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Keyboard Shortcuts 01

The Configure Keyboard Shortcuts dialog lets users define custom hotkeys for tools/actions, recipes, and view presets.

A Hotkey is a key or combination of keys that performs a action, often bypassing icons and menus. In some cases, a hotkey is the only way to access an action.

Hotkeys are also referred to as keyboard shortcuts or shortcut keys.

Some hotkeys work in conjunction with mouse position or mouse movements. For example, Visibility Shortcuts don't have visible controls, and generally require mouse movements.

With some exceptions, the default hotkeys shown here can be customized using Configure Keyboard Shortcuts, which is found on the Controls tab of the General Options menu. Configure Keyboard Shortcuts can also assign hotkeys to actions listed as "unbound". Recipes and View Presets can also be assigned hotkeys.

Alphabetic hotkeys are specified as uppercase for legibility. Type the lowercase letter, so for the "Q" hotkey, type "q". Uppercase "Q" would be specified as "Shift + Q".

Some hotkeys involve the Shift, Ctrl (control), and Alt key in combination with another key. For example, "Ctrl + D" means "hold the control key, then press lowercase 'd'".

Hotkeys may also involve combinations of Shift, Ctrl, and Alt. For example, "Ctrl + Shift + C" means "hold the control key and the shift key, then press lowercase "c". The "Ctrl + Shift + C" combination selects the Stick protein view with CPK coloring.

Foldit itself uses a more compact format for combination hotkeys, for example "Ctrl+Shift+C". The "Ctrl + Shift + C" is used on the wiki for legibility.

In the action bar, the icon for a given tool or menu usually shows the shortcut. For example, the "wiggle" icon has a "W" in the upper left. Hovering over an icon or menu item may also reveal a Tooltip that includes a hotkey.

Updated for 2023, a single-page cheat sheet listing most hotkeys and mouse actions is available in these formats:

General

These hotkeys perform some of the most basic Foldit functions, but they don't have a clear category of their own. The Ctrl + A and space hotkeys can't be modified by Configure Keyboard Shortcuts.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Ctrl + A Select all hotkey can't be modified none
space stops any ongoing action hotkey can't be modified none
space if no action is running, deselects all segments hotkey can't be modified none
tab show segment info when hovering on segment GENERAL_SHOW_RESIDUE_INFO
left arrow previous rotamer one segment selected GENERAL_CYCLE_SIDECHAIN_LEFT
right arrow next rotamer one segment selected GENERAL_CYCLE_SIDECHAIN_RIGHT
Ctrl + S Save solution See Open/Share Solutions for related functions. GENERAL_SAVE_SOLUTION
Ctrl + X Save and exit ACTIONS_EXIT_GAME
Ctrl+L Show/hide level hints Campaign only ACTIONS_RESET_HELP

Select

Many Foldit tools work with a selection of one or more segments. Some tools apply to all segments if nothing is selected. Other tools aren't active unless something is selected. The Ctrl + A hotkey selects all. Otherwise, selecting and deselecting involves uses the mouse.

Key or mouse action Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Ctrl + A select all hotkey can't be modified none
Shift + click on segment extend a selection selects segment if nothing selected none
Ctrl + click on segment deselect segment can also select additional segments none
Ctrl + Shift + click and drag select segments in a sphere none
click on background deselect all segments also right-click on background none
space deselect all segments if no action is running none

Camera

Foldit looks at proteins and other molecules through an invisible camera. The camera controls don't appear as icons or menu options, so hotkeys or mouse actions are required to use them.

The camera controls move or adust the camera, while the protein remains in the same spot. The Move tool can move the protein or a ligand to a new position. Other tools, especially Wiggle can cause the protein to move. In some cases, wiggle can cause a protein or a ligand to disappear off the screen.

The mouse actions for adjusting the camera are:

  • Click and drag on the background to rotate the camera around the protein
  • Shift + click + drag to move the camera up, down, right, and left
  • Ctrl + Shift + click to adjust the far distance cutoff
  • Alt + Shift + click to adjust distance fog or haze
  • Ctrl + Alt + click + drag to adjust near visibility cutoff

The "drag" mouse actions mean drag on the empty background, not on the protein or a ligand.

