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Mode Overview

h5forest uses a modal interface system inspired by Vim (I use Neovim by the way), where different keyboard shortcuts become active depending on the current mode. This design enables efficient keyboard-driven navigation and powerful context-specific commands without cluttering the interface.

Available Modes

  1. Normal Mode - Default navigation and basic operations
  2. Search Mode - Fuzzy search for datasets and groups
  3. Goto Mode - Quick navigation commands
  4. Dataset Mode - Data analysis and statistics
  5. Window Mode - Panel and focus management
  6. Plotting Mode - Scatter plot creation
  7. Histogram Mode - Histogram generation

Mode Switching

Entering Modes

From Normal Mode, press the following keys to enter other modes:

Key Mode Purpose
s Search Mode Fuzzy search (tree focus only)
g Goto Mode Quick navigation
d Dataset Mode Data analysis
w Window Mode Window management
p Plotting Mode Create scatter plots
H Histogram Mode Generate histograms

Exiting Modes

  • q - Exit current mode and return to Normal Mode
  • Escape - Return to Normal Mode (context-dependent)
  • Ctrl+Q - Force exit the entire application

Mode Indicators

The current mode is indicated by the Hotkey Display: The bottom panel shows mode-specific keyboard shortcuts and has the current mode in its title

Universal Commands

These commands work in all modes:

Key Action
q Quit to previous content or exit
Ctrl+Q Force quit application
Arrow Keys Navigate (when applicable)

Mode Summary

Mode Key Purpose Main Features
Normal (default) Navigation Tree traversal, file exploration
Search s Find items Real-time fuzzy search, filtering
Goto g Quick nav Fast tree navigation
Dataset d Data analysis Value inspection, statistics
Window w UI control Panel focus, layout
Plotting p Visualization Scatter plots
Histogram H Distribution Statistical plots

Detailed Mode Documentation

Explore the detailed documentation for each mode:

Each mode page includes comprehensive keyboard reference tables and usage examples.