Keyboard controls
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 8:11 am
In response to a request, here is a reminder of the keyboard commands available:
1) Menu commands (shortcuts) indicated on the menus themselves
2) Commands for activating or deactivating attractions:
G: grid
E: end or vertex
C: center
I: intersection
P: perpendicular
T: tangent
These commands work even when you're drawing an object, so you can easily activate certain attractions to start drawing an object, and activate others to end the drawing.
3) Commands for selecting tools:
These commands are shown if you leave the helptags displayed. To do this, simply hover the cursor over an interface object and a context-sensitive helper is displayed. Note that there is an option in Preferences -> Display, to disable the display of these helpers (Helptags).
This gives you :
Esc -> Arrow tool
S -> Lasso
H -> Hand
Z -> Zoom
A -> Text
L -> Line
R -> Rectangle
O -> Oval (Ellipse)
D -> Arc
Y -> Polygon
N -> Spline (a priori to be deleted)
Q -> Dimension
U -> Cut prolong
M -> Parallels
From the Text tool, pressing the indicated key several times selects the next tools in the tool line.
This is why the N command is no longer needed and should be deleted.
And there's a bug in the "Polygon" line, as the "Bézier" tool is not selected when Y is pressed repeatedly.
When a tool with options is selected, pressing Space displays the options dialog.
When drawing, pressing Shift toggles the constraint option.
This means that if, for example, you draw a line with the unconstrained line tool, pressing Shift activates the predefined constraint angles.
Conversely, if you draw a line with the Constrained Line tool, pressing Shift deactivates this option.
The Arrow and Lasso tools, used with the “alt” or “option” key pressed, allow you to select points and apply a displacement to them.
Use the Hand tool with the “alt” or “option” key pressed to move the print area.
4) "Hidden" commands
"Escape" key to end a current command or plot.
shift + p to define the reference object for perpendicular attraction
"Backspace" or "Suppr" key to delete selected objects
"Tab" key with one (or more) selected objects, to activate the "Edit" palette
"Arrow" keys to move selected objects by the value indicated in the editable field to the right of the button line at the bottom left of the window.
Arrow keys up or down to change the active layer among the visible layers
Arrow keys up or down + "alt" to change the layer configuration (at least 2 layers are required, of course).
Voilà !
1) Menu commands (shortcuts) indicated on the menus themselves
2) Commands for activating or deactivating attractions:
G: grid
E: end or vertex
C: center
I: intersection
P: perpendicular
T: tangent
These commands work even when you're drawing an object, so you can easily activate certain attractions to start drawing an object, and activate others to end the drawing.
3) Commands for selecting tools:
These commands are shown if you leave the helptags displayed. To do this, simply hover the cursor over an interface object and a context-sensitive helper is displayed. Note that there is an option in Preferences -> Display, to disable the display of these helpers (Helptags).
This gives you :
Esc -> Arrow tool
S -> Lasso
H -> Hand
Z -> Zoom
A -> Text
L -> Line
R -> Rectangle
O -> Oval (Ellipse)
D -> Arc
Y -> Polygon
N -> Spline (a priori to be deleted)
Q -> Dimension
U -> Cut prolong
M -> Parallels
From the Text tool, pressing the indicated key several times selects the next tools in the tool line.
This is why the N command is no longer needed and should be deleted.
And there's a bug in the "Polygon" line, as the "Bézier" tool is not selected when Y is pressed repeatedly.
When a tool with options is selected, pressing Space displays the options dialog.
When drawing, pressing Shift toggles the constraint option.
This means that if, for example, you draw a line with the unconstrained line tool, pressing Shift activates the predefined constraint angles.
Conversely, if you draw a line with the Constrained Line tool, pressing Shift deactivates this option.
The Arrow and Lasso tools, used with the “alt” or “option” key pressed, allow you to select points and apply a displacement to them.
Use the Hand tool with the “alt” or “option” key pressed to move the print area.
4) "Hidden" commands
"Escape" key to end a current command or plot.
shift + p to define the reference object for perpendicular attraction
"Backspace" or "Suppr" key to delete selected objects
"Tab" key with one (or more) selected objects, to activate the "Edit" palette
"Arrow" keys to move selected objects by the value indicated in the editable field to the right of the button line at the bottom left of the window.
Arrow keys up or down to change the active layer among the visible layers
Arrow keys up or down + "alt" to change the layer configuration (at least 2 layers are required, of course).
Voilà !