Those of you that hang out on Irreal know that I think highly of Charles Choi’s Casual Suite. It’s just what you need for modes that have a lot of seldom used commands or modes that themselves are seldom used. The idea is that rather than having to remember the appropriate key sequences or command names, you merely bring up a transient menu and choose the operation from it.
That’s a bit of a simplification since Casual is actually a bit more nuanced. Back in 2024, Choi produced a video for EmacsConf 2024—which someone has just reposted—that explores some of those nuances.
The use of Casual is not an either or decision. Often times you know many of the commands of a certain mode—Dired or Calc, say—but haven’t memorized the commands for some of the more obscure or little used commands. That’s where Casual really shines. For sequences or commands you don’t remember, you simply bring up the menu with a key sequence that is the same for all casual menus and use it to select the operation you need. If you already know the sequence, you just use it without bothering with Casual at all.
Choi has a user guide for Casual that documents the current state of Casual and shows you what modes are covered. That list has grown since his video.
For those of you who care about such things, Choi has just made the Casual Suite available on NonGnu Elpa as well as Melpa. Watch the video and see if Casual may not be a worthwhile addition to your Emacs packages repertoire.