Add a Ctrl+K Command Palette for Quick Navigation and Actions

📋 Summary

Add a keyboard-driven Command Palette that lets users quickly find games, navigate around LaunchBox, and run common commands from one searchable interface.

Pressing Ctrl+K would open the palette, allowing the user to type what they want to find or do and select a result without navigating through menus.

❗ Problem

LaunchBox contains many views, tools, and commands spread across menus and context menus. Users who prefer keyboard navigation must remember individual shortcuts or move through several parts of the interface.

The existing search is useful for filtering games, but it is not designed for navigating the application or finding available actions.

💡 Proposal

Add a Command Palette that searches across several result types:

• Games

• Platforms

• Platform categories

• Playlists

• Application areas

• Settings pages

• Available commands

Results should be grouped and labeled so users can distinguish between a game, platform, playlist, or action.

Users should be able to navigate results with the arrow keys, press Enter to select a result, and press Escape to close the palette.

⚡ Example Commands

The palette could provide commands such as:

• Find and select a game

• Play or edit the selected game

• Open a game’s manual or folder

• Switch to a platform, category, or playlist

• Add a game or begin a ROM import

• Download metadata and media

• Change between Images and List views

• Show or hide the sidebar or Game Details panel

• Open a specific Options section

• Launch Big Box

• Select a random game

Commands that depend on a selected game should only appear when applicable.

🧩 Use Cases

• Type a game title and jump directly to it from anywhere in LaunchBox

• Open a large playlist without searching through the sidebar

• Find an infrequently used tool without remembering which menu contains it

• Start an import or metadata download using only the keyboard

• Quickly switch views or toggle interface panels

• Search for a setting and open its relevant Options page

• Discover available actions by searching natural terms such as “manual,” “media,” or “audit”

📦 Benefits

• Makes navigation significantly faster

• Improves keyboard accessibility

• Reduces reliance on nested menus

• Makes lesser-known LaunchBox features easier to discover

• Provides one consistent location for commands and navigation

• Complements the existing game search instead of replacing it

⚠️ Considerations

Ctrl+F should continue to filter games in the current view, while Ctrl+K provides application-wide navigation and commands.

Selecting a game should navigate to it by default rather than immediately launching it. Play could be offered as a separate action.

Potentially destructive commands should require confirmation, and unavailable commands should either be hidden or clearly identified.

A future version could support recent commands, user-defined shortcuts, command aliases, and commands provided by plugins.