Keyboard shortcuts

Purpose: Every key that does something in Gembaa, grouped by where it works, from closing a dialog to moving through a calendar.
Who is this for: Everyone

Use this page to look up the keys that work in Gembaa, grouped by where they work. Each key works only while the control it belongs to has focus.

On a Mac, press Cmd wherever a table says Ctrl.

Anywhere

Use these in dialogs, panels and menus. See Find your way around.

Keys	What it does
`Tab` / `Shift`+`Tab`	In an open dialog, moves focus through the dialog only. From the last control it wraps to the first. The page behind cannot be reached. When the dialog closes, focus returns to the button that opened it.
`Esc`	Closes the open dialog. If a confirmation is open over a dialog, `Esc` closes only the confirmation. The docked or minimised Add allocation dialog ignores `Esc` and leaves the page usable.
`Esc`	Does nothing on the Still there? session warning. Press `Enter` there to choose Stay signed in.
`Esc`	Closes the record panel or a side panel.
`Esc`	Closes an open menu or popup. Only that menu closes, not the panel behind it.
`Esc`	Closes the left menu on a phone. `Tab` and `Shift`+`Tab` stay inside the menu while it is open.
`Esc`	Closes the first-time setup. This counts as skipping the setup.
`Ctrl`+`V`	Pastes an image from your clipboard as your photo in the first-time setup.
Middle-click, or `Ctrl`+click	Opens a tab, or a table row's record, in a new browser tab.
`Shift`+click on a tab	Opens that tab in a new browser window.
Middle-click, `Ctrl`+click or `Shift`+click on the Administration gear	Opens Administration in a new browser tab, or with `Shift` in a new window.
Middle-click or `Ctrl`+click a record name in a notification toast	Opens that record in a new browser tab.
Keyboard focus on a control that has a tooltip	Opens the tooltip after a 300 ms pause, as hovering does.

Tabs

These work on the tab row above a table, on the Dashboard and on admin screens that use tabs. Click a tab first, or press Tab until it has focus. See Create and manage tabs.

Keys	What it does
`←` / `→`	Moves focus to the previous or next tab. From the last tab, `→` reaches More views.
`Home` / `End`	Moves focus to the first or last tab.
`Enter`	Opens the focused tab. Tabs above a table are links, so `Space` does not open them.
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`←` / `→`	Moves the focused tab left or right.
`↑` / `↓`, `Enter`	Moves through the More views list and opens the tab you stop on.
Typing in the More views list	Filters the list.
`Enter` / `Esc`	Saves or cancels a tab rename.
`Enter` / `Esc` in the Tab name box	Creates the new tab (or dashboard) or cancels.

Tables and editing

These work while you edit a cell in a table. See Create, edit and delete records and Customise your table view.

Keys	What it does
`Enter`	Saves the cell you are editing.
`Tab`	Saves the cell and moves focus to the next control.
`Esc`	Discards the edit. A Not saved message appears.
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`←` / `→`	Moves the focused column header left or right. Crossing the edge of the pinned columns asks Pin (column name)? or Unpin (column name)? first. Press `Enter` to confirm or `Esc` to cancel.
`Esc`	Cancels a column header drag in progress.
Double-click a Done or Not done Progress cell, then `Esc`	The double-click shows the Done / Not done toggle. `Esc` leaves it without saving.
`Esc` in the search box above a small table	Clears the search.
`Enter` / `Esc`	Saves or reverts a Kanban card title or lane name.
`Enter` / `Tab` / `Esc`	Edit a Kanban card field like a table cell: `Enter` or `Tab` saves it and `Esc` discards it.

The same save rules apply in the table on the left of the Gantt. Enter and Tab save the cell and Esc discards it.

Record panel

See The record panel.

