@@ -881,13 +881,8 @@ protected JMenu buildEditMenu() {
     undoItem = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(undoAction = new UndoAction(), 'Z');
     menu.add(undoItem);
 
-    // Gotta follow them interface guidelines
-    // http://code.google.com/p/processing/issues/detail?id=363
-    if (Platform.isWindows()) {
-      redoItem = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(redoAction = new RedoAction(), 'Y');
-    } else {  // Linux and OS X
-      redoItem = Toolkit.newJMenuItemShift(redoAction = new RedoAction(), 'Z');
-    }
+    redoItem = new JMenuItem(redoAction = new RedoAction());
+    redoItem.setAccelerator(Toolkit.getKeyStrokeExt("menu.edit.redo"));
     menu.add(redoItem);
 
     menu.addSeparator();
@@ -956,27 +951,23 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
     });
     menu.add(item);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(Language.text("menu.edit.comment_uncomment"),
-                                Language.text("menu.edit.comment_uncomment.keystroke"));
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.edit.comment_uncomment");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           handleCommentUncomment();
         }
     });
     menu.add(item);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem("\u2192 " + Language.text("menu.edit.increase_indent"),
-                                Language.text("menu.edit.increase_indent.keystroke"));
-
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.edit.increase_indent");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           handleIndentOutdent(true);
         }
     });
     menu.add(item);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem("\u2190 " + Language.text("menu.edit.decrease_indent"),
-                                Language.text("menu.edit.decrease_indent.keystroke"));
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.edit.decrease_indent");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           handleIndentOutdent(false);
 
@@ -494,51 +494,29 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
 
     //  KeyEvent.VK_LEFT and VK_RIGHT will make Windows beep
 
-    final String prevTab = Language.text("editor.header.previous_tab");
-    if (Platform.isLinux()) {
-      item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(prevTab, KeyEvent.VK_PAGE_UP);
-    } else {
-      //item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemAlt(prevTab, KeyEvent.VK_LEFT);
-      item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(prevTab, Language.text("editor.header.previous_tab.keystroke"));
-    }
+    mapKey = "editor.header.previous_tab";
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt(mapKey);
     action = new AbstractAction() {
       @Override
       public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
         editor.getSketch().handlePrevCode();
       }
     };
-    mapKey = "editor.header.previous_tab";
-    if (Platform.isLinux()) {
-      keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_PAGE_UP, Toolkit.SHORTCUT_KEY_MASK);
-    } else {
-      //keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_LEFT, Toolkit.SHORTCUT_ALT_KEY_MASK);
-      keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(Language.text("editor.header.previous_tab.keystroke"));
-    }
+    keyStroke = item.getAccelerator();
     inputMap.put(keyStroke, mapKey);
     actionMap.put(mapKey, action);
     item.addActionListener(action);
     menu.add(item);
 
-    final String nextTab = Language.text("editor.header.next_tab");
-    if (Platform.isLinux()) {
-      item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(nextTab, KeyEvent.VK_PAGE_DOWN);
-    } else {
-      //item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemAlt(nextTab, KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT);
-      item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(nextTab, Language.text("editor.header.next_tab.keystroke"));
-    }
+    mapKey = "editor.header.next_tab";
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt(mapKey);
     action = new AbstractAction() {
       @Override
       public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
         editor.getSketch().handleNextCode();
       }
     };
-    mapKey = "editor.header.next_tab";
-    if (Platform.isLinux()) {
-      keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_PAGE_DOWN, Toolkit.SHORTCUT_KEY_MASK);
-    } else {
-      //keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT, Toolkit.SHORTCUT_ALT_KEY_MASK);
-      keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(Language.text("editor.header.next_tab.keystroke"));
-    }
+    keyStroke = item.getAccelerator();
     inputMap.put(keyStroke, mapKey);
     actionMap.put(mapKey, action);
     item.addActionListener(action);
 
@@ -103,6 +103,8 @@ public class Toolkit {
   static public final KeyStroke WINDOW_CLOSE_KEYSTROKE =
     KeyStroke.getKeyStroke('W', SHORTCUT_KEY_MASK);
 
+  static final String BAD_KEYSTROKE =
+    "'%s' is not understood, please re-read the Java reference for KeyStroke";
 
   /**
    * Standardized width for buttons. Mac OS X 10.3 wants 70 as its default,
@@ -118,16 +120,36 @@ static public int getButtonWidth() {
 
