Help

An overlay that auto-generates a keybinding reference from every registered component and app-level binding. Zero configuration — just add it to your app and press ?.

Implements Component, Themed, and the Overlay interface.

Construction

blit.WithHelp()

That is the entire API. The App wires the Help instance to the global ? key and populates it from the keybinding registry automatically.

How It Works

Every Component exposes its bindings via KeyBindings() []KeyBind. When the App initialises, it collects bindings from:

1. All registered components (via WithComponent or WithLayout)
2. App-level bindings added with WithKeyBind
3. Built-in globals (q, tab, ?)

These are grouped by the Group field of each KeyBind and displayed in the Help overlay.

KeyBind

type KeyBind struct {
    Key     string // e.g. "up/k", "ctrl+d", "1-9"
    Label   string // Human-readable description
    Group   string // Section heading in the Help overlay
    Handler func() // Called by the App on keypress (app-level bindings only)
}

Registering App-Level Bindings

blit.WithKeyBind(blit.KeyBind{
    Key:   "r",
    Label: "Refresh",
    Group: "DATA",
    Handler: func() {
        table.SetRows(fetchRows())
    },
})

The binding appears in the Help overlay under the DATA section heading alongside component bindings.

Markdown Group Headings

Group names prefixed with md: are rendered as inline Markdown. Use this for rich section headings with bold, code spans, or links:

blit.KeyBind{
    Key:   "ctrl+r",
    Label: "Reload config",
    Group: "md:**Configuration** — runtime settings",
}

Closing the Overlay

The Help overlay closes on ?, Esc, or q.

Example Output

Keyboard Shortcuts

NAVIGATION
  up/k          Move cursor up
  down/j        Move cursor down
  ctrl+u        Half page up
  ctrl+d        Half page down

DATA
  s             Cycle sort
  /             Search
  r             Refresh

OTHER
  esc           Close help