Keys	What it does
`Enter` or `Tab`	Saves the field you are editing.
`Esc`	Cancels the field edit.
`Enter` or `Space` on a field value	Starts editing it. On a checkbox field, toggles it.
`Enter` or `Space` on the record name	Starts editing the name. Press `Enter` to save or `Esc` to cancel.
`Enter` or `Space` on a row in the Links tab	Opens that record. See Link records.
`Tab` to a relation field, then `Enter`, `Space` or `↓`	Opens the picker. The same works in the Add dialog.
`↑` / `↓` in the relation picker	Moves through the search box, the rows and Update.
`Tab` in the relation picker	Closes the picker, if you opened it from the keyboard. In a picker that lets you choose several records, `Tab` moves to Update instead.

Gantt

These work on the Gantt chart once you have clicked a bar. See Gantt and Link records.

Keys	What it does
`L`	With a bar selected, opens Add link for that record. It does nothing while you type in a field, while a dialog is open or with `Ctrl`, `Alt` or `Cmd` held.
`Tab`	Moves focus to a link arrow.
`Delete` or `Backspace` on a focused link arrow	Removes the link at once. A Removed link message offers Undo.
`Esc`	Clears the selected bar or arrow and closes the arrow's card.

Pickers and dropdowns

These work in dropdown lists and in the name suggestions in the Filter dialog. See Filter, sort and group.

Keys	What it does
`Enter`, `Space` or `↓`	Opens a closed dropdown.
`↑` / `↓`, `Enter`	Moves through the options and picks the highlighted one.
`Esc`	Closes the dropdown.
`Tab`	In an open dropdown, closes it, keeps the option you picked and moves focus to the next control.
`Backspace` with an empty search box	Removes the last pick in a multi-select.
`↓` / `↑`, `Enter`	In the Filter dialog, moves through the name suggestions and picks one.
`Esc` or `Tab`	In the Filter dialog, closes the name suggestions and keeps what you typed.

Date fields

Click into a date, or move to it with Tab, then type or use these keys. The calendar keys work only while the calendar is open. See Field types.

Keys	What it does
`Tab` / `Shift`+`Tab`	Moves between day, month and year in the typed date, then leaves the field. If the field is empty, one press leaves it.
`Alt`+`↓`	Opens the calendar.
`↑` / `↓`	In the calendar, moves the highlighted day back or forward one week.
`Alt`+`←` / `→`	In the calendar, moves the highlighted day back or forward one day.
`PageUp` / `PageDown`	In the calendar, moves back or forward one month.
`Alt`+`PageUp` / `PageDown`	In the calendar, moves back or forward one year.
`Alt`+`↑`	Zooms out from the days to the month grid, then to the year grid.
Arrow keys in the month or year grid	Move by one month or year. `↑` and `↓` move by three. `PageUp` and `PageDown` move by a year or a page of years.
`Enter`	On the day grid, picks the highlighted day and saves. In the month or year grid, zooms back in without saving.
`Esc`	Steps back one layer: year grid, month grid, day grid, close the calendar, then cancel the edit. In a dialog's date field with nothing to undo, the last `Esc` closes the dialog.

Allocation grid

These work in the Table and List views once a cell has focus. See Allocation.

Keys	What it does
Arrow keys	Move the focused cell.
`Shift`+arrow keys	Extend the selection.
`Space` or `Enter`	Selects the focused cell.
`Esc`	Clears the selection.
`Shift`+click	Extends the selection from the first cell you picked.
`Ctrl`+click or drag	Adds another range beside the current one.
`Enter` / `Esc`	Saves or cancels the value you are typing in a cell.
`Esc`	Cancels a fill-handle drag in the List view.
`Enter`	In Edit allocations, applies the Set all value.

Reordering lists

Lists with a drag handle on each row can be reordered without a mouse. They include the column list in Customise, highlight rules, Kanban columns, dashboard widgets and PowerPoint slides. They also include Gantt swimlane bands, pivot fields and the left menu settings in the admin screens.

