Hotkey or keyboard access to edit task modal from a query?

[howeik]

Is there a way I can access the edit task modal using my keyboard specifically from a query? There's a keyboard shortcut labeled Tasks: create or edit task that almost does this, but doesn't work from a query.

Example:
For my use case, I have a file for each day e.g. 2023-01-06.md where I've logged todos for the day.

- [ ] Task from 01-06.

The keyboard shortcut to edit tasks works in this file!

Now, say I'd like to aggregate all of my todos across all files, which is a view you might want for productivity (though usually with some filters). You'd have a query in all-my-tasks.md like so:

    ```tasks
    ```

However, the keyboard shortcut to edit tasks does not work in the query view (all-my-tasks.md). This is unfortunate since I imagine working out of a query is likely a common use case, and people would end up having to click the pencil icon to edit tasks or go into the original file 2023-01-06.md where the keyboard shortcut does work.

Is there something I'm missing, or some other way to achieve this? Thanks in advance.

[claremacrae]

I’m not aware of a way to do this. I don’t think that code blocks in Reading or Live Preview modes have a current cursor position, so if a command was created, I don’t know how it would know which line - and so which task - to act upon.

If you find another plugin that has a code block and allows interacting with the generated data in Reading or Live Preview, do leave a note here and I will try to have a look at its source code.

[howeik]

Thanks for the prompt response. Yeah that limitation sounds like it would be problematic.

Not optimal, but a workaround may be possible though via tab accessibility. I noticed that some task elements are tab accessible. Specifically, the task completion checkbox and the backlink. What that means is if I press tab once, the task completion checkbox is highlighted, and pressing space allows me to complete the task (in both Reading and Live Preview modes). Pressing tab again highlights the backlink, and pressing enter allows me to navigate directly to the task's source file. Pressing tab yet again accesses the checkbox on the next task.

However, the task edit button is not tab accessible. If it were possible to make the edit button tab accessible, it'd allow people to quickly access the edit modal via tabbing+enter (and access all the subsequent keyboard shortcuts in the modal!). What do you think?

[claremacrae]

OK well please feel free to put in a new feature request for if you would like to see it tracked and considered for possible future development. And you do that, make it link to here, and here to link to it.

We can then see how many thumbs up it gets, and if anyone is willing to offer the time to implement it.

[howeik]

Link to issue: #1478.