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We all use keyboard shortcuts on our computers, usually for routine tasks such as cut, copy and paste. Although keyboards shortcuts have been dominant in the desktop world, they are also now coming to mobile devices as well e.g. if you use an Apple external keyboard on your iPad, hold down the Command key long enough and iOS will show you a list of shortcuts that can be used with the current app.

EverWeb includes many keyboard shortcuts combinations, most of which you will find listed to the right of their corresponding menu option. All very useful, but do we use keyboard shortcuts enough when designing our websites? Here are some of the benefits you can get from using shortcuts, specifically relating to using EverWeb.

It’s More Efficient

Using a keyboard shortcut is faster than using the mouse to get to the command, function or feature you want to use. This results in better productivity as you can get more done in less time. For example, if in EverWeb  you don’t want to see the Toolbar it’s quicker to use Cmd+Alt+T to toggle the Toolbar off and on when you want than going to the Window-> Hide/Show Toolbar menu every time.

You’re Multitasking!

In the above example, you’re actually multitasking as you are working with both keyboard and mouse at the same time doing two separate physical tasks. Using keyboard shortcuts helps free you from always having to follow the cursor or pointer on your screen which again saves you time and effort.

You Use Keyboard and Mouse

Keyboard shortcuts can be a great way to use your mouse and keyboard together at the same time. For example, if you want to drag the page contents beneath the selected object further down the page you use a combination of mouse and keyboard to do so. Hold the Cmd+Shift keys down and drag the selected object down the page with the mouse. More information on this feature can be found in our blog ‘New Ways to Move and Resize Objects in EverWeb 2.1’.

It’s The Only Way!

Sometimes you have to use a keyboard shortcut as the feature you want may not always be available in any other way. In the above example this is the case as there is only one way to move or resize objects in this particular way. You will also find this when using EverWeb’s ‘distance between object’ feature where you select an object and then hold down the Alt key whilst mousing over other objects to find the distance between the two.

Combat RSI and Other Occupational Health Problems

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is the most common occupational health problem according to the US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), costing over $20 Bn per year. In addition, problems in the wrist, elbow and shoulder, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, just add to occupational risks of computer usage. RSI is exacerbated by prolonged use of the mouse so using more  keyboard shortcuts will probably help you reduce or avoid these common workplace issues.

Better Accuracy

You may have times where you are positioning a shape, or some text, and want pinpoint accuracy. A mouse is useful for getting the object located reasonably well, but using the arrow keys on your keyboard may allow you greater precision and dexterity. Other ways to use the keyboard such as tabbing between fields to enter data may also be quicker than using the mouse to point and click in to the field.

Cross Apps Shortcuts

Many common shortcuts are shared throughout macOS and the apps you run on your Mac such as Cut (Cmd+X), Copy (Cmd+C) and Paste (Cmd+V). You may be surprised at how often you use these kinds of shortcut in your day without even thinking about it. So, why not look out for other shortcut keys that you can use across applications e.g. Open (Cmd+O) and Quit (Cmd+Q)

Useful EverWeb Keyboard Shortcuts

The following is a list of some of the shortcuts that are not found on EverWeb’s menu system and also some shortcuts that are useful, but not obvious, time savers.

• Distance from selected object to another: Alt key + mouse
• Move page contents beneath the selected object up/down: Cmd + Shift + mouse
• Move and object that is obscured by other objects: Cmd + Alt + mouse
• Select sub menu (especially useful for Pick Layer command in the Editor Window): Cmd+ mouse click
• Rotate selected object counter clockwise: Alt + Rotate button in the Toolbar
• Open Project File (Good for opening Project files not stored in the default location e.g. in the Cloud): Cmd+O
• Presentation Mode (Good for a quick page preview without having to use the Preview itself): Cmd+ Period (.)

Using shortcuts in EverWeb will save you time, will make you more productive and efficient and may help reduce the risk of developing health issues such as RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

If you have any comments or suggestions about this blog, please let us know in the Comments section below, Thanks!

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