Repository: PowerToys
Issue: Better and/or User Defined shortcuts for Fancy Zones
Labels: Idea-Enhancement,Product-FancyZones,Needs-Triage

### Description of the new feature / enhancement

First, I believe this would be better represented as a discussion until there is a more defined set of problems and proposed solutions.

Second, I don't know if Fancy Zones shortcuts are completely independent from other PowerToys or whether this includes those also.

I would like shortcuts to work in a way that supports my method of working. (I realize this is too general.)
I would like to be able to create my own set of shortcuts for Fancy Zones, because I don't think that everyone will agree on the same shortcuts. (Much more in supporting information.)

### Scenario when this would be used?

I have been struggling with Windows window movement shortcuts for a long time. I thought that Fancy Zones might fix that problem. However, after trying Fancy Zones both with the setting to use Windows shortcuts and with just Fancy Zone shortcuts, I find that things are even worse. 

Fancy Zones solves the problem that Windows creates by assuming that everyone wants the same set of window positions and sizes. In fact, depending on the monitor size and work habits the set of useful window sizes/positions can vary quite a bit.

A quick example of what I want. 
- <win><right arrow>   always moves the active window to be full height right side of the screen (but the standard Win shortcut often makes it left half of the screen.
- <win> <up>   always makes the window full screen.
- etc.

With Fancy zones I had a set of common positions and sizes, but I couldn't put them all into a layout because they overlap and other layouts I couldn't get the shortcuts to work the way that I wanted.

**The reason that I am trying to start more of a discussion about how shortcuts might be improved in general is based on my review of issues and finding a large number that had to do with shortcuts.**

### Supporting information

I am going to try and document some of the shortcut/zone issues that I am aware of based on my experience and all the related issues that I have read.

1. Users want a quick way to move a window to a specific zone.
2. users want to define zones that work for them.
3. users want to be able to work with multiple monitors just as easily as with one monitor.
4. adding a monitor or sleep/wake shouldn't change the current window attributes (size/pos)
5. Sometimes users want a window to span multiple zones. This is similar to my attempt to try and define overlapping zones. I personally would only have one layout definition for a monitor size if I could add all my desired zones at the same time, with overlapping.
6. Users want to be able to easily see the shortcuts that are assigned.
7. Some users would like to assign their own shortcuts.

Some thoughts.
Commonly used window attributes, or at least ones that I would use. (Not all of these are useful on a smaller monitor, but work on large desktop monitors.)
- full size  - task focus
- right half  - halves are common for side by side editing, comparison, etc.
- left half
- center half (leaves left and right quarters)  - this is very useful for reading documents, web pages because too wide of a window make reading harder if the width of the text resizes, or it just makes things messy.
- left quarter  - along with the center half, using a left or right quarter is great for note taking. 
- right quarter
- left upper quarter  - I will leave the rest as an exercise for the reader
- left lower quarter
- right upper quarter
- right lower quarter

General thoughts about shortcuts keys
1. a shortcut should always do the same thing. This is the biggest problem that I have with default Windows shortcuts (Windows 10) is that <win> <left> does different things based on the active window position. Inconsistency is very hard on users, regardless of good intentions.
2. shortcuts should be obvious, especially if they are not customizable. If I use <win> <right> and the window moves to the right half of the screen that is obvious. However, I just did <win> <right> three times on a half screen window and it started half right, the first shortcut did nothing, the second shortcut made it full screen and the third set it to left half screen. This can make someone crazy.
3. is there a complete list of all win key shortcuts built in to windows, and a list of possible combinations that could be used in powertoys?


Questions:
- Do win key shortcuts have to be simultaneous press or can they be configured as sequences? (This varies in applications from one to another. In gmail for example the sequential nature allows using pattern matching at the end.) Sequential press allows much flexibility and power. It could be used to provide movement to named zones as an example.
- Can a multi-key shortcut such as <win> <right> grab the next keystroke within a short period of time? (This is similar to mouse double click vs two single clicks.) This could be used to create a movement such as <win><right>[release]<down> which would move the window to the right half screen then lower right quarter. This also could support zone extension as mentioned in one of the issues. Imagine that I have a shortcut that moves the window to the center half and an additional <right> key extends it to include the right quarter resulting in a window that is the right 3/4 of the screen.

**I know that I am reaching for the moon with this.** I am going to put a link in other issues about shortcuts to see what kind of response there is.