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Command Palette

The command palette is the fastest way to do anything in Polaris. It's an overlay that appears in the centre of the screen with a single text input. Type to filter the list of all available actions. Press Enter to run.

Open it

  • Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on macOS) - open the command palette.
  • Ctrl+Shift+P - same thing (alternative).
  • From the menu: View → Command Palette.

A small text box appears in the centre of the screen. The current window stays visible behind it; the canvas is greyed out slightly.

How to use it

  1. Type a few characters. The list filters in real time.
  2. Use Up / Down arrows (or Ctrl+J / Ctrl+K) to move through the results.
  3. Press Enter to run the highlighted command.
  4. Press Escape to close the palette without running anything.

The list shows:

  • The command label (what it does).
  • The category in square brackets (e.g., [File], [View]).
  • The keyboard shortcut if there is one (e.g., Ctrl+S).

You can also click a command with the mouse.

What you can do

Almost everything. The palette is a unified launcher for:

File operations

  • new - new pipeline
  • open - open a .polaris file
  • save - save
  • save as - save under a new name
  • import csv / parquet / xlsx / json / clipboard
  • export csv / parquet / xlsx / json
  • recent files - list of recent pipelines

Editing

  • undo / redo
  • cut / copy / paste / duplicate / delete
  • select all

Adding nodes

  • add filter
  • add sort
  • add bar chart
  • add group by
  • add inner join
  • add csv reader
  • … and so on for all 40+ node types.

Just type add and pick from the list.

Running

  • execute all - F5
  • execute up to - Shift+F5
  • cancel - stop a running pipeline
  • clear cache - drop all cached results

Layout

  • auto layout - Ctrl+Shift+L
  • group / ungroup - Ctrl+G / Ctrl+Shift+G
  • fit to screen - F
  • zoom in / zoom out / reset zoom - Ctrl+Plus / Ctrl+Minus / Ctrl+1

View

  • graph mode - F2
  • spreadsheet mode - F1
  • split mode - F3
  • toggle ai - Ctrl+Shift+A
  • toggle chart - F4
  • toggle search - Ctrl+F
  • toggle profile - F4 or right-click column → statistics
  • toggle grid - Ctrl+G
  • toggle minimap
  • fullscreen - F11

Settings

  • settings - Ctrl+,
  • theme - switch palette
  • reset layout - restore default panel arrangement

Help

  • docs / documentation - open this doc set
  • shortcuts - in-app shortcut reference
  • about - version info

Fuzzy matching

The palette uses fuzzy matching. You don't have to type the exact label. Examples:

You type Matches
exec Execute All, Execute Up To, Cancel
lay Auto Layout, Reset Layout
csv Add CSV Reader, Import CSV, Export CSV
imp Import CSV, Import Parquet, Import JSON, Import XLSX, Import Clipboard
sav Save, Save As
joi Add Inner Join, Add Left Join, Add Right Join, Add Full Join, Add Cross Join, Add Anti Join

Matching is case-insensitive. Subsequence matching is supported: nla matches Auto Layout (the n, l, a are in order).

Categories

Each command has a category shown in square brackets:

  • [File] - file operations
  • [Edit] - clipboard, undo
  • [View] - panels, modes
  • [Nodes] - add node, layout, group
  • [Run] - execute, cancel
  • [Window] - tabs
  • [Help] - docs, about

You can type the category first to narrow:

  • view split - [View] Switch to Split mode
  • nodes add - [Nodes] submenu for adding nodes

Keyboard shortcuts in the palette

Shortcut Action
Enter Run the highlighted command
Up / Down Move through results
Ctrl+J / Ctrl+K Move through results (alternative)
Esc Close the palette
Tab Highlight the next result
Shift+Tab Highlight the previous result
Ctrl+1 ... Ctrl+9 Run the Nth result directly

The numbered shortcuts are great when you know the order of common commands. For example, after typing exec, Ctrl+1 runs "Execute All".

Auto-completion

As you type, the palette auto-completes based on the most likely match. The first result is auto-highlighted, so Enter runs it. To see other matches, use the arrow keys.

Recent commands

The palette remembers your last few commands. When you open it, the first few results are your most-recently-used ones. This makes repeating common actions (e.g., "auto layout after every change") very fast.

Custom commands

The palette is populated from every action registered in the application. If you write a plugin or extension, your commands will automatically appear in the palette.

Why it's the fastest way

Consider a common task: "add a Sort node, set the sort key to price, descending, and execute".

Mouse method:

  1. Find Sort in the palette.
  2. Drag it to the canvas.
  3. Click the Sort node.
  4. Click the Sort key field.
  5. Type price.
  6. Uncheck "Ascending".
  7. Press Enter.
  8. Press F5.

Command palette method:

  1. Ctrl+P.
  2. Type add sort. Enter.
  3. Ctrl+P.
  4. Type execute all. Enter.
  5. Click the Sort node. Click the Sort key field. Type price. Uncheck Ascending. Enter.

Still requires the property edit. The palette is best for actions, not for editing parameters. For parameters, the Properties Panel is faster.

But for any "do this thing", the palette is at least 2–3× faster than navigating menus.

Tips

  • Ctrl+P should be a reflex. If you find yourself reaching for the mouse, stop and try the palette first.
  • Type the category first when you know it: view split is faster than split mode.
  • Use the numbered shortcuts for your top 5 commands.
  • The palette shows keyboard shortcuts in the list, so it's a built-in shortcut reference.
  • Escape to dismiss at any time - you can press Esc to back out of any sub-state.

Common commands cheat sheet

Want to... Type
Save the current pipeline save
Open a file open
Run the pipeline execute all
Add a Sort node add sort
Add a Filter node add filter
Add a Bar Chart add bar
Open the AI panel ai or toggle ai
Open the Chart panel chart or toggle chart
Find in the grid find or search
Auto-arrange the canvas layout or auto layout
Switch to Spreadsheet mode spreadsheet mode
Switch to Graph mode graph mode
Switch to Split mode split mode
Open Settings settings
Show keyboard shortcuts shortcuts or key
Quit Polaris quit or exit

See also