The remaining camera controls are available using these hotkeys:

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Q recenter protein does not reset zoom GENERAL_RECENTER_PROTEIN
Shift + Q focus on hovered segment changes far and near visibility GENERAL_FOCUS_SEGMENT
Page Up zoom in mouse wheel also zooms GENERAL_ZOOM_IN
Page Down zoom out mouse wheel also zooms GENERAL_ZOOM_OUT
Home reset camera resets zoom; default is Windows-only MISC_RECENTER_CAMERA
Alt + Home spin camera default is Windows-only MISC_SPIN_CAMERA
Shift + Home rock camera default is Windows-only MISC_ROCK_CAMERA
Ctrl + H Save screenshot Save to desktop or other directory MISC_SAVE_SCREENSHOT

The Home key may not be available on non-Windows systems. Use Configure Keyboard Shortcuts to configure the reset camera, spin camera, and rock camera controls on these systems.

The "focus on hovered segment" hotkey, Shift + Q, zooms in on the segment under the mouse pointer, and adjusts the near and far visibility. . If an electron density cloud is visible, only the density in the same plane as the selected segment is displayed. The "recenter protein" (Q) and "reset camera" (Home) hotkeys change the focus and reset the visibility.

There are three different visibility controls that don't move the camera, but instead adjust how far the camera sees. These controls are most useful on puzzles with large proteins, ligands, or electron density. These controls are confusing, since they involve holding combinations of Shift, Ctrl, and Alt while dragging on the background.

Holding ctrl + shift and dragging the mouse downward adjusts the far distance cutoff, causing the more distant parts of the protein to disappear. Dragging the pointer upward brings the distant parts of the protein into view.

Holding alt + shift and dragging the mouse downward adds fog, reducing far visibility. Dragging the pointer upward clears the fog, restoring full visibility.

Holding ctrl + alt and dragging adjust near visibility cutoff. Dragging upward causes the nearer parts of the protein disappear. Dragging downward brings the nearer parts of the protein into view. Note that the direction of dragging is the opposite of far visibility controls.

Menus

Foldit has several menus that can be opened or closed using hotkeys. Many items on these menus have their own hotkeys.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Esc Main menu Toggles menu. MAIN_MENU
F1 Help menu Toggle. GENERAL_OPEN_HELP
Alt + H Help menu Toggle; alternative hotkey. GENERAL_OPEN_HELP_ALT
Alt + U Undo menu Toggle. GENERAL_OPEN_UNDO
Alt + V View Options Toggle. GENERAL_OPEN_VIEW_OPTIONS
Alt + B Behavior menu Toggle. GENERAL_OPEN_BEHAVIOR
Alt + C Cookbook Toggle. GENERAL_OPEN_COOKBOOK
Ctrl + P Open Puzzle menu Not a toggle, click "X" to close menu. GENERAL_PUZZLE_MENU
Ctrl + O Open Open/Share Solutions menu Not a toggle, click "X" to close menu. GENERAL_OPEN_SOLUTION
Ctrl + T Open General Options menu Not a toggle, click checkmark to close menu. GENERAL_OPEN_OPTIONS

Action bar

Most Foldit Tools are available on the action bar located at the bottom edge of the Foldit window. Action bar items can be activated by clicking on an icon or by using the associated hotkey. Action bar tools may be inactive unless a specific condition is met. Many tools require a selections.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
F Freeze or unfreeze Freeze all or selected segments. ACTIONS_FREEZE_PROTEIN
W Global wiggle backbone and sidechains Wiggle all or selected segments. ACTIONS_WIGGLE_ALL
E Wiggle sidechains only Wiggle all or selected segments. ACTIONS_WIGGLE_SIDECHAINS
T Wiggle backbone only Wiggle all or selected segments. ACTIONS_WIGGLE_BACKBONE
S Shake sidechains Shake all or selected segments. ACTIONS_SHAKE
A Pick Sidechains Wiggle all or selected segments. ACTION_ROTAMER_PICKER
1 show/hide segment notes Requires at least one note. ACTION_TOGGLE_NOTES
R Remove all bands Requires at least one band. ACTIONS_REMOVE_BANDS
D Disable/enable bands Requires at least one band. ACTIONS_DISABLE_BANDS
L modify secondary structure Requires a selection. ACTION_SET_SECONDARY_STRUCTURE
5 idealize secondary structure Requires a selection. ACTION_IDEALIZE_SS
3 Show/hide move tool Requires a selection. ACTION_MOVE_TOOL
2 idealize peptide bonds Requires a selection. ACTION_IDEALIZE
4 Remix Requires continuous selection, 3-9 segments. ACTION_REMIX
O Rebuild Requires a selection. ACTION_REBUILD
U Trim or untrim Trim
P Show/hide Rama Map GENERAL_SHOW_RAMA_MAP
K Toggle electron density panel Only on electron density puzzles GENERAL_SHOW_ELECTRON_DENSITY
C Cutpoint Requires two adjacent segments selected. ACTION_CUT