 
   /**
-   * A software engineer, somewhere, needs to have their abstraction
-   * taken away. Who crafts the sort of API that would require a
-   * five-line helper function just to set the shortcut key for a
-   * menu item?
+   * Return the correct KeyStroke per locale and platform.
+   * Also checks for any additional overrides in preferences.txt.
+   * @param base the localization key for the menu item
+   *             (.keystroke and .platform will be added to the end)
+   * @return KeyStroke for base + .keystroke + .platform
+   *         (or the value from preferences) or null if none found
    */
-  static public JMenuItem newJMenuItem(String title, int what) {
-    JMenuItem menuItem = new JMenuItem(title);
-    int modifiers = awtToolkit.getMenuShortcutKeyMask();
-    menuItem.setAccelerator(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(what, modifiers));
-    return menuItem;
+  static public KeyStroke getKeyStrokeExt(String base) {
+    String key = base + ".keystroke";
+
+    // see if there's an override in preferences.txt
+    String sequence = Preferences.get(key);
+    if (sequence != null) {
+      KeyStroke ks = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(sequence);
+      if (ks != null) {
+        return ks;  // user did good, we're all set
+
+      } else {
+        System.err.format(BAD_KEYSTROKE, sequence);
+      }
+    }
+
+    sequence = Language.text(key + "." + Platform.getName());
+    KeyStroke ks = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(sequence);
+    if (ks == null) {
+      // this can only happen if user has screwed up their language files
+      System.err.format(BAD_KEYSTROKE, sequence);
+      //return KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(0, 0);  // badness
+    }
+    return ks;
   }
 
 
@@ -138,22 +160,30 @@ static public JMenuItem newJMenuItem(String title, int what) {
    * @param sequence the name, as outlined by the KeyStroke API
    * @param fallback what to use if getKeyStroke() comes back null
    */
-  static public JMenuItem newJMenuItem(String title,
-                                       String sequence) {
-    JMenuItem menuItem = new JMenuItem(title);
-    KeyStroke ks = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(sequence);
+  static public JMenuItem newJMenuItemExt(String base) {
+    JMenuItem menuItem = new JMenuItem(Language.text(base));
+    KeyStroke ks = getKeyStrokeExt(base);  // will print error if necessary
     if (ks != null) {
       menuItem.setAccelerator(ks);
-
-    } else {
-      System.err.println("'" + sequence + "' is not understood, " +
-                         "pleae re-read the Java reference for KeyStroke");
-      //ks = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(fallback);
     }
     return menuItem;
   }
 
 
+  /**
+   * A software engineer, somewhere, needs to have their abstraction
+   * taken away. Who crafts the sort of API that would require a
+   * five-line helper function just to set the shortcut key for a
+   * menu item?
+   */
+  static public JMenuItem newJMenuItem(String title, int what) {
+    JMenuItem menuItem = new JMenuItem(title);
+    int modifiers = awtToolkit.getMenuShortcutKeyMask();
+    menuItem.setAccelerator(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(what, modifiers));
+    return menuItem;
+  }
+
+
   /**
    * @param action: use an Action, which sets the title, reaction
    *                and enabled-ness all by itself.
 
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ menu.file.quit = Quit
 menu.edit = Edit
 menu.edit.undo = Undo
 menu.edit.redo = Redo
+menu.edit.redo.keystroke.macosx = shift meta pressed Z
+menu.edit.redo.keystroke.windows = meta pressed Y
+menu.edit.redo.keystroke.linux = shift ctrl pressed Z
 menu.edit.action.addition = addition
 menu.edit.action.deletion = deletion
 menu.edit.cut = Cut
 
@@ -1384,8 +1384,7 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
 //      });
 //    debugMenu.add(item);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(Language.text("menu.debug.step"),
-                                Language.text("menu.debug.step.keystroke"));
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.debug.step");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
       public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
         handleStep(0);
@@ -1394,8 +1393,7 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
     debugMenu.add(item);
     item.setEnabled(false);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(Language.text("menu.debug.step_into"),
-                                Language.text("menu.debug.step_into.keystroke"));
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.debug.step_into");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           handleStep(ActionEvent.SHIFT_MASK);
@@ -1404,8 +1402,7 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
     debugMenu.add(item);
     item.setEnabled(false);
 
-    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItem(Language.text("menu.debug.step_out"),
-                                Language.text("menu.debug.step_out.keystroke"));
+    item = Toolkit.newJMenuItemExt("menu.debug.step_out");
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           handleStep(ActionEvent.ALT_MASK);
 
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 0268 (3.5.2)
 _ shortcuts not working on Windows/Linux (using meta)
 _   https://github.com/processing/processing/issues/5763
+_   update https://github.com/processing/processing/wiki/Localization#shortcuts-and-key-bindings
 
 
 _ Find in Reference disabled for various keywords (draw, for, if, catch, while)