Keyboard and mouse — TakeoffCraft help

Letter keys work when the pointer is anywhere on the page and you are not typing in a field. While a dialog is open, its own keys apply. Letters work with or without ⇧Shift.

Tools

Key	Tool
`VV`	Select
`LL`	Linear
`AA`	Area
`OO`	Circle
`RR`	Arc on or off (in Linear, Area and Cut-out)
`XX`	Cut-out (select an area first)
`CC`	Count
`SS`	Auto count
`KK`	Calibrate
`DD`	Check the scale

While drawing

Key or action	What it does
Click	Place a point (a dot, with Count).
`⇧Shift` held while clicking	Snap the segment to 0°, 45°, 90° or 135° from the last point. Not for arc points or circles.
Double-click	Finish a run, or close an area or cut-out.
`ReturnEnter`	Finish a run, or close an area or cut-out.
Right-click (without moving)	Finish a run, or close an area or cut-out.
Click the first point	Close an area or cut-out (from the third point).
`DeleteBackspace` or `fn DeleteDelete`	Remove the last point (first the pending arc point).
`EscEsc`	Drop the pending arc point; then cancel the unfinished mark; then go back to Select.

Selecting and editing

Key or action	What it does
Click a mark (Select tool)	Select it and make its item current.
`⇧Shift` + click a mark	Add it to the selection, or take it out.
`⌘ACtrl+A`	Select every mark on the open sheet.
Drag a corner handle	Move that point (`⇧Shift` snaps to 45°). Works when one mark is selected.
`fn DeleteDelete` or `DeleteBackspace`	Delete the selected marks (when you are not drawing).
`EscEsc`	Select none: clear the selection and the check line.
`⌘ZCtrl+Z`	Undo.
`⌘YCtrl+Y` or `⇧⌘ZCtrl+Shift+Z`	Redo.

Copy and paste

Key	What it does
`⌘CCtrl+C`	Copy the selected marks, with their items.
`⌘XCtrl+X`	Cut: copy the selected marks, then delete them.
`⌘VCtrl+V`	Paste: the copy follows the pointer; click where it goes.
`⇧⌘VCtrl+Shift+V`	Paste in place: the same spot on the open sheet.
`⌘DCtrl+D`	Duplicate the selected marks: the copy follows the pointer; click where it goes.
`EscEsc`	Put down nothing: cancel a paste or duplicate that is on the pointer.

The letters on their own still pick tools (CC is Count, DD is Check, XX is Cut-out, VV is Select, AA is Area); only ⌘Ctrl with them copies and pastes. In a text field these keys copy and paste text as usual. See Copy, paste and duplicate marks.

Files

Key	What it does
`⌘OCtrl+O`	Open PDFs
`⌘SCtrl+S`	Save takeoff

These two work even while you are typing in a field.

View and sheets

Key or action	What it does
Mouse wheel	Zoom in and out at the pointer.
Drag (left, middle or right button)	Pan. In Auto count, a left drag draws the search box instead.
`SpaceSpace` held + drag	Pan, in any tool.
`FF`	Fit page
`WW`	Fit width
`++` or `==`	Zoom in at the middle of the view.
`−−`	Zoom out at the middle of the view.
`fn ↓Page Down` / `fn ↑Page Up`	Next or previous sheet in the sheets list.
`⌃⇧FCtrl+Shift+F`	Cycle full screen modes (Control on every platform, also on a Mac).
`F1F1`	Open or close this help, a panel at the side.
`33`	The 3D check view of the sheet, on or off.

3D view

Key or action	What it does
Drag, or drag with the middle button	Orbit.
`⇧Shift` + drag, or drag with the right button	Pan.
Mouse wheel	Zoom at the pointer. On a trackpad, a two-finger swipe orbits and a pinch zooms.
Click	Select the mark under the pointer (`⇧Shift` + click adds or takes out).
`FF` or `WW`	Zoom extents.
`33`	Back to the flat sheet.

See Check the takeoff in 3D.

Auto count

Key or action	What it does
Drag a box	Box the symbol to search for (starts the search).
Click a match box	Reject it, or restore it.
`EscEsc`	Cancel a running search, or discard the review.

Help

Key	What it does
`F1F1`	Open or close the help panel (also the Help button in the app bar). It works in every tool, even while typing in a field.
`EscEsc`	Close the help panel. In its search box, the first Esc clears the search. While the panel is open, an Esc pressed after clicking the sheet closes the panel first; press it again to cancel in TakeoffCraft.

Mac

On many Mac keyboards the top row controls brightness and sound. Press fn with F1, or turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" in System Settings, under Keyboard.

Dialogs and fields

Key	What it does
`ReturnEnter`	In a field: apply the value. In the calibrate dialog: Set the scale.
`EscEsc`	Close a dialog (as Cancel); close the New item form.
`TabTab`	Move to the next field.

Platform notes

Mac

⌘Ctrl is the Command key: ⌘ZCtrl+Z, ⌘SCtrl+S, ⌘OCtrl+O. Full screen is the exception: Control+Shift+F.
Right-click is a two-finger click on a trackpad, once secondary click is on in System Settings, under Trackpad. TakeoffCraft reads only the secondary button; a Control-click may count as a plain click and add a point.
Two fingers scrolling on a trackpad zoom the sheet (they do not scroll it). To pan, press and drag, or hold Space and drag.
Page Up and Page Down are fn with the up and down arrows on keyboards without them.
Backspace is the key labeled delete.

Windows

⌘Ctrl is Ctrl: ⌘ZCtrl+Z, ⌘SCtrl+S, ⌘OCtrl+O.
On a laptop touchpad, a two-finger scroll zooms the sheet. To pan, press and drag.

Linux

⌘Ctrl is Ctrl. Some desktops use Ctrl+Alt or Super shortcuts of their own; TakeoffCraft uses none of them.
On a touchpad, a two-finger scroll zooms the sheet. To pan, press and drag.

Touch

TakeoffCraft reads touch as a single pointer:

Tap places a point, selects a mark or adds a count dot.
Drag with one finger pans the sheet (in Auto count it draws the search box).
Pinch-to-zoom is not supported yet. Use Fit page and Fit width, or ++ and −− on a keyboard.
To close an area, tap its first point. To finish a run, double-tap where your browser turns a double tap into a double-click, or press ReturnEnter on a keyboard.
There is no live length readout until you tap, because there is no hover.

A keyboard and mouse or trackpad is the better way to do takeoff today.

Keys the browser keeps

Browsers keep some shortcuts for themselves, and a page cannot use them: closing the tab (⌘WCtrl+W), new tab or window (⌘TCtrl+T, ⌘NCtrl+N), and browser zoom (⌘+Ctrl++, ⌘−Ctrl+−). That is why TakeoffCraft zooms the sheet with the wheel and the bare ++ and −− keys. If you press ⌘+Ctrl++ by mistake, the whole page grows; ⌘0Ctrl+0 puts it back. See Keys, mice and trackpads.