Command Palette

This entry has no operable specimen yet; the illustration is an editorial mockup. Still to verify in a real product: that every palette command matches a visible menu entry, that shortcut hints are actually legible, and focus management and keyboard reachability on open and close.

{
  "states": [
    "closed",
    "open",
    "filtering",
    "executing"
  ],
  "a11y": [
    "The container uses combobox associated with a listbox; arrow keys move focus among candidates",
    "Focus moves into the input on open; Escape closes the palette and returns focus to the trigger",
    "Each candidate row exposes both a readable command name and its shortcut text"
  ],
  "motion": "The overlay's appearance and dismissal can skip animation; under reduced motion it shows or hides directly"
}

{
  "id": "command-palette",
  "type": "interaction",
  "name": {
    "zh": "命令面板",
    "en": "Command Palette"
  },
  "aliases": [
    "快捷命令面板",
    "Command Bar",
    "Cmd+K 面板"
  ],
  "granularity": "component",
  "intents": [
    "find-option",
    "run-command"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "commands",
    "keyboard",
    "search",
    "shortcuts",
    "overlay"
  ],
  "definition": "A search-box overlay invoked by a keyboard shortcut: typing a word fuzzy-matches commands, jumpable objects, and settings and runs them directly, layered on top of the visible menus as a keyboard accelerator.",
  "boundary": "A command palette is an accelerator layered on top of the visible interface, not the only route to a function: every command reachable in the palette must also be reachable through a menu, button, or other visible path, or usability ends up resting on recall rather than recognition — which is exactly its tension with Recognition Rather Than Recall. It differs from search and filter, which narrows a set of content for browsing and comparison, whereas a command palette finds and runs a single action. It borrows a modal dialog's overlay and focus capture in form, but its purpose is invoking commands, not collecting information needed to continue or preventing an irreversible error.",
  "signature": [
    "A keyboard shortcut summons a centered input overlay from anywhere in the interface",
    "Typing fuzzy-matches commands, objects, and settings by name, and each result row shows its keyboard shortcut",
    "Selecting a result runs or navigates immediately, and closing returns focus to the element that had it before"
  ],
  "when": [
    "There are too many commands, pages, or objects for menus and navigation to list individually",
    "Actions or destinations have clear, describable names that a person can roughly recall",
    "People repeat the same set of actions and are willing to build keyboard muscle memory"
  ],
  "when_not": [
    "The palette becomes the only entry point to a function, leaving people who don't know its name unable to complete the task",
    "The application has few commands and the menus are already self-evident",
    "People are mainly browsing and comparing a set of content rather than finding and running a single action"
  ],
  "tradeoff": "Gives people who remember command names a fast keyboard accelerator, at the cost of maintaining a searchable command index and keeping the same commands reachable in the visible menus.",
  "comparison": {
    "focus": "Whether a command can be invoked directly from a name held in memory",
    "mechanism": "A keyboard-summoned fuzzy-search input with a list of candidate results",
    "cost": "Depends on people recalling command names, and requires maintaining both the palette index and the visible menus"
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "apg-combobox",
      "title": "WAI-ARIA APG · Combobox Pattern",
      "url": "https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/combobox/",
      "claim": "The combobox pattern is an input with an associated popup: typed text filters the candidates in the popup, arrow keys move focus into and through the popup, Enter accepts the selection, and Escape dismisses the popup.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-09-15",
      "archive": {
        "lookupUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260915*/https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/combobox/",
        "status": "available",
        "checkedAt": "2026-09-16T05:45:51.213Z",
        "jobId": "spn2-d4d6992153373f55a317fe7ec6043b6e8772a02b",
        "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260916054653/https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/combobox/",
        "timestamp": "20260916054653"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "nng-accelerators",
      "title": "NN/g · Accelerators Maximize Efficiency in User Interfaces",
      "url": "https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ui-accelerators/",
      "claim": "Accelerators (keyboard shortcuts) let expert users bypass the normal menu path to complete tasks faster; shortcuts should be displayed inline next to their commands so people can recognize and learn them.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-09-15",
      "archive": {
        "lookupUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260915*/https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ui-accelerators/",
        "status": "pending",
        "checkedAt": "2026-09-16T05:46:11.257Z",
        "error": "status-request-failed",
        "jobId": "spn2-5469a86990cb2b93f9fc31b61ed24c07d549e802"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "vscode-command-palette",
      "title": "Visual Studio Code Docs · User Interface — Command Palette",
      "url": "https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface",
      "claim": "The Command Palette, opened with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P, is a unified entry point to all of the editor's functionality — running commands, opening files, and searching symbols — and lists the keyboard shortcuts for common operations.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-09-15",
      "archive": {
        "lookupUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260915*/https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface",
        "status": "pending",
        "checkedAt": "2026-09-16T05:46:35.657Z",
        "error": "status-request-failed",
        "jobId": "spn2-43a6ba7af44b9c8af7642be408ee72f1ec8d07ee"
      }
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "target": "recognition",
      "kind": "conflicts_when",
      "condition": "The palette becomes the only route to a function",
      "reason": "A command palette depends on people recalling command names, which runs counter to Recognition Rather Than Recall; a visible, recognizable path must remain outside the palette.",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "target": "search-and-filter",
      "kind": "related",
      "condition": "The palette also offers a search box for jumping to objects",
      "reason": "Search and filter narrows a set of content for browsing and comparison, while a command palette finds a single action to run immediately — the purposes differ.",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "target": "modal-dialog",
      "kind": "composes_with",
      "condition": "The palette appears as a modal overlay covering the main content",
      "reason": "A command palette borrows a modal dialog's overlay and focus-capture mechanics, but its purpose is invoking commands rather than collecting information needed to continue or preventing an irreversible error.",
      "basis": "editorial"
    }
  ],
  "rules": [
    {
      "when": "A command is listed in the palette",
      "instruction": "The command must also be reachable through a menu, button, or other visible path — it must not exist only inside the palette.",
      "strength": "must",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "when": "The palette shows a result row for a command",
      "instruction": "Show that command's keyboard shortcut on the row so people can gradually learn it.",
      "strength": "recommend",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "when": "The palette opens or closes",
      "instruction": "Move focus into the palette's input on open, and return focus to the element that had it before on close.",
      "strength": "must",
      "basis": "editorial"
    }
  ],
  "behavior": {
    "states": [
      "closed",
      "open",
      "filtering",
      "executing"
    ],
    "a11y": [
      "The container uses combobox associated with a listbox; arrow keys move focus among candidates",
      "Focus moves into the input on open; Escape closes the palette and returns focus to the trigger",
      "Each candidate row exposes both a readable command name and its shortcut text"
    ],
    "motion": "The overlay's appearance and dismissal can skip animation; under reduced motion it shows or hides directly"
  },
  "demo": null,
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "editorialStatus": "drafted",
  "requirements": [],
  "demoCapabilities": [],
  "implementationNote": "This entry has no operable specimen yet; the illustration is an editorial mockup. Still to verify in a real product: that every palette command matches a visible menu entry, that shortcut hints are actually legible, and focus management and keyboard reachability on open and close.",
  "image": {
    "src": "/images/command-palette.webp",
    "alt": "A fictional FIELDNOTES interface dimmed behind a centered command palette card: a single input line at the top, several command rows below each ending in a shortcut chip, with one row highlighted."
  },
  "searchTerms": [
    "命令",
    "键盘",
    "搜索",
    "快捷键",
    "覆层"
  ]
}