audiobookshelf/artifacts/docs/ux_power_user_shortcuts.md

UX and Power User Shortcuts

Overview

Audiobookshelf includes several workflow improvements designed to speed up common tasks and ensure a smooth navigation experience.

1. Keyboard Shortcuts

To improve the efficiency of batch operations, global keyboard listeners have been added to the library views.

• Select All: Ctrl + A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + A (macOS).

  • Behavior: Selects all items currently loaded on the screen.
  • Persistent Selection: If you scroll down and new items load while in "Select All" mode, the new items will be automatically selected.
  • Exit: Clicking outside the items or manually deselecting an item will toggle off the "Select All" persistent state.

• Action Shortcuts (Context-aware: Applied to selection in Library, or current item on Item Page):

  • Consolidate: Ctrl + K.
  • Merge: Ctrl + M (Requires 2+ selected items).
  • Move to Library: Ctrl + Shift + M.
  • Reset Metadata: Alt + R. (Note: Alt is used specifically to avoid conflict with standard "Reload" Ctrl + R).

• Navigation Shortcuts (Requires an active library selection):

  • Home: Alt + H.
  • Library: Alt + L.
  • Series: Alt + S.
  • Collections: Alt + C.
  • Authors: Alt + A.

• Modal & Prompt Controls:

  • Confirm / Submit: Enter (Works on confirmation prompts and many action modals like "Move", "Quick Match", and "Split").
  • Cancel / Close: Escape (Closes modals, cancels prompts, and clears batch selections).

2. Navigation and Filter Persistence

The interface manages filter states dynamically to prevent confusion when switching contexts.

Library Switch Reset

When you switch from one library to another (e.g., from "Audiobooks" to "Podcasts"):

• Search Reset: The search query is cleared.
• Filter Reset: All filters (Genre, Series, Collections, Progress) are reset to "All".
• Sort Reset: The view returns to the library's default sort order.
• Rationale: This prevents the "No results found" scenario that occurs when filters from one library are unknowingly applied to another.

Home View "View All" Shortcuts

The Home view includes shortcuts next to shelf headlines to jump directly to a filtered/sorted library view.

Shortcut	Action
Recently Added	Navigates to Library -> Bookshelf sorted by Added At (DESC).
Recent Series	Navigates to Library -> Series sorted by Recent.
Newest Authors	Navigates to Library -> Authors sorted by Added At (DESC).

3. Batch Selection Mode

When multiple items are selected:

• A specialized Selection App Bar appears at the top.
• Counters: Displays exactly how many items are selected.
• Contextual Menu: The three-dot menu in this bar dynamically updates to show only actions relevant to the selected items (e.g., "Merge" only appears if books are selected).
• Escape: Pressing Esc or clicking the "X" in the selection bar clears all selections.