#Name

Tips and Tricks

#Description

This is a list of useful tips and tricks to help you make the most out of SerenityOS.

#General

• When on the Desktop or in File Manager, start typing the name of an item to select it.
• Bold text in context menus hints at the default behavior of a double-click.
• Hold Ctrl to accelerate mouse wheel interaction with sliders and spin boxes.
• Hold Ctrl while activating a menu item to prevent that menu from closing.
• Many applications can open a compatible file if you drag-and-drop it into their window.
• Change default file and protocol associations in ~/.config/LaunchServer.ini.

#Window Management

• Double-click a window's title bar to maximize it.
• Click on a window's icon to open the window's context menu.
• Double-click on the edge of an application's window to maximize it in that direction.
• Middle-click on a window's maximize button to extend the window vertically (this can be undone in the same way).
• Drag resizable windows to any side or corner of the screen to automatically resize them to fill half or one-quarter of the screen.
• Right-click on the Workspace Picker applet and select 'Workspace Settings' to easily customize the number and layout of Workspaces (virtual desktops).

#Fun

• It can help to get a second pair of $ Eyes on a problem… or fifty: $ Eyes -n 100.

#Applications

#Assistant

• Assistant can help you to quickly find files and launch applications. Open it with Super+Space.
• Enter a URL to open it in the web browser, e.g. serenityos.org.
• Perform quick calculations by typing the equal sign (=) followed by a mathematical expression, e.g. =22*101. Press Return to copy the result.
• Run commands in the terminal by prefixing them with a dollar sign ($), e.g. $ uname -a.

#Browser

• Browser has built-in content filtering, which can be used for ad blocking. Update the filters in ~/.config/BrowserContentFiltering.txt.

#Keyboard Mapper

• Create and edit custom keymaps with $ KeyboardMapper.

#Run

• The Run dialog accepts all Shell commands.

#Terminal

• Some of the bold or underlined text in Terminal can be double-clicked to open or right-clicked for additional actions.
  • For example, right-click on a file or folder and select 'Copy URL' to copy the path.
• Many Serenity applications already have convenient aliases. Use $ cat /etc/shellrc to view them.

#Text Editor

• Text files can be dragged directly from Terminal and dropped on Text Editor to open them.
• Text Editor has multiple viewing modes. You can edit HTML or Markdown and live preview it at the same time.

#Development

• Supplying # profile with a process identifier (PID) of -1 as root enables systemwide profiling.
• Easily transfer files from QEMU to your host machine by using the built-in web server. In the terminal enter ws . to start a WebServer instance for the current working directory. Then open localhost:8000 on your host machine.

#See also

• Keyboard Shortcuts