Keyboard and mouse

The tooltip of every toolbar and ribbon button shows its shortcut. On macOS, Ctrl is Cmd.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keys Command Where it applies

Keys	Command	Where it applies
Files
`Ctrl`+`N`	New	Opens the New window (Model Wizard, Blank Model, examples).
`Ctrl`+`O`	Open…	Opens an `.esm` model.
`Ctrl`+`S`	Save	Saves the model and its solutions.
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`S`	Save As…
Editing the model
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo	Any change to the model tree or a setting.
`Ctrl`+`Y` or `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Z`	Redo
`Delete`	Delete	The selected node.
`F2`	Rename	The selected node’s label.
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`D`	Duplicate	The selected node (with its children).
`F3`	Disable	The selected node; it is ignored when building and solving.
`F4`	Enable
`Ctrl`+`Up`	Move Up	The selected node within its parent. The order matters for geometry sequences and for features that override each other.
`Ctrl`+`Down`	Move Down
Building and solving
`F7`	Build Selected	Builds the geometry up to and including the selected geometry node.
`F8`	Build All	Acts on the selected node: builds the mesh on a mesh node, computes on a study node, plots on a plot group or plot, evaluates a derived value, and builds the whole geometry anywhere else. Double-clicking a node does the same.
`Ctrl`+`=`	Compute	Solves the current study.
View
`F5`	Zoom Extents	Fits the model into the Graphics window.
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select All	All entities of the active selection list (in the Graphics window).
`Ctrl`+`D`	Clear Selection	The active selection list.
Moving around (as in COMSOL)
`Ctrl`+`Tab`	Next window	Model Builder, Settings, Graphics, Messages, in turn.
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Tab`	Previous window
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Left`	Model Builder	Puts the keyboard focus in the tree.
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Right`	Settings	Puts the focus in the first field of the Settings window.
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Up`, `Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Down`	Previous, next section	Of the Settings window.
`Alt`+`Left`, `Alt`+`Right`	Go Back, Go Forward	Through the nodes you selected.
`Ctrl`+`L`	Filter	The Model Builder’s filter field.
`Shift`+`F10`	Context menu	Of the selected node.
Settings fields
`Enter`	Apply	Applies the field (leaving the field does too). The focus stays in the field.
`Esc`	Restore	Puts back the applied value of the field you are typing in.
`Ctrl`+`Space`	Complete	Lists the parameters, variables, functions and constants for an expression.
`Ctrl`+`V`	Paste rows	In a Parameters or Variables table: several rows at once, one undo step.
Help
`F1`	Help	The documentation of the selected node: its section of the Reference.
`Ctrl`+`F1`	Documentation	The front page of this documentation. File About Elmer Studio shows the version and the Elmer in use.

Files

Ctrl+N

New

Opens the New window (Model Wizard, Blank Model, examples).

Ctrl+O

Open…

Opens an .esm model.

Ctrl+S

Save

Saves the model and its solutions.

Ctrl+Shift+S

Save As…

Editing the model

Ctrl+Z

Undo

Any change to the model tree or a setting.

Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z

Redo

Delete

Delete

The selected node.

F2

Rename

The selected node’s label.

Ctrl+Shift+D

Duplicate

The selected node (with its children).

F3

Disable

The selected node; it is ignored when building and solving.

F4

Enable

Ctrl+Up

Move Up

The selected node within its parent. The order matters for geometry sequences and for features that override each other.

Ctrl+Down

Move Down

Building and solving

F7

Build Selected

Builds the geometry up to and including the selected geometry node.

F8

Build All

Acts on the selected node: builds the mesh on a mesh node, computes on a study node, plots on a plot group or plot, evaluates a derived value, and builds the whole geometry anywhere else. Double-clicking a node does the same.

Ctrl+=

Compute

Solves the current study.

View

F5

Zoom Extents

Fits the model into the Graphics window.

Ctrl+A

Select All

All entities of the active selection list (in the Graphics window).

Ctrl+D

Clear Selection

The active selection list.

Moving around (as in COMSOL)

Ctrl+Tab

Next window

Model Builder, Settings, Graphics, Messages, in turn.

Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Previous window

Ctrl+Alt+Left

Model Builder

Puts the keyboard focus in the tree.

Ctrl+Alt+Right

Settings

Puts the focus in the first field of the Settings window.

Ctrl+Alt+Up, Ctrl+Alt+Down

Previous, next section

Of the Settings window.

Alt+Left, Alt+Right

Go Back, Go Forward

Through the nodes you selected.

Ctrl+L

Filter

The Model Builder’s filter field.

Shift+F10

Context menu

Of the selected node.

Settings fields

Enter

Apply

Applies the field (leaving the field does too). The focus stays in the field.

Esc

Restore

Puts back the applied value of the field you are typing in.

Ctrl+Space

Complete

Lists the parameters, variables, functions and constants for an expression.

Ctrl+V

Paste rows

In a Parameters or Variables table: several rows at once, one undo step.

Help

F1

Help

The documentation of the selected node: its section of the Reference.

Ctrl+F1

Documentation

The front page of this documentation. File About Elmer Studio shows the version and the Elmer in use.

Standard keys work in the Model Builder tree as in any tree view: the arrow keys move through it, and Right and Left expand and collapse branches.

Mouse in the Graphics window

Action 3D models

Action	3D models
Left-drag	Rotate
Right-drag	Pan
Wheel	Zoom
Left-click	Select or deselect the entity under the cursor (when a selection list is active)
Hover	Highlight the entity under the cursor: red if a click adds it, green if it’s already selected and a click removes it. The status bar names it, for example `Boundary 6`.
`Up` / `Down` (or `+` / `-`)	Step through the entities under the cursor, front to back, to reach a hidden face. The status bar says which one is highlighted (`2 of 3 under the cursor`); click to select it.

Left-drag

Rotate

Right-drag

Pan

Wheel

Zoom

Left-click

Select or deselect the entity under the cursor (when a selection list is active)

Hover

Highlight the entity under the cursor: red if a click adds it, green if it’s already selected and a click removes it. The status bar names it, for example Boundary 6.

Up / Down (or + / -)

Step through the entities under the cursor, front to back, to reach a hidden face. The status bar says which one is highlighted (2 of 3 under the cursor); click to select it.

In 2D and 2D axisymmetric models there is nothing to rotate, so left-drag pans as well.

A click selects only when the mouse didn’t move. A small drag rotates or pans without changing the selection.

Selecting entities

Select a feature with a selection, for example Temperature 1, in the Model Builder. Its selection list becomes active: the green button next to the list is on, and the Graphics window shows the selection level (domains, boundaries, edges or points).
Hover to find the entity, then click it to add it (blue). Click a blue entity to remove it.
Use Select All or Clear Selection in the Graphics toolbar (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+D), or the buttons beside the list. Paste Selection takes typed numbers such as 1, 3-5 and 8.
To reach a face behind others, hover over it and press Down until it’s highlighted, then click. Or turn on Transparency. Show Labels shows the entity numbers.

For selections that should survive geometry changes, use a geometry Box Selection. See Selections.

Context menus

Right-click any node in the Model Builder for what you can add to it and do with it. The same commands as the ribbon, filtered to that node. On a physics interface the menu is split into Domains and Boundaries. On Geometry it’s split into Primitives, Booleans and Partitions, Transforms and Other.