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Command Palette

The palette opened with Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P lets you find and run an action by name.

Actions scattered across the menu bar, context menus, the Settings dialog, and the Sidebar can all be reached by name, without remembering where they live.

On Windows this is the shortcut to everything

Melanite doesn't draw a menu bar inside the window on Windows, so the command palette is the keyboard route to actions that have no shortcut of their own. On macOS it also reaches actions the menus don't carry, such as the integrity check.

How it differs from Quick Open

It looks and behaves exactly like Quick Open. What it searches is different.

Key Searches for
Quick Open Cmd+P / Ctrl+P Items (file names)
Command palette Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P Actions

Use Cmd+P when there's a file you want to open, Cmd+Shift+P when there's something you want to do.

Using it

  1. Press Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P (it opens even while you're writing in the editor)
  2. Type the name of the action
  3. Choose with Up Down and run it with Enter
  4. Press Esc to dismiss

Each row shows the category on the left, the action name in the middle, and its shortcut on the right (when it has one).

  • Filtering matches both the action name and the category. Type "view" and all the view actions come up together
  • Spaces mean ANDmap view narrows further
  • Case is ignored

What's listed

Category Contents
View Switch to grid / list / calendar / map, switch theme (system / light / dark), toggle full screen (F11)
Note New note, new from template, daily note, go to a daily note by date, outline (only while editing a note)
Import Import files, import folder, import from clipboard
Selection Rename (F2), favorite, bulk rename, regenerate thumbnails, apply EXIF capture time, move to another library, move to trash, clear selection
Filter Clear all filters (Cmd+Shift+F), clear search term, clear tag filters, clear size filter
Smart Filter Apply a saved smart filter (with its icon) in one step
Tag Filter by a tag name (the item count appears on the right)
Library Undo, reload the list (F5), statistics, integrity check, metadata backup, watched folders, settings, close library
Help Open the manual (F1; opens in your web browser)

Actions you can't run right now aren't listed

They aren't greyed out — they simply don't appear. Since you narrow the list by typing, unselectable entries would only get in the way.

  • With nothing selected, the "Selection" entries are absent (you get "Select all" instead)
  • With no search term, "Clear search term" is absent
  • With nothing narrowing the list, "Clear all filters" is absent (→ Finding Files)
  • In the trash, "Move to trash" becomes "Delete permanently" and "Restore" is added
  • "Outline", "Insert a template", and "Go to the previous / next day's note" appear only while a note is open
  • While you're editing in the editor, the "Selection" entries are absent (choosing a view closes the editor first, then switches) — except "Rename", which targets the note you're editing
  • "Rename" appears only with a single item selected (with several, use "Bulk rename")

Fewer shortcuts to memorize

Because the palette exists, actions you rarely use don't need a key binding. These are faster to call by name than to remember:

  • Integrity check / metadata backup / watched folder settings
  • Move to another library
  • Applying a saved smart filter
  • Switching theme

→ For actions that do have keys, see Keyboard Shortcuts.