Shortcut for timecode entry

Resolve currently allows hitting numbers on the top row or on the num pad for direct timecode entry in the viewers.
Sounds great, right?

Well, the problem is, that means we cannot freely map these buttons to any features we want.
That's 20 keys we can't use.
What's worse, that's 20 numeric keys, we could use for:

Auto Select Video Tracks
Auto Select Audio Tracks
Enable/Disable Video Tracks
Video Track Destination
Audio Track Destination
Lock/Unlock Video Tracks
Lock/Unlock Audio Tracks
Load Memory
Save Memory
and more

What I'm saying is: Resolve has a lot of features that are relying on numbers (as listed above), thus the shortcuts should use numbers in some ways. And it's a waste to block the numbers that are the fastes accessible, which are the top row numbers.
You would also gain about 6 keys, you can press instantly with your left hand, which is always resting there anyway.

For example, I wanted to map them to Auto Select Video Tracks, since I'll probably be changing them constantly. So, I want fast easy access. Can't do that, because they won't work in the Source Viewer.

The F-keys are not as fast to press and especially with modifiers a PITA. On top of that Alt + F4 is unusable. So, you want to think about what you put there.

All this would be remedied by using a shortcut "Jump To Timecode". That instantly frees up 20 keys and it's just one more key to press to jump to a timecode.
I don't see any disadvantages there.
And you could make it an option in the settings:
[ ] Use direct timecode entry

Problem solved.

using a shortcut "Jump To Timecode".

I would not like that, myself. I want to keep the direct access.

Well, the problem is, that means we cannot freely map these buttons to any features we want.
That's 20 keys we can't use.

I second your request, I was very dissapointed the day I realized those keys have such limits.

+1

I intensively use shortcuts and I recognize that the numeric keys are wasted by a timecode entry I never use.

Let's hope God and BMD listens you to make it real.

As an advice: I've assigned numeric keys to "markers colors" and work well.

Well, the problem is, that means we cannot freely map these buttons to any features we want.
That's 20 keys we can't use.

I second your request, I was very dissapointed the day I realized those keys have such limits.

+1

I intensively use shortcuts and I recognize that the numeric keys are wasted by a timecode entry I never use.

Let's hope God and BMD listens you to make it real.

Thanks for your support.
I'm just afraid that most people don't customize their keyboards to such an extend that that becomes a problem? I don't know. Good to hear I'm not the only one, who'd benefit from it.
Especially considering how fast Resolve is growing.

As an advice: I've assigned numeric keys to "markers colors" and work well.

That's great! Thanks! I thought about using the numpad, but wasn't sure for what. I'm gonna try that out.

I'm just afraid that most people don't customize their keyboards

All the good editors I've worked with have right hand on mouse,
and left hand on CMD-ALT+Shift + WASD keys.

It's hard to understand why most of the NLE still continue with the 90's JKL key scheme, and there is not a standarized WASD+CMD+alt+Shift standard on the community yet.

It's hard to understand why most of the NLE still continue with the 90's JKL key scheme, and there is not a standarized WASD+CMD+alt+Shift standard on the community yet.

Resolve made excellent use of that JKL scheme.
You've got all the settings on your left hand (Select, Trim, Slide, Slip, Extend, select clips/edits)
and JKL on your right hand together with the In/Out commands and nudging.
Very well solved for a keyboard-only process.
You can edit the timeline, edit in the source viewer and even navigate the bins and switch between all these tasks without ever touching the mouse! It's so cool! And very nicely described in the manual.
They don't just show you the shortcuts, they actually show you example workflows of how to use them. I loved that!

why most of the NLE still continue with the 90's JKL key scheme

Because of their proximity to I and O.

and it's just one more key to press to jump to a timecode.
I don't see any disadvantages there.

As an online editor who uses timecode entry all the time, this would be a PITA for me. Needing to press a key before I can enter timecode would simply disrupt my flow whenever I had to do it, always interrupting my thought process. Currently if I want to go to a timecode I just type in what the timecode is, but you are suggesting that I have a barrier in my way before that can happen.

As an online editor who uses timecode entry all the time, this would be a PITA for me.

Absolutely. This is a standard and fundamental feature on most NLEs, and for good reasons. If you forced professional editors (and conformists like you and myself) to invoke a timecode entry field every time they want to do anything related to TC based navigation, you’d probably start a new civil war.

It’s more important to me that NLE vendors expose as many features and commands as possible to remappable shortcuts or menu commands, which can then be addressed with more sophisticated third-party “hot key” utilities like AutoHotkey on Windows, or Keyboard Maestro on the Mac.

If you want to use the number keys for other commands simply because you need more keys than are currently available, I would suggest getting a secondary input device like an Xkeys keyboard or Elgato Streamdeck. These are an absolute godsend for people who rely on shortcuts, because they're much more flexible and ergonomically ideal than using your main keyboard for shortcuts.

I actually use both: an Xkeys panel on my left hand side for Resolve, and a Streamdeck in front of me, above my keyboard, for triggering and controlling other apps. Are they expensive? Yes, they are. But if you do this for a living, it's absolutely worth it for the productivity gains they offer.

(This is my cramped COVID work-from-home setup...admittedly this does require more desk space than just using the keyboard alone)