The keyboard can be used to navigate and control all parts of VEXcode V5 Blocks. This article outlines the different types of keyboard navigation and provides reference tables for each shortcut.
Enable Keyboard Navigation
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Enable/Disable keyboard navigation | Ctrl+ Shift + K | Control + Shift + K |
Note: Your device may require certain accessibility settings to be enabled before you can use keyboard navigation.
Navigation Modes
There are three types of navigation modes when using the keyboard:
- Cursor Navigation lets you choose where to place blocks by moving a cursor throughout the workspace.
- Workspace Navigation allows you to navigate between stacks and isolated blocks in the workspace.
- Stack Navigation lets you move through individual blocks within a stack or choose a position between them.
You can tell which selection mode is active by the appearance of the highlight outline in VEXcode as shown below.
Cursor Navigation | Workspace Navigation | Stack Navigation |
|---|---|---|
Note: The highlight box will have a small gap around the blocks when it is in workspace navigation mode. | Note: The highlight box will be directly against the blocks when it is in stack navigation mode. |
Change Navigation Modes
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Switch between navigation modes | A / D | A / D |
Cursor Navigation
Cursor navigation lets you choose where to place a block anywhere in the workspace.
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move cursor position | Shift + W / A / S / D | Shift + W / A / S / D |
| Save cursor position | Enter | Return |
Workspace Navigation
Workspace navigation allows you to select which block stack in the workspace to move or edit.
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Scroll through block stacks vertically | W / S | W / S |
Stack Navigation
Stack navigation allows you to select which block to edit or where to insert or detach blocks in a stack.
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Enter stack | D | D |
| Navigate blocks within a stack | W / S | W / S |
| Save position | Enter | Return |
Toolbox
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open toolbox | T | T |
| Scroll through toolbox | S (W / S to scroll) | S (W / S to scroll) |
| Begin block selection in toolbox | D | D |
| Add block to Workspace | Enter | Return |
Note: If a position hasn't been saved while in Cursor or Stack Navigation mode, any block added to the workspace will be placed in the default location on the left side of the workspace.
Detach Blocks
To detach a block or a group of blocks from a stack, enter Stack Navigation and move the selection to just above the block you want to detach. That block and all blocks beneath it will be detached together.
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Detach selected block(s) | X | X |
Edit Block Parameters
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Enter block from stack navigation | D | D |
| Exit from block parameters | A | A |
| Navigate between parameters | W / S | W / S |
| Enter text parameter | D x2 | D x2 |
| Exit parameter | A | A |
| Exit text parameter | A x2 | A x2 |
| Begin editing parameter | Enter | Return |
| Scroll parameter options | W / S | W / S |
| Confirm parameter edit | Enter | Return |
Project Controls
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Start project | Ctrl + Enter | ⌘ + Return |
| Stop project | Ctrl + E | ⌘ + E |
| Open help | Ctrl + H | ⌘ + H |