Keys	What it does
`Space` or `Enter` on the drag handle	Picks the row up.
Arrow keys	Move the row.
`Space` or `Enter`	Drops the row where it is.
`Esc`	Cancels the move.

Rich text

These work in fields that hold formatted text. The bold, italic, underline, undo and redo keys come from the text editor Gembaa uses. They match the Bold, Italic and Underline buttons in the editor toolbar. The comment box has a shorter toolbar, where Underline sits under More formatting. See Comment on a record.

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl`+`B`	Makes the selected text bold.
`Ctrl`+`I`	Makes the selected text italic.
`Ctrl`+`U`	Underlines the selected text.
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undoes the last change.
`Ctrl`+`Y` or `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Z`	Redoes it. On a Mac, press `Cmd`+`Shift`+`Z`.
`Tab`	Moves focus into the toolbar. The toolbar is one `Tab` stop, so the next `Tab` leaves it.
`←` / `→` on the toolbar	Moves between the buttons and wraps at each end.
`Home` / `End` on the toolbar	Moves to the first or last button.
`↓`, `Enter` or `Space` on the heading or alignment button	Opens its menu. `↑` / `↓` move through it and `Esc` closes only the menu.
`Enter` in the link box	Applies the link.
`Esc` in the link box	Closes the link box only. The dialog behind it stays open.

Undo and redo work only while you can edit the text.

Comments

These work in the comments sheet on a record. See Comment on a record.

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl`+`Enter`	Posts the comment or reply, or saves an edit. `Enter` alone starts a new line. It works while the mention list is open too.
`Ctrl`+`B`, `Ctrl`+`I`, `Ctrl`+`U`	Bold, italic and underline in the comment box.
`←` / `→` on the comment toolbar	Moves between the buttons.
`Esc` in Search comments, with text in it	Clears the search.
`Esc` while you write a reply	Cancels the reply. The sheet stays open.
`Esc` while you edit a comment	Cancels the edit. The sheet stays open.
`Esc` otherwise	Closes the sheet and keeps your draft. Focus returns to the Comments icon. The next `Esc` reaches the record panel.

Type these at the start of a line in the comment box to format it as you type.

Type	Result
`#` , `##` or `###`	Heading 1, 2 or 3.
`>`	Quote.
`-` or `*`	Bulleted list.
`1.`	Numbered list.

Type @ and part of a name to mention someone.

Keys	What it does
`@`, then part of a name	Opens the People list above the cursor.
`↑` / `↓`	Moves through the list.
`Enter` or `Tab`	Inserts the person as a mention.
`Esc`	Closes only the list.

Admin screens

Only admins see these screens. See Administration at a glance.

Keys	What it does
`Enter` in the search box	Applies the filters on the Admin activity log.
`Esc` in the Search features box	Clears the search on Administration → Features.
`Space` or `Enter` on a feature switch	Turns that feature on or off. The change is saved only when you save the page.
`Enter`	Adds an option, for example a scenario or an allocation field option.
`Enter` in Field name	Adds the field from the Add custom field dialog.
`Esc` in Search fields	Clears the field search on Entity & fields.
`Esc`	Closes the Insert terminology menu in a field name.
`→` / `←` on a menu item with a submenu, such as Move to section ›	Opens the submenu.
Right-click a field row on Entity & fields	Opens that row's Field actions menu at the pointer.
`Enter` / `Esc`	Creates or cancels a new access group name.
`Enter` / `Esc` in the Role name box	Saves or cancels a new or renamed role.
`Enter`	Confirms a dialog where you type a word to confirm, such as on Data.
`←` or `↓` / `→` or `↑`	On a Progress threshold handle, lowers or raises the value by 1.
`Home` / `End`	On a Progress threshold handle, sets the value to 0 or 100.
`Enter` / `Esc`	Saves or cancels a scorecard tile caption on the Dashboard.

Good to know

Gembaa has no app-wide shortcuts, no search hotkey and no command palette.
The one single-key shortcut is L on the Gantt.