# Keyboard Shortcuts for Interactive Exploration in the Archify Viewer: Complete 2024 Guide

> Master Archify viewer keyboard shortcuts for interactive exploration. Learn shortcuts for search, dependency tracing, route probing, and visual controls to navigate complex diagrams efficiently.

- Repository: [tt-a1i/archify](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-08-09

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**The Archify viewer supports keyboard-driven exploration with shortcuts for search (`/`), dependency tracing (`U`/`D`), route probing (`R`), and visual controls (`S`, `T`, `E`), allowing users to navigate complex diagrams without using a mouse.**

Archify’s web-viewer is engineered for keyboard-driven interaction, enabling rapid navigation of architecture diagrams, workflows, and data flows. The **keyboard shortcuts** are defined in the viewer runtime and documented across the repository’s [`README.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/README.md), [`archify/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/SKILL.md), and [`archify/references/viewer-runtime.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/references/viewer-runtime.md) files. These controls remain active regardless of diagram type—whether viewing Architecture, Workflow, Sequence, Data Flow, or Lifecycle artifacts—and were significantly expanded in release **2.13.0** (2026‑08‑03).

## Navigation and Search Shortcuts

Quick orientation and node discovery are essential for large diagrams. The viewer provides immediate keyboard access to search and guidance functions.

**Open the Diagram Guide.** Pressing **`?`** pops up a help pane that displays node counts, relationship statistics, and available reader tasks for the current artifact. This is documented in the **Explore and share the output** section of [`README.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/README.md).

**Find and focus nodes.** Press **`/`** to open a quick-search box. Type a node name and press **Enter** to jump directly to that semantic node. This shortcut is wired into the viewer’s command parser as defined in [`archify/references/viewer-runtime.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/references/viewer-runtime.md).

**Live overview radar.** Press **`M`** or type `MAP` to display a miniature radar view of the current viewport, helping maintain orientation while zoomed into complex architectures.

## Analysis and Tracing Shortcuts

Deep exploration requires tracing dependencies and analyzing paths between components. These shortcuts manipulate the graph view directly from the keyboard.

**Trace upstream and downstream.** First, focus a node using the mouse or search (`/`), then press **`U`** to highlight all ancestors (upstream) or **`D`** for descendants (downstream). This reveals authored reach and dependency chains without manual traversal.

**Probe directed routes.** Press **`R`** or type `PATH` to calculate and display the shortest authored route between two nodes. The view switches to a step-by-step journey visualization, useful for understanding data flow or call chains.

**Compare semantic roles.** Press **`L`** or type `LENS` to open the Semantic Lens panel. Select one or two roles to visualize overlapping nodes and relationships, facilitating architecture consistency checks.

## Visualization and Playback Controls

Presentation and export functions are fully keyboard-accessible, supporting both live demos and static analysis.

**Story playback.** Press **`P`** to play or pause a guided story. Navigate between chapters using **`[`** (previous) and **`]`** (next). This executes scripted walkthroughs automatically or advances them manually.

**Presentation Stage.** Press **`F`** to enter full-screen focus mode, hiding UI chrome for clean playback or screenshots.

**Visual styling.** Press **`S`** to cycle through visual presets (Classic → Signal-Flow → Blueprint). Toggle the UI theme between light and dark with **`T`**. Open the export dialog for PNG, SVG, or WebM formats using **`E`**.

**Zoom controls.** Adjust magnification with **`+`** (zoom in) and **`-`** (zoom out). Press **`0`** to reset the view to the default fit.

## Programmatic Shortcut Execution

The viewer exposes these shortcuts via a JavaScript API for automation and testing. The `viewer.execShortcut()` method triggers the same actions as physical keypresses.

```javascript
// Open the search box programmatically
viewer.execShortcut('/');

// Focus a specific node after opening search
viewer.searchNode('Auth Service');

// Cycle visual presets (equivalent to pressing "S")
viewer.execShortcut('S');

// Toggle story playback (equivalent to pressing "P")
viewer.execShortcut('P');

```

As implemented in `tt-a1i/archify`, the `viewer.execShortcut` function is part of the viewer runtime API and functions as the source of truth for all keyboard handling. Release **2.13.0** introduced the visual preset cycle (`S`), the story play/pause toggle (`P`), and the Diagram Guide shortcut (`?`), as noted in [`CHANGELOG.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md).

## Summary

- **Navigation:** Use **`/`** to search nodes, **`?`** for the guide, and **`M`** for the overview radar.
- **Analysis:** Trace dependencies with **`U`**/**`D`**, probe routes with **`R`**, and compare roles with **`L`**.
- **Playback:** Control stories with **`P`**, **`[`**, **`]`**, and enter focus mode with **`F`**.
- **Style & Export:** Cycle themes with **`S`** and **`T`**, export with **`E`**, and adjust zoom with **`+`**/**`-`**/**`0`**.
- **API:** Trigger any shortcut programmatically via `viewer.execShortcut()` as defined in the viewer runtime.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What keyboard shortcut opens the search functionality in Archify?

Press the **`/`** (forward slash) key to open a quick-search box. Type the node name and press **Enter** to jump directly to that semantic node in the diagram.

### How do I trace upstream or downstream dependencies using only the keyboard?

First focus the target node via search or selection, then press **`U`** to highlight all upstream ancestors or **`D`** to highlight downstream descendants. This highlights the authored reach without requiring mouse interaction.

### Can I trigger Archify keyboard shortcuts programmatically from code?

Yes. Call `viewer.execShortcut('shortcutKey')` where `'shortcutKey'` is the character representing the shortcut (e.g., `'/'`, `'S'`, or `'P'`). This method is part of the viewer runtime API and executes the same logic as a physical keypress.

### Do these keyboard shortcuts work for all diagram types in Archify?

Yes. According to [`archify/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify/blob/main/archify/SKILL.md) and the viewer runtime implementation, the keyboard shortcuts remain active across all diagram types including Architecture, Workflow, Sequence, Data Flow, and Lifecycle views.