Using the Desktop (Development Environment)

Development Environment

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can access many of the menu items using keyboard shortcuts (sometimes called accelerators) for your platform, such as using Ctrl+X to perform a Cut on Windows platforms. Many of the menu items show the shortcuts. Additional standard shortcuts for your platform usually work but only one is listed with each menu item.

On Windows platforms, you can also use mnemonics, such as Alt+F to open the File menu. Mnemonics are listed with the menu item. For example, on the File menu the F in File is underlined, which indicates that Alt+F opens the menu. Note that more recent versions of Windows do not automatically show the mnemonics on the menu. For example, you might need to hold down the Alt key while the window has focus in order to see the shortcuts on the menus. Or in Windows 2000, go to the Display Control Panel, select Effects, and clear the item Hide keyboard navigation indicators until I use the Alt key. See your Windows documentation for details.

Following are some general shortcuts that are not listed on menu items.

Key
Result

Enter
The equivalent of double-clicking, it performs the default action for a selection. For example, pressing Enter while a statement in the Command History window is selected runs that statement in the Command Window.

Escape
Cancels the current action.

Ctrl+Tab
or
Ctrl+F6
Moves to the next open tool in the desktop, or, in a tool containing multiple tabs, like the Editor/Debugger, moves to the next tab.

Tab
Advances to the next button or field in a window or dialog box. In the Command Window, completes a statement if the tab completion preference is selected.

Space Bar
Activates the button that has focus, for example, the OK button in a dialog box.

+ or - or *
Use these keys on the numeric keypad to expand and collapse items in tree views. The Help browser Navigator pane and the Launch Pad use tree views, for example. Use + to expand the selected item, use - to collapse the selected item, and use * to recursively expand it, meaning open all items contained in the selected item. Note that * is not valid in the Help browser.

Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Moves to the previous tab in the desktop, where the tab is for a tool, or for a file in the Editor/Debugger. When used in the Editor/Debugger in tabbed mode outside the desktop, moves to the previous open file.

Ctrl+Page Up
Moves to the next tab within a group of items tabbed together.

Ctrl+Page Down
Moves to the previous tab within a window.

Alt+F4
Closes the desktop or the window outside the desktop.

Alt+Space
Displays the Windows system menu.

Key	Result
Enter	The equivalent of double-clicking, it performs the default action for a selection. For example, pressing Enter while a statement in the Command History window is selected runs that statement in the Command Window.
Escape	Cancels the current action.
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+F6	Moves to the next open tool in the desktop, or, in a tool containing multiple tabs, like the Editor/Debugger, moves to the next tab.
Tab	Advances to the next button or field in a window or dialog box. In the Command Window, completes a statement if the tab completion preference is selected.
Space Bar	Activates the button that has focus, for example, the OK button in a dialog box.
+ or - or *	Use these keys on the numeric keypad to expand and collapse items in tree views. The Help browser Navigator pane and the Launch Pad use tree views, for example. Use + to expand the selected item, use - to collapse the selected item, and use * to recursively expand it, meaning open all items contained in the selected item. Note that * is not valid in the Help browser.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Moves to the previous tab in the desktop, where the tab is for a tool, or for a file in the Editor/Debugger. When used in the Editor/Debugger in tabbed mode outside the desktop, moves to the previous open file.
Ctrl+Page Up	Moves to the next tab within a group of items tabbed together.
Ctrl+Page Down	Moves to the previous tab within a window.
Alt+F4	Closes the desktop or the window outside the desktop.
Alt+Space	Displays the Windows system menu.

On the Alpha platform, even though shortcuts are not listed on the menu items, most standard Alpha shortcuts work.

For other shortcuts available in the Command Window, see Tab Completion.

Context Menus Selecting Multiple Items