How can I use a keyboard shortcut from an bash alias or function ?

Question

Suppose I have an alias or a function defined in my .bashrc, that is not enough complex to write a single script.

Is it possible to bind that alias/function to the shortcuts facility provided by the graphical interface Gnome or xfce4 ?

Answer 1

Not sure about Gnome/XFCE specific options, but [xbindkeys] (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xbindkeys) can do this. Configure it with a ~/.xbindkeysrc file and run xbindkeys during your X session.

From the default config file

 # The format of a command line is:
 #    "command to start"
 #       associated key

Where the command can be a shell command, alias, or program (functions didn't seem to work for me).

e.g. I use it to handle my volume keys

"~/apps/pa-vol.sh mute"
   XF86AudioMute
"~/apps/pa-vol.sh minus"
   XF86AudioLowerVolume
"~/apps/pa-vol.sh plus"
   XF86AudioRaiseVolume

Run xbindkeys -k to capture a keystroke for inclusion in your config.