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TagQt provides keyboard shortcuts for quick access to common operations and workflows.

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Global Shortcuts

These shortcuts work throughout the application:
ShortcutActionDescription
Ctrl+OOpen FolderOpen folder selection dialog
Ctrl+SSave ChangesSave metadata for current/selected files
Ctrl+GGlobal EditEnter global edit mode (select all visible)
Ctrl+KCommand PaletteOpen command palette
Ctrl+QQuitExit application
EscapeExit Global EditReturn to single file selection

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File Operations

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Opening and Loading

Ctrl+O - Open folder dialog
Opens a folder selection dialog to load audio files from a directory.

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Saving

Ctrl+S - Save changes
Behavior depends on current mode:
  • Single file mode: Saves changes to the current file
  • Global edit mode: Applies modified fields to all selected files

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Exit Application

Ctrl+Q - Quit TagQt
Closes the application. Any running batch operations will be stopped.

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Edit Mode Shortcuts

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Global Edit Mode

Ctrl+G - Enter global edit mode
Selects all visible files and enters global edit mode. In this mode:
  • Sidebar shows global edit interface
  • Only modified fields will be applied when saving
  • Empty fields keep original values

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Exit Global Edit

Escape - Exit global edit mode
Returns to single file selection mode:
  • Deselects all files except the first one
  • Loads the first selected file
  • Returns sidebar to single edit mode

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Command Palette

Ctrl+K - Open command palette
The command palette provides quick access to all TagQt commands:

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Available Commands

Commands accessible via palette (from main.py:255-269):
  • Open Folder (Ctrl+O)
  • Save Changes (Ctrl+S)
  • Get Covers (All)
  • Get Lyrics (All)
  • Rename Files
  • Auto-Tag (All)
  • Re-encode FLAC
  • Romanize Lyrics
  • Resize Covers
  • Toggle Theme
  • Exit Global Edit (Escape)
  • Hints & Tips
  • About TagQt
Type in the command palette to filter commands. You can type partial matches like “rename” to find “Rename Files”.
These shortcuts are defined in the menu bar:

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File Menu

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+OOpen Folder
Ctrl+QExit

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Edit Menu

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+GGlobal Edit (All Visible)

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File List Navigation

Standard QTreeWidget shortcuts:
ShortcutAction
↑/↓Navigate files
Ctrl+ASelect all
Ctrl+ClickAdd to selection
Shift+ClickRange selection
EnterLoad selected file

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Shortcuts by Context

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Single File Editing

When editing a single file: 
Ctrl+S     → Save changes to current file
Ctrl+G     → Enter global edit mode
Escape     → (no effect in single file mode)

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Global Edit Mode

When multiple files are selected: 
Ctrl+S     → Save modified fields to all selected
Escape     → Exit global edit mode
Ctrl+K     → Open command palette

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Batch Operations

During batch operations: 
Escape     → (doesn't cancel batch)
Click progress bar → Show detailed status
Press the “Cancel” button next to the progress bar to stop batch operations. The Escape key does not cancel operations.

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Shortcut Reference Table

Complete shortcut reference from source code:

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Primary Shortcuts

# From main.py:247-251
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+S"), self, self.save_metadata)
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+O"), self, self.open_folder_dialog)
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Escape"), self, self.exit_global_mode)
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+K"), self, self.show_command_palette)

# From main.py:369, 389, 397
open_folder_action.setShortcut("Ctrl+O")  # File → Open Folder
exit_action.setShortcut("Ctrl+Q")         # File → Exit
global_edit_action.setShortcut("Ctrl+G")  # Edit → Global Edit

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Workflow Shortcuts

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Quick Edit Workflow

1. Ctrl+O          → Open folder
2. Select file     → Click or navigate with arrows
3. Edit metadata   → Modify fields
4. Ctrl+S          → Save
5. Next file       → Down arrow
6. Repeat 3-5

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Bulk Edit Workflow

1. Ctrl+O          → Open folder
2. Ctrl+G          → Enter global edit mode
3. Edit fields     → Only change what you want to update
4. Ctrl+S          → Save all
5. Escape          → Exit global edit

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Batch Operations Workflow

1. Ctrl+O          → Open folder
2. Ctrl+K          → Open command palette
3. Type command    → e.g., "Get Covers"
4. Enter           → Execute
5. Wait            → Monitor progress bar
6. Click progress  → View details

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Customization

TagQt does not currently support custom keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are hardcoded in the application.
To modify shortcuts, you would need to edit the source code: 
# In tagqt/ui/main.py:247-251
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+S"), self, self.save_metadata)
# Change "Ctrl+S" to your preferred shortcut

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Tips and Best Practices

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Muscle Memory

The most commonly used shortcuts:
  1. Ctrl+O - Always needed to start working
  2. Ctrl+S - Save frequently
  3. Ctrl+K - Quick access to any command
  4. Escape - Quick exit from global mode

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Efficient Workflow

Use Ctrl+K (command palette) for operations you don’t use often enough to remember their menu location.
Keyboard-first workflow:
  • Minimize mouse usage: Use arrow keys for navigation
  • Command palette: Ctrl+K for quick command access
  • Global edit: Ctrl+G for bulk editing
  • Quick save: Ctrl+S after each edit

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Context Awareness

Shortcuts behave differently based on context:
  • Ctrl+S in single mode → saves one file
  • Ctrl+S in global mode → saves all selected
  • Escape works only in global edit mode

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Accessibility

All shortcuts are accessible via menus:
  • Shortcuts are displayed next to menu items
  • Menu items show the keyboard shortcut
  • Alt+[letter] activates menu bar

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Command Palette Alternative

For users who prefer keyboard navigation:
  • Ctrl+K opens searchable command list
  • Type to filter commands
  • Arrow keys to navigate
  • Enter to execute

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Platform Differences

On macOS, shortcuts use Cmd instead of Ctrl:
  • Ctrl+S → Cmd+S
  • Ctrl+O → Cmd+O
  • etc.
PySide6/Qt automatically handles platform-specific modifier keys.

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Technical Details

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Implementation

Shortcuts are implemented using PySide6’s QShortcut class: 
from PySide6.QtGui import QShortcut, QKeySequence

# Create shortcut
QShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+S"), parent_widget, callback_function)

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Source Code Reference

  • Primary shortcuts: tagqt/ui/main.py:247-251 (setup_shortcuts method)
  • Menu shortcuts: Throughout main.py:362-523 (create_menu_bar method)
  • Command palette: tagqt/ui/palette.py (CommandPalette class)

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Shortcut Registration

All shortcuts are registered during MainWindow initialization:
  1. setup_shortcuts() - Registers global shortcuts
  2. create_menu_bar() - Registers menu shortcuts
  3. CommandPalette - Registers palette commands with shortcuts

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See Also

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