Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference for all keyboard shortcuts in the SpecTacular VS Code Extension.

Editor Shortcuts

Formatting

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+B	Bold	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+I	Italic	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+U	Underline	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+X	Strikethrough	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+E	Inline code	WYSIWYG editor

Headings

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+Alt+1	Heading 1	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+2	Heading 2	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+3	Heading 3	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+4	Heading 4	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+5	Heading 5	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+6	Heading 6	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+0	Paragraph (remove heading)	WYSIWYG editor

Lists

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+Shift+8	Bullet list	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+7	Numbered list	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+9	Task list (checkboxes)	WYSIWYG editor
Tab	Indent list item	WYSIWYG editor
Shift+Tab	Outdent list item	WYSIWYG editor

Blocks

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+Shift+B	Blockquote	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Alt+C	Code block	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+H	Horizontal rule	WYSIWYG editor

Editing

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+Z	Undo	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Y	Redo	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo (alternative)	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+A	Select all	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+C	Copy	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+X	Cut	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+V	Paste	WYSIWYG editor

File Operations

Saving

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+S	Save current file	Dashboard
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save all modified files	Dashboard
Ctrl+K S	Save without formatting	Dashboard

Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Context
Alt+Left	Navigate back	Dashboard
Alt+Right	Navigate forward	Dashboard
Ctrl+P	Quick open file	VS Code
Ctrl+Tab	Switch between open files	VS Code

Mouse Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut	Context
Navigate back	Mouse Button 4	Dashboard
Navigate forward	Mouse Button 5	Dashboard
Open link	Click	Preview mode
Open in new tab	Ctrl+Click	Preview mode

Dashboard Commands

Via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)

Command	Shortcut	Description
Spectacular: Open Dashboard	-	Open dashboard panel
Spectacular: Open Dashboard to Side	-	Open beside current editor
Spectacular: Refresh Tree	Ctrl+Shift+R*	Refresh specs tree
Spectacular: Reveal in Tree	-	Highlight file in tree
Spectacular: Reveal Specs Folder	-	Open specs in explorer

*Configurable in VS Code keybindings

Tree View Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Context
Enter	Open file in dashboard	Tree view
Space	Toggle folder expand/collapse	Tree view
Arrow Down	Next item	Tree view
Arrow Up	Previous item	Tree view
Arrow Right	Expand folder	Tree view
Arrow Left	Collapse folder	Tree view

Search and Find

Shortcut	Action	Context
Ctrl+F	Find in current file	Dashboard
Ctrl+H	Find and replace	WYSIWYG editor
Ctrl+Shift+F	Search in all files	VS Code
F3	Find next	Dashboard
Shift+F3	Find previous	Dashboard

Custom Keybindings

Configure Your Own

Open VS Code keybindings (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S) and search for "spectacular":

{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+s",
  "command": "spectacular.openDashboard",
  "when": "!inDebugMode"
},
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+t",
  "command": "spectacular.refreshTree"
},
{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+r",
  "command": "spectacular.revealInTree",
  "when": "editorFocus"
}

Recommended Custom Shortcuts

Quick Dashboard Access:

{
  "key": "ctrl+k ctrl+d",
  "command": "spectacular.openDashboard"
}

Toggle Edit/Preview:

{
  "key": "ctrl+k ctrl+e",
  "command": "spectacular.toggleEditMode"
}

Save All Specs:

{
  "key": "ctrl+k ctrl+s",
  "command": "spectacular.saveAll"
}

Editor Mode Shortcuts

Switching Modes

Action	How To
Enter edit mode	Click "Edit" button or Ctrl+E*
Exit edit mode	Click "Preview" button or Esc
Toggle mode	Click mode toggle or Ctrl+Shift+E*

*If configured in keybindings

Table Editing

In WYSIWYG Editor

Shortcut	Action
Tab	Move to next cell
Shift+Tab	Move to previous cell
Enter	Move to cell below
Ctrl+Shift+D	Delete row
Ctrl+Shift+R	Add row below
Ctrl+Shift+C	Add column right

Advanced Shortcuts

Developer Tools

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+I	Open DevTools (webview)
Ctrl+R	Reload webview
F12	Open DevTools (extension)

Extension Debugging

Shortcut	Action
F5	Start debugging extension
Ctrl+Shift+F5	Restart debugging
Shift+F5	Stop debugging

Markdown-Specific Shortcuts

Special Characters

Shortcut	Inserts	Context
Ctrl+K [[	[[wikilink]]	Any
Ctrl+K #	#status/	Any
Ctrl+K >	Blockquote	Any
Ctrl+K -	Horizontal rule	Any

Frontmatter

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+Y	Show/hide frontmatter
Ctrl+K Ctrl+F	Format frontmatter

Multi-Cursor Editing

Shortcut	Action
Alt+Click	Add cursor
Ctrl+Alt+Down	Add cursor below
Ctrl+Alt+Up	Add cursor above
Ctrl+D	Select next occurrence
Ctrl+Shift+L	Select all occurrences
Esc	Remove extra cursors

Workspace Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K Ctrl+O	Open folder
Ctrl+K F	Close folder
Ctrl+,	Open settings
Ctrl+Shift+P	Command palette

Tips for Efficiency

Workflow Shortcuts

Quick Spec Creation:

1. Ctrl+Shift+P → Type "new file"
2. Save in specs/ directory
3. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Open Dashboard"

Fast Navigation:

1. Ctrl+P → Type file name
2. Enter to open
3. Auto-previews in dashboard

Bulk Editing:

1. Ctrl+Shift+F → Search across files
2. Ctrl+Shift+H → Replace across files
3. Review in dashboard

Custom Workflow

Create a keybinding sequence for common tasks:

{
  "key": "ctrl+k s 1",
  "command": "runCommands",
  "args": {
    "commands": [
      "spectacular.openDashboard",
      "spectacular.refreshTree",
      "workbench.action.files.save"
    ]
  }
}

Cheat Sheet

Most Used Shortcuts

Essential:

• Ctrl+S - Save
• Alt+Left/Right - Navigate history
• Ctrl+B/I - Bold/Italic
• Ctrl+Z/Y - Undo/Redo

Dashboard:

• Ctrl+Shift+P → "spectacular" - All commands
• Ctrl+P - Quick open file
• Ctrl+F - Find in file

Editing:

• Ctrl+Alt+1-6 - Headings
• Ctrl+Shift+8/7 - Lists
• Tab/Shift+Tab - Indent/Outdent

Print This Cheat Sheet

# SpecTacular Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

**Formatting:**
Ctrl+B (Bold), Ctrl+I (Italic), Ctrl+E (Code)

**Navigation:**
Alt+Left (Back), Alt+Right (Forward)

**Headings:**
Ctrl+Alt+1-6 (H1-H6)

**Lists:**
Ctrl+Shift+8 (Bullets), Ctrl+Shift+7 (Numbers)

**Save:**
Ctrl+S (Save), Ctrl+Shift+S (Save All)

**Commands:**
Ctrl+Shift+P (Command Palette)

Platform Differences

macOS

Replace Ctrl with Cmd for most shortcuts:

• Cmd+B - Bold
• Cmd+S - Save
• Cmd+Z - Undo

Replace Alt with Option:

• Option+Left - Navigate back

Linux

Most shortcuts work as documented (Ctrl-based).

Next Steps

• Extension Features - Detailed feature documentation
• Configuration - Customize shortcuts
• Workflows - AI workflow guide