Actions Reference

This document provides a complete reference of all actions available in Television.

What are Actions?

Actions are the operations tv can perform in response to key presses or other events. They're used in:

• Keybinding configuration
• Custom channel actions
• Multi-action key bindings

Action Syntax

In configuration files, actions use snake_case:

[keybindings]
ctrl-j = "select_next_entry"
ctrl-k = "select_prev_entry"

Navigation Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
select_next_entry	Move selection down	↓, Ctrl+n, Ctrl+j
select_prev_entry	Move selection up	↑, Ctrl+p, Ctrl+k
select_next_page	Move down one page	-
select_prev_page	Move up one page	-

Selection Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
confirm_selection	Select current entry and exit	Enter
toggle_selection_down	Toggle selection, move down	Tab
toggle_selection_up	Toggle selection, move up	Shift+Tab
copy_entry_to_clipboard	Copy entry to clipboard	Ctrl+y

Input Editing Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
delete_prev_char	Delete character before cursor	Backspace
delete_next_char	Delete character after cursor	Delete
delete_prev_word	Delete previous word	Ctrl+w
delete_line	Clear entire input	Ctrl+u
go_to_prev_char	Move cursor left	←
go_to_next_char	Move cursor right	→
go_to_input_start	Move cursor to start	Home, Ctrl+a
go_to_input_end	Move cursor to end	End, Ctrl+e

Preview Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
scroll_preview_up	Scroll preview up one line	-
scroll_preview_down	Scroll preview down one line	-
scroll_preview_half_page_up	Scroll preview up half page	PageUp
scroll_preview_half_page_down	Scroll preview down half page	PageDown
cycle_previews	Cycle through preview commands	Ctrl+F

UI Toggle Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
toggle_preview	Show/hide preview panel	Ctrl+o
toggle_remote_control	Show/hide channel picker	Ctrl+t
toggle_help	Show/hide help panel	Ctrl+h
toggle_status_bar	Show/hide status bar	F12
toggle_layout	Switch portrait/landscape	Ctrl+l
toggle_action_picker	Show available actions	Ctrl+x

Channel Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
cycle_sources	Cycle through source commands	Ctrl+s
reload_source	Reload current source	Ctrl+r

History Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
select_prev_history	Previous history entry	Ctrl+↑
select_next_history	Next history entry	Ctrl+↓

Application Actions

Action	Description	Default Key
quit	Exit tv	Esc, Ctrl+c

Custom Actions

Define custom actions in channels using the actions: prefix:

[keybindings]
ctrl-e = "actions:edit"
ctrl-o = "actions:open"

[actions.edit]
description = "Edit file"
command = "nvim '{}'"
mode = "execute"

[actions.open]
description = "Open in default app"
command = "xdg-open '{}'"
mode = "fork"

Action Modes

Mode	Behavior
fork	Run command, return to tv when done
execute	Replace tv with the command

Multiple Actions

Bind multiple actions to a single key:

[keybindings]
ctrl-r = ["reload_source", "go_to_input_start"]

Actions execute in sequence.

Reserved Actions (Internal)

These actions are used internally and cannot be bound:

Action	Purpose
render	Trigger UI render
resize	Handle terminal resize
clear_screen	Clear terminal
tick	Application tick
suspend	Suspend application
resume	Resume application
error	Display error
no_op	No operation

Example Configurations

Vim-style Navigation

[keybindings]
ctrl-j = "select_next_entry"
ctrl-k = "select_prev_entry"
ctrl-d = "select_next_page"
ctrl-u = "select_prev_page"

Note: Single character keys like j and k cannot be used for navigation as they are captured as search input. Use modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt) for navigation bindings.

Emacs-like Input

These are already the defaults:

[keybindings]
ctrl-a = "go_to_input_start"
ctrl-e = "go_to_input_end"
ctrl-u = "delete_line"
ctrl-w = "delete_prev_word"

Quick Actions

[keybindings]
ctrl-y = "copy_entry_to_clipboard"
ctrl-r = "reload_source"
f5 = "reload_source"

See Also

• Keybindings configuration
• Channel specification