AI Math Notes includes keyboard shortcuts to help you work more efficiently without reaching for the mouse buttons.
Available Shortcuts
Undo Last Stroke
Shortcut: Cmd + Z (macOS) or Ctrl + Z (Windows/Linux)Removes the last drawing stroke from the canvas.self.root.bind("<Command-z>", self.command_undo)
The undo shortcut is bound to the <Command-z> event in Tkinter, which automatically maps to Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on other platforms.
How It Works
When you press the undo shortcut:
- The application retrieves the last action from the actions list
- Each line in that action is deleted from the canvas
- The entire canvas is redrawn from the remaining actions
def command_undo(self, event):
self.undo()
def undo(self):
if self.actions:
last_action = self.actions.pop()
for line_id, coords in last_action:
self.canvas.delete(line_id)
self.redraw_all()
Each stroke (from mouse down to mouse up) counts as one action. You can undo multiple strokes by pressing the shortcut repeatedly.
Calculate Equation
Shortcut: Return (macOS) or Enter (Windows/Linux)Sends your drawing to the AI model for calculation.self.root.bind("<Return>", self.command_calculate)
The Return/Enter key provides quick access to calculation without needing to click the Calculate button.
How It Works
When you press Return/Enter:
- The canvas is converted to a PIL image
- The image is encoded to base64 format
- A request is sent to OpenAI’s GPT-4o model
- The response is rendered next to your equals sign
def command_calculate(self, event):
self.calculate()
def calculate(self):
def encode_image_to_base64(image):
buffered = BytesIO()
image.save(buffered, format="PNG")
return base64.b64encode(buffered.getvalue()).decode('utf-8')
base64_image = encode_image_to_base64(self.image)
# Send to OpenAI API...
Make sure the equals sign is the last thing you drew before pressing Return/Enter for accurate answer placement.
Keyboard Bindings Reference
Here’s a quick reference table of all keyboard shortcuts:
| Action | macOS | Windows/Linux | Function |
|---|
| Undo | Cmd + Z | Ctrl + Z | Remove last stroke |
| Calculate | Return | Enter | Solve the equation |
Event Binding in Code
The shortcuts are implemented using Tkinter’s event binding system:
class DrawingApp:
def __init__(self, root):
# ... other initialization code ...
# Keyboard shortcuts
self.root.bind("<Command-z>", self.command_undo)
self.root.bind("<Return>", self.command_calculate)
Tkinter’s <Command-z> binding automatically handles platform differences:
- On macOS: Maps to Command (⌘) key
- On Windows/Linux: Maps to Control (Ctrl) key
Mouse Bindings
In addition to keyboard shortcuts, the application uses mouse event bindings for drawing:
self.canvas.bind("<Button-1>", self.start_draw) # Left click
self.canvas.bind("<B1-Motion>", self.paint) # Drag with left button
self.canvas.bind("<ButtonRelease-1>", self.reset) # Release left button
Event: <Button-1> (Left mouse button click)Initiates a new drawing stroke and creates a new action.def start_draw(self, event):
self.current_action = []
self.last_x, self.last_y = event.x, event.y
Event: <B1-Motion> (Left button drag)Continuously draws lines as you move the mouse.def paint(self, event):
x, y = event.x, event.y
if self.last_x and self.last_y:
line_id = self.canvas.create_line((self.last_x, self.last_y, x, y),
fill='white', width=5)
self.current_action.append((line_id, (self.last_x, self.last_y, x, y)))
self.last_x, self.last_y = x, y
Event: <ButtonRelease-1> (Release left button)Completes the current stroke and saves it as an action.def reset(self, event):
self.last_x, self.last_y = None, None
if self.current_action:
self.actions.append(self.current_action)
No Clear Shortcut
There is currently no keyboard shortcut for the Clear function. You must click the Clear button to reset the entire canvas.
Cmd/Ctrl + Z repeatedly instead of clearing everything.