[Feature Request] Use a keyboard shortcut to trigger a window with content by html

[chengtie]

Context

• This issue is not a bug report. (please use a different template for reporting a bug)
• This issue is not a duplicate of an existing issue. (please use the search to find existing issues)

Description

I would like to add a feature in my editor: users select a text, and click on a keyboard shortcut, then a window with content by html (eg, a table like this) appears next to the selection, in the end users move the mouse or use another keyboard shortcut to make the window disappear.

I understand that we could use addDynamicKeybinding or like here to add a keyboard shortcut.

But for the window, it seems that we have only diagnostic window that support html, right? If so, the only use case I know about diagnostic window is by hoverprovider like here, where we need to hover on a text to make the diagnostic window appear.

Does anyone know how to use a keyboard shortcut to trigger a diagnostic window (whose content is related to the selection)?

[rcjsuen]

But for the window, it seems that we have only diagnostic window that support html, right? If so, the only use case I know about diagnostic window is by hoverprovider like here, where we need to hover on a text to make the diagnostic window appear.

You can get the hover to appear with Cmd + K, Cmd + I on macOS. Not sure what the keybindings are on Windows and Linux but you can figure it out by searching for it with F1.

[rcjsuen]

Now, as far as this question is concerned, I would like to implement another feature. Let's say, show the length (html-supported) of the selected text by a keyboard shortcut. If I still use hoverprovider for this feature, I don't know if it will have conflict with the hinting feature above.

For instance, I realize that, for a code that has hinting, if I choose only a part of the code, and press Cmd+K, Cmd+I, it will still trigger the hinting diagnostic window for the entire code. Ideally, I would want the shortcut to trigger only the display of the length of the selected part of the code.

Do you have any idea to manage this conflict?

Sorry, I don't think I fully understand. I suggest you create a reproducible piece of code that can be run in the playground so that people can clearly see what your intent and use case is.

[chengtie]

@rcjsuen I deleted my previous comment, and explain my intent here.

I have actually an Excel add-in called Formula Editor. Normally, it is run inside Excel, but we could still get the idea outside: https://v3.10studio.tech/#/formula-editor-addin. You could turn on the toggle and then copy the formula (eg, =3+2+100+IF(ISERROR(A3:B5),100,A3:B5)) into the editor.

The editor consists of a Monaco Editor on top of a language server of Excel formulas.

We have already implemented a hinting feature, that's why IF(ISERROR(A3:B5),100,A3:B5) is underlined. When you hover on it, a hinting of rewriting is proposed. This feature was realized by registerHoverProvider and registerCodeActionProvider. Inside the language server, we have some "non-optimal" patterns (eg, IF+ISERROR), whenever we detect such a pattern in the formula in the editor, we propose a better rewriting (eg, IFERROR).

Now, we would like to implement another feature, it is "evaluation". A user selects a part of the formula (eg, 100, A3:B5, ISERROR(A3:B5), IF(ISERROR(A3:B5),100,A3:B5), 2+100+IF(ISERROR(A3:B5),100,A3:B5)), press a keyboard shortcut, we will try to evaluate it with the current cell values in worksheets. We want to show the value in form of a table to have a better readability.

So my question is by which APIs we implement this "evaluation" feature.

If we use hoverprovider and Cmd+K, Cmd+I as you suggested, I'm afraid there may be conflicts with the hinting feature in some cases. For instance, I realize that when we select A3:B5 and press Cmd+K, Cmd+I, the hinting of rewriting of IF(ISERROR(A3:B5),100,A3:B5) appears. But what I want to trigger and show by a shortcut here is the evaluated value of A3:B5.

Additionally, I would like this shortcut to be F9 (fn+F9 on Mac).

How would you design and implement these features?

[rcjsuen]

How would you design and implement these features?

I don't think what you're describing is easily achievable with the APIs. I imagine you'd have to create a new command that pops up a window yourself.

[chengtie]

How would you design and implement these features?

I don't think what you're describing is easily achievable with the APIs. I imagine you'd have to create a new command that pops up a window yourself.

Ah, that's not good news. To create a shortcut that pops up a window that supports html, are there any samples or references to follow?