The following additional action bar tools are available on small molecule design puzzles.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
L Open the ligand design tool Requires selecting ligand. ACTION_LIGAND_DESIGN
V Display Ligand Properties Opens two separate panels. ACTION_LIGAND_VIEW
M Perform MMFF wiggle Requires selecting ligand. ACTION_MMFF_WIGGLE
K Starts Tweak Ligand tool. Requires selecting ligand. ACTION_LIGAND_TWEAK
H Toggle the Compound Library panel. Requires selecting ligand. GENERAL_SHOW_COMPOUND_LIBRARY

The following additional tools are available on protein design puzzles.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Y Mutate sidechains ACTIONS_MUTATE
J Neural net mutate ACTIONS_MPNN_MUTATE
M Mutate by hand Opens dialog ACTION_MANUAL_MUTATE
I Insert segments ACTION_INSERT_RESIDUE
X Delete segments Requires a selection. ACTION_DELETE_RESIDUE
H Show AlphaFold panel Opens dialog GENERAL_SHOW_ALPHAFOLD

Bands

bands require mouse actions for the most part, but there are hotkeys to delete or disable/enable all bands.

Key or mouse action Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
right-click + drag on segment draw a new band none
D Disable or enable all bands ACTIONS_DISABLE_BANDS
R Remove all bands ACTIONS_REMOVE_BANDS
click mid-band Delete band none
click band end Center band end at clicked point none
left-click + drag band end Move band end to a new location, snapping to any nearby part of the protein. none
Alt + click + drag band end Move band end to a new location without snapping to the protein. none
right-click mid-band Adjust band properties opens dialog none

Freezing

Freezing has a hotkey which freezes all or selected elements, or unfreezes anything previously frozen. Right-clicking or right-double-clicking can also freeze or unfreeze.

Key or mouse action Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
F Freeze all or selected / unfreeze all frozen elements ACTIONS_FREEZE_PROTEIN
right-click Freeze element (segment or sidechain) hover on backbone or sidechain none
right-double-click Freeze entire structure (backbone only) none

Undo

Most items on the Undo menu have their own hotkeys.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Z Undo affected by Graph Properties UNDO_UNDO
Ctrl + Z Undo affected by Graph Properties UNDO_UNDO_ALT
Shift + Z Redo affected by Graph Properties UNDO_REDO
Ctrl + Y Redo affected by Graph Properties UNDO_REDO_ALT
Ctrl + B Restore Very Best UNDO_RESTORE_BEST
Ctrl + C Restore Credit Best UNDO_RESTORE_BEST_CREDIT
Ctrl + N Restore Recent Best UNDO_RESTORE_BEST_SINCE_RECENT
Ctrl + Shift + N Set Recent Best UNDO_SET_RECENT_BEST
Ctrl + R Reset Puzzle opens dialog ACTIONS_RESET_PUZZLE
Ctrl + E Reset Structures reset structures to starting pose ACTIONS_RESET_STRUCTURES
unbound Open Tracks panel. GENERAL_TRACK

Quicksave and Save Structures

As the name implies, Quicksave is a quick way to save the current protein to a numbered slot. Quickload restores from a numbered slot. i There are eight available using hotkeys, numbered 1 to 8.

There are 99 quicksave slots in all, numbered 1-99. . Recipes can use all 99 slots. Recipes and hotkeys use the same slots. Recipes often save the starting pose in a specific slot (usually 1 or 3) so it can be restored easily using a hotkey.

The Quickload and Quicksave options don't appear on a menu or have an icon.

The Save Structures and Load Structures controls don't involve quicksave slots, but are listed here because they also lack a menu spot or an icon. They are used to save and restore the secondary structure of the protein.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Ctrl + 1 Quickload from slot 1 slots 1-8 available, n = 1-8 UNDO_QUICKLOAD_n
Ctrl + Shift + 1 Quicksave to slot 1 slots 1-8 available, n = 1-8 UNDO_QUICKSAVE_n
Ctrl + Shift + 9 Save Structures UNDO_SECSTRUCT_SAVE
Ctrl + 9 Load Structures UNDO_SECSTRUCT_LOAD

View

There are many hotkeys for items from the View Options menu. A number of the hotkeys affect change multiple settings, such as the Color and View Style. Options marked as unbound don't have a hotkey assigned by default. Use Configure Keyboard Shortcuts under General Options to assign hotkeys to unbound options. Some view hotkeys do not appear on the view options menu, and some view options items don't allow a hotkey to be assigned to them.

