How to use the keyboard shortcuts
Audience: both — every signed-in staff member (owners, dispatchers, technicians, bookkeepers) can drive the app from the keyboard. Shortcut settings apply to your personal account only.
You can navigate boards, create tickets, copy record links, and search across Marula without taking your hands off the keyboard. If you forget a shortcut, hold down Alt anywhere outside a text box to see an on-screen guide for the page you are viewing.
Prerequisites
- A signed-in session on the web or desktop app. New to Marula? Walk through Your first ticket on the seeded demo org (
owner@demo.local/demo-password-123). - A physical keyboard. On touchscreens, every action has a matching button on screen.
The activation key: Alt
Marula uses Alt plus a letter or number (Alt+N, Alt+1, etc.) for workspace actions. Standard browser and operating system shortcuts (Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W, Cmd+Q, Alt+Tab, and browser back/forward) are never overridden. The one exception is the global search palette, which keeps the familiar Cmd+K / Ctrl+K shortcut.
Two ways to check available shortcuts
- Hold
Altfor the live page overlay: Press and holdAltanywhere on a page (when your cursor is not inside a text input). A small overlay lists every shortcut active on the current screen, along with its key combination and scope badge (Globalor current surface). Let go ofAltto hide it. - Press
?for the full cheat sheet: Press?(Shift+/) to open a reference dialog listing every keyboard command across the entire app, grouped by Everywhere, Navigation, and On specific surfaces. PressEscapeorAlt+Xto close it. The?cheat sheet still opens even if you disable active shortcuts in your preferences.
Built-in keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
Alt+N | Create a new record (for example, a new client or a new ticket) | Any screen with a create button |
Alt+1 … Alt+7 | Jump directly to a left-navigation section | Everywhere |
Cmd+K / Ctrl+K | Open the command palette and unified search | Everywhere |
Alt+J | Cycle to the next sub-page within the current navigation section | Everywhere |
Alt+C | Copy a direct link to the open record | Ticket and client detail pages (plus device detail) |
Alt+X | Close the topmost dialog or overlay | Everywhere |
? | Open the full keyboard shortcut cheat sheet | Everywhere (even when shortcuts are turned off) |
Each shortcut always performs the same kind of action. Alt+N always means "create new" on both the client directory and a service board.
Keyboard shortcuts respect your permissions
Every keyboard shortcut triggers the exact same action as clicking the button on screen:
Alt+Nopens the same creation dialog as clicking New client or New ticket. If a page has no create button,Alt+Ndoes nothing and is hidden from theAltoverlay.- Role permissions and disabled buttons apply identically for both mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts.
Turning keyboard shortcuts off
If a shortcut conflicts with assistive software or your personal workflow, you can turn shortcuts off for your account under Settings → Shortcuts → Keyboard shortcuts profile:
- Default: All
Altshortcuts and the hold-Altoverlay are active. - All off: Disables
Altshortcuts and the hold-Altoverlay for your user account (handy during screen shares or presentations). Pressing?still opens the read-only cheat sheet.
Where to go from here
- Customizing the board columns and statuses you jump between: How to set workflow categories.
- Screen reader announcements and high-contrast themes: How to use Marula with a keyboard, a screen reader, and themes.
- Daily ticket workflow: How to work a ticket.