to that entry or cycle through similarly identified entries.

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

One possible solution:
If the menu looks like the following,

  • PowerShell
  • Command Prompt
  • PSCore

  • Settings
  • Feedback
  • About

It would be helpful if a user could press p twice to select "PSCore" or c once to select "Command Prompt". This may be doable simply by setting AccessKey for each MenuFlyoutItem in TerminalPage::_CreateNewTabFlyout.

Another possible solution would be to support _ syntax, mirroring WPF's implementation in the config JSON's profile names.

Originally created by @zackste on GitHub (May 26, 2020). <!-- 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 I ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PROCEEDING: 1. If I delete this entire template and go my own path, the core team may close my issue without further explanation or engagement. 2. If I list multiple bugs/concerns in this one issue, the core team may close my issue without further explanation or engagement. 3. If I write an issue that has many duplicates, the core team may close my issue without further explanation or engagement (and without necessarily spending time to find the exact duplicate ID number). 4. If I leave the title incomplete when filing the issue, the core team may close my issue without further explanation or engagement. 5. If I file something completely blank in the body, the core team may close my issue without further explanation or engagement. All good? Then proceed! --> # Description of the new feature/enhancement Currently, bringing up the new tab drop down requires using arrow keys to move to each option. It would make accessibility easier if users could press access keys that correlate with each entry to jump to that entry or cycle through similarly identified entries. <!-- A clear and concise description of what the problem is that the new feature would solve. Describe why and how a user would use this new functionality (if applicable). --> # Proposed technical implementation details (optional) <!-- A clear and concise description of what you want to happen. --> One possible solution: If the menu looks like the following, * **P**owerShell * **C**ommand Prompt * **P**SCore * <hr> * **S**ettings * **F**eedback * **A**bout It would be helpful if a user could press `p` twice to select "PSCore" or `c` once to select "Command Prompt". This may be doable simply by setting `AccessKey` for each `MenuFlyoutItem` in `TerminalPage::_CreateNewTabFlyout`. Another possible solution would be to support `_` syntax, mirroring WPF's implementation in the config JSON's profile names.
claunia added the Issue-FeatureHelp WantedProduct-TerminalArea-UserInterface labels 2026-01-31 01:33:49 +00:00
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@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022):

This one's tricky, cause everyone's menu is gonna be different. Maybe we could assign keys based off the first unassigned character in the entry's name?

#9268 also just suggested adding numbers to activate an entry, which didn't seem like a bad idea. I'm thinking now maybe we can reveal those numbers only if the user activated the "show new tab dropdown" action specifically, rather than clicking on the button. Then we could be reasonably sure the user actually opened the menu with the keyboard.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022): This one's tricky, cause everyone's menu is gonna be different. Maybe we could assign keys based off the first unassigned character in the entry's name? #9268 also just suggested adding numbers to activate an entry, which didn't seem like a bad idea. I'm thinking now maybe we can reveal those numbers only if the user activated the "show new tab dropdown" action specifically, rather than clicking on the button. Then we could be _reasonably_ sure the user actually opened the menu with the keyboard.
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Reference: starred/terminal#8613