Customizing shortcuts

You can edit the keyboard shortcuts that come by default with your installation, or set your own shortcuts to the commands you use frequently and want to access through the keyboard.

TIP: The default shortcuts set has 98 command shortcuts and if you need to edit it, you will spend a lot of time exploring the available commands, clearing them and making your own. If you want to start "from scratch", you can load the Windows_Standard_Shortcuts.kbs set, which has only nine commands. You can then use this set to build your own set of custom command shortcuts within much shorter time and with much less effort.

To customize keyboard shortcuts

1. On the Tools menu, point to Shortcuts, and then click Customize.

The Shortcuts dialog box appears.

NOTE: The dialog box has three tabs, in which you can customize keyboard shortcuts for the commands on the toolbars, menus, and for modes (individual commands that either are features of other commands or cannot be accessed on either a menu or a toolbar).

2. Click the tab in which you want to set custom keyboard shortcuts.
3. Select the menu item for which you want to set a keyboard shortcut or modify an existing one.
4. Press CTRL, and then press a key combination. The key combination appears in the Shortcut field. If the field below remains empty, the combination has been accepted. If the combination is set for another shortcut, a notification appears; in this case, type in a different combination.
5. After you have set your keyboard shortcuts, click OK.

NOTE: The above procedure applies only to your current workstation. That is why, consider your situation:

• If you do not plan to share the set of shortcuts or use it as backup, you can stop now and proceed with your work. The next time you begin working on a project, the custom shortcuts will apply.
• If you want to save the shortcuts you have set — for example, to share them across a network or as backup — you must save the new shortcuts set as a separate file. If that is the case, proceed with the next procedure.

6. After you have set your own set of keyboard shortcuts, on the Tools menu, point to Shortcuts, and then click Save As.

IMPORTANT: Applying the Save As command creates a .kbs file that you can share across a network or use as backup. Note that this file will not become the file your installation is currently working with. In other words, if you continue making changes to keyboard shortcuts and want to save them, apply the Save As command, and then either save the file with a new name or overwrite an existing .kbs file.

The Open dialog box appears.

7. Navigate to a location, type in the file name of the new shortcuts file, and then click Save.