manual/include/navigating-the-editor.html

<p>
  Navigating the Editor window is obviously a very frequent operation. Ardour sticks
  with a lot of the usual conventions in this regard, to allow for a quick learning.
  As those operations are so common, it is worth taking the time to learn most of
  the keyboard and mouse shortcuts in order for these to become fast and natural.
</p>
<p>
  The keyboard shortcuts can, as always, be edited, so the defaults are shown here.
</p>

<h2>Scrolling</h2>

<p>
  Scrolling can be done on-canvas, or with the <a href="@@summary">Summary</a>.
</p>

<h3>On Canvas</h3>

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr><th>Action</th><th>Mouse</th><th>Keyboard</th></tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><th>Scrolling up</th><td><kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd></td><td><kbd>&uarr;</kbd></td></tr>
    <tr><th>Scrolling down</th><td><kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd></td><td><kbd>&darr;</kbd></td></tr>
    <tr><th>Scrolling up one page</th><td></td><td><kbd>&#8670;</kbd></td></tr>
    <tr><th>Scrolling down one page</th><td></td><td><kbd>&#8671;</kbd></td></tr>
    <tr><th>Scrolling left</th><td><kbd class="mod3 mouse">&uArr;</kbd></td><td></td></tr>
    <tr><th>Scrolling right</th><td><kbd class="mod3 mouse">&dArr;</kbd></td><td></td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<p class="note">
  Moving the playhead outside the view may scroll the screen accordingly, so using
  or <kbd class="mod2">&larr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mod2">&rarr;</kbd>, while not
  <em>scrolling</em> per se, will result in scrolling if <kbd class="option">Transport
  > Follow playhead</kbd> is checked. This is also true with the <a href="@@mini-timeline">
  Navigation Timeline</a>, and anything that moves the Playhead.
</p>

<h3>In the Summary</h3>

<p>
  Clicking and dragging in the Summary will scroll the view left and right. If the
  screen view is clicked (the white rectangle) and dragged, the view can also be scrolled
  vertically.
</p>
<p>
  Additionnaly, on the left of the Summary, the two <kbd class="menu">&lt;</kbd> and
  <kbd class="menu">&gt;</kbd> arrows buttons allow to scroll one screen either left
  or right, while at the right of the Summary, the two <kbd class="menu">&and;</kbd> and
  <kbd class="menu">&or;</kbd> arrows buttons allow to scroll one screen either up
  or down.
</p>

<h2>Zooming</h2>

<p>
  Zooming (on time) can be done on-canvas (which will always be centerd around the mouse cursor),
  with the Summary, or with the <a href="@@zoom-controls">Zoom Controls</a>.
</p>

<h3>On Canvas</h3>

<table class="dl">
  <tr><th>Zooming in</th><td><kbd class="mod1 mouse">&uArr;</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Zooming out</th><td><kbd class="mod1 mouse">&dArr;</kbd></td></tr>
</table>

<h3>In the Summary</h3>

<p>
  Resizing the screen view in the Summary (the white rectangle) changes the zoom
  accordingly.
</p>

<h3>With the Zoom Controls</h3>

<p>
  With the Zoom Focus set, the <kbd>&minus;</kbd> and <kbd>&plus;</kbd> buttons
  will zoom out or in around this focus. The <kbd>[&nbsp;]</kbd> button zooms to the
  whole session as defined by the start and end markers.
</p>
<p>
  Theses controls are bound to the keyboard <kbd>&minus;</kbd> and <kbd>=</kbd>
  respectively by default.
</p>

<h2>Height of the tracks</h2>

<p>
  Changing the height of the tracks results in more or less tracks on screen. This
  can be done on canvas, with the Summary or with the Zoom Controls.
</p>

<h3>On canvas</h3>

<p>
  Using <kbd class="mod2 mouse">&dArr;</kbd> or <kbd class="mod2 mouse">&uArr;</kbd>
  while hovering over a track reduces or enhances its height, i.e. zooms on the
  hovered track, regardless of the selection.
</p>
<p>
  The <kbd>F</kbd> key resizes the tracks so that only the selected one(s) are
  displayed. If some unselected tracks are inbetween those selected tracks, their
  <a href="@@the-tracks-and-busses-list">visibility</a> will be toggled off.
</p>


<h3>In the Summary</h3>

<p>
  Resizing the screen view in the Summary (the white rectangle) changes the number
  of tracks displayed (hence their heights) accordingly. It behaves more like a zoom
  as the relative height of the tracks are kept.
</p>

<h3>With the Zoom Controls</h3>

<p>
  The three rightmost buttons of the Zoom Control bar, while not zoom buttons,
  act upon the height of the tracks:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>The first selector directly selects how many tracks are currently on screen.</li>
  <li>The second one reduces the height of the selected track(s). If none are
    selected, all the tracks are affected, while maintaining (as long as it is
    possible) their relative heights.</li>
  <li>The third one enlarges the tracks, and is the counterpart of the previous
    one.</li>
</ul>