Keyboard commands

Quick overview

Menu navigation

When a menu is open (subtitles, speed, quality, chapter or subtitle style), you can navigate as follows:

Detailed controls

Playback controls

• Play/Pause (Space bar, P, K)
  Toggles between play and pause. A visual indicator shows the current status in the control bar.

• Skip back (←)
  Skips back 10 seconds in the video timeline.

• Skip forward (→)
  Skips 10 seconds forward in the video timeline.

Audio controls

• Mute/Unmute (M)
  Toggles mute. The volume icon changes to indicate the muted state.

• Increase volume (↑)
  Increases the volume by 10%. The maximum volume is 100%.

• Decrease volume (↓)
  Decreases the volume by 10%. The minimum volume is 0%.

Speed control

• Increase speed (>)
  Increases the playback speed by 0.25x (e.g. 1.0x → 1.25x → 1.5x). The maximum speed is usually 2x.

• Decrease speed (<)
  Decreases the playback speed by 0.25x (e.g. 1.5x → 1.25x → 1.0x). The minimum speed is usually 0.25x.

• Speed menu (S)
  Opens the speed selection menu with preset speed options. The currently active speed is automatically highlighted.

Subtitle control

• Subtitle menu (C)
  Opens the subtitle menu to select or disable subtitle tracks. The active track is automatically highlighted.

• Subtitle Style Menu (A)
  Opens the options for customising the subtitles (font size, colour, background, etc.). The first style option is automatically highlighted.

View control

• Full Screen (F)
  Toggles full-screen mode on or off. Press F or Esc to exit full-screen mode.

• Quality menu (Q)
  Opens the quality selection menu for videos with multiple quality levels. The active quality is automatically highlighted.

• Chapter menu (J)
  Opens the chapter menu if the video contains chapter markers. The active chapter is automatically highlighted.

• Transcript toggle (T)
  Shows or hides the interactive transcript window (where available).

• Drag Mode (D)
  Toggles keyboard drag mode for the transcript or sign language window. When this option is enabled, you can move the window around the screen using the arrow keys.

• Resize mode (R)
  Toggles keyboard resize mode for the transcript or sign language window. When this feature is enabled, you can adjust the window size using the arrow keys.

• Reset Position (Home)
  Resets the transcript or sign language window to its default central position.

Accessibility features

Automatic focus

When a menu is opened using a keyboard shortcut, the currently active item (or the first item) is automatically selected, allowing immediate navigation using the arrow keys.

Visual feedback

All keyboard actions provide visual feedback:

• Volume and mute controls update the volume icon
• Changes to playback speed update the speed indicator
• Selecting subtitles updates the status of the subtitles button
• All menu selections are immediately displayed in the user interface

Support for screen readers

• All buttons have correct ARIA labels
• Volume controls have aria-valuenow attributes
• Menu items are navigable via the keyboard and have correct focus management
• Status changes are indicated by visual updates

Customisation

Keyboard shortcuts can be customised when the player is initialised:

const player = new VidPly('#player', {
  keyboardShortcuts: {
    'play-pause': [' ', 'p'],  // Remove 'k' if desired
    'mute': ['m'],
    'fullscreen': ['f'],
    // ... customize other shortcuts
  }
});

To disable keyboard shortcuts completely:

const player = new VidPly('#player', {
  keyboardShortcuts: false
});

Browser compatibility

Keyboard shortcuts work in all modern browsers:

• Chrome/Edge 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+
• Opera 76+

Tips

1. Focus control: Click on the player or press the Tab key to set the focus on the player before using keyboard shortcuts.

2. Menu navigation: All menus support full keyboard navigation. Use the arrow keys to navigate and the Enter key to select.

3. Quick access: Press S, Q, J or A to quickly access frequently used menus without having to click.

4. Transcript integration: Use T to show or hide the transcript for an enhanced viewing experience with synchronised text.

5. Multiple keys: For ease of use, some actions (such as play/pause) support multiple keys, depending on the conventions of the respective video players.

Related documentation

• Getting Started Guide
• Instructions
• Transcript functions
• Playlist functions