Key or key combo Action Notes Keyword (hotkeys.txt)
Shift + C Show clashes spiky red balls highlight Clashes VIEW_SHOW_CLASHES
Shift + X Show exposed blotchy yellow spheres highlight Exposeds VIEW_SHOW_EXPOSED
Shift + B Show voids translucent red spheres highlight Voids VIEW_SHOW_VOIDS
Shift + B Show bonds (sheet) VIEW_SHOW_BONDS_SHEET
Shift + H Show bonds (helix) VIEW_SHOW_BONDS_HELIX
Ctrl + W Show bondable atoms VIEW_SHOW_BONDABLE
Ctrl + Shift + E Show constraints VIEW_SHOW_CONSTRAINTS
Ctrl + M Color mutated segments VIEW_COLOR_MUTATED
Ctrl + D X-ray tunnel for ligand VIEW_LIGAND_XRAY
Ctrl + I Show isosurface VIEW_SHOW_ISOSURFACE
Shift + R Show Use relative color scoring VIEW_COLORS_WORST
Ctrl + F Color relative to guide only when a Guide is present VIEW_COLORS_RED_GREEN
Ctrl + S Show guide only when a Guide is present VIEW_SHOW_GUIDE
Shift + G Hide GUI hides many features, does not close menus VIEW_HIDE_GUI
Shift + D Don't Show (Fast) hides sidechains for performance VIEW_SIDECHAINS_NONE
Shift + T Show Stubs shows a one-atom stub for each sidechain VIEW_SIDECHAINS_STUB
Shift + A Show All (Slow) shows complete sidechains VIEW_SIDECHAINS_ALL
Shift + O Show outlines VIEW_SHOW_OUTLINES
Ctrl + Shift + P show next View Protein option VIEW_NEXT
Ctrl + Shift + O show previous View Protein option VIEW_PREV
Ctrl + Shift + I show next color option VIEW_NEXT_COLOR
Ctrl + Shift + U show previous color option VIEW_PREV_COLOR
Ctrl + Shift + C set CPK color and Stick view not on View Options menu VIEW_STICK_CPK
Ctrl + Shift + D set CPK color and Line view not on View Options menu VIEW_LINE_CPK
Ctrl + Shift + L set Score Hydro color and Trace Line view not on View Options menu VIEW_LINE
Ctrl + Shift + M set Score Hydro color and Cartoon view not on View Options menu VIEW_CARTOON
Ctrl + Shift + S set Score Hydro color and Trace Tube view not on View Options menu; "standard style" in help VIEW_STANDARD
Ctrl + Shift + X set EnzDes color and Cartoon Thin view not on View Options menuu VIEW_CARTOON_THIN
unbound Light background VIEW_LIGHT_BG
unbound Pulse when working VIEW_PULSE
unbound Show backbone issues VIEW_SHOW_BACKBONE_ISSUES
unbound Show backbone pins VIEW_SHOW_BACKBONE_PINS
unbound Show bonds not on menu; helix, sheet, and loop bonds VIEW_SHOW_BONDS
unbound Show bonds (loop) VIEW_SHOW_BONDS_LOOP
unbound Show bonds (non-protein) VIEW_SHOW_BONDS_NON_PROTEIN
unbound Show bonds (sidechain) VIEW_SHOW_BONDS_SIDECHAIN
unbound Show expected residue burials VIEW_SHOW_RESIDUE_BURIALS
unbound Show Symmetric Chains VIEW_SHOW_SYM_CHAINS
unbound Symmetric Chain Colors VIEW_SHOW_SYM_COLORS
unbound Show buried bondable atoms may not work; not on View Options menu VIEW_SHOW_BONDABLE_BURIED
unbound View preset any view preset can have a hotkey VIEW_PRESET_preset_name

Technical details

Use Configure Keyboard Shortcuts under General Options to change hotkeys. Hotkey settings are stored in the configuration file hotkeys.txt. Only non-default hotkeys are saved to hotkeys.txt. Entries in hotkeys.txt consists of keyword-value pairs. The keywords used are listed in the "Keyword (hotkeys.txt)" column of the tables above.

Foldit reads the non-default settings from hotkeys.txt at startup, and then overwrites the file at normal shutdown. Any changes made in Configure Keyboard Shortcuts are saved when the General Options window is closed.

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