Table of Contents

Keyboard Shortcuts Management

Criterion allows you to personalize your workflow by customizing keyboard shortcuts. This feature gives you full control over how you interact with the application, enhancing efficiency, reducing repetitive actions, and adapting interface to your preferences.

All changes saved automatically to user profile and take effect immediately, no restart required.


Accessing the Keyboard Shortcuts Manager

Note: On macOS, Keyboard menu appears under application name (e.g., Criterion > Customize Shortcuts).
1. Click on Keyboard menu in top application bar
2. Select Customize Shortcuts

New window titled “Keyboard Shortcuts” opens, organized into three main sections:


Understanding the Interface

Categories

Panel lists all main menu categories available in Criterion:

Note: All functionalities accessible through Edit menu will not support shortcut customization, as these commands adhere to standard and universal conventions shared across all text editors.
Category Platform
File All
Insert All
References All
Format All
View All
Help All
Settings Windows & Linux only
Criterion macOS only
Note: Platform-specific menus only shown on relevant operating system.

Commands

When you select a category, this panel displays all available commands within it (e.g., New, Save, Copy, Bold, etc.).

Click any command to view or modify its assigned keyboard shortcut.


Default Keyboard Shortcut

When a command is selected, this section shows:

Contextual help message appears in input field:


Customizing a Keyboard Shortcut

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Select a command from Commands list
2. Click inside "New Keyboard Shortcut" field
3. Press your desired key combination (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+T)
- You must include at least one base key (letter, number, F1–F12, Enter, Space, etc.)
- Only simultaneous key presses accepted (no sequences like "A then B")
- Valid modifiers: Ctrl (or ⌘ on Mac), Alt, Shift – entered in that order
4. Click Assign to save your new shortcut

Your new shortcut now active and appears next to command on list.

Warning: If shortcut already in use, warning appears: “This shortcut is already assigned to [Command Name].” You cannot assign it without first resolving conflict.


Conflict Prevention

Criterion prevents duplicate shortcuts to avoid confusion:


Resetting Shortcuts

Restore all shortcuts to original defaults:

1. Click Reset All button at bottom of window
2. Confirmation dialog appears: 
  - "Are you sure you want to reset all shortcuts to default? This action cannot be undone."
3. Click OK to confirm

All custom shortcuts removed, defaults restored immediately.


Saving and Closing

Note: Changes not applied until you click OK.

Technical Notes & Limitations


Summary of Default Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations:

Action Windows/Linux macOS
New Ctrl+N ⌘+N
Open Ctrl+O ⌘+O
Save Ctrl+S ⌘+S
Save As Ctrl+Alt+S ⌘+Alt+S
Close Ctrl+W ⌘+W
Quit - ⌘+Q

Editing:

Action Windows/Linux macOS
Cut Ctrl+X ⌘+X
Copy Ctrl+C ⌘+C
Paste Ctrl+V ⌘+V
Undo Ctrl+Z ⌘+Z
Redo Ctrl+⇧+Z ⇧⌘+Z

Formatting:

Action Windows/Linux macOS
Bold Ctrl+B ⌘+B
Italic Ctrl+I ⌘+I
Underline Ctrl+U ⌘+U

Apparatus & References:

Action Shortcut (All OS)
Add Note F5
Add Siglum F3
Add Reading Separator F2
Add Reading Type F4
Sigla Setup F6
Add Citation Ctrl+⇧+B / ⌘⇧B

Navigation & Utilities:

Action Windows/Linux macOS
Find Ctrl+F ⌘+F
Show Unprintable Chars F7 F7
Insert Link Ctrl+K ⌘+K
Remove Link Ctrl+⇧+K ⇧⌘+K
Add Bookmark Ctrl+Alt+B ⌥⌘+B
Add Comment Ctrl+Alt+K ⌥⌘+K