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Navigate and select in the Graph Editor

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The Graph Editor is the canvas in Nodespell where you place nodes, connect them and run them. Every gesture in the Graph Editor has a trackpad, mouse and keyboard path, so you can pan, zoom, select and frame your graph without a middle mouse button.

Pan and zoom the canvas

Section titled “Pan and zoom the canvas”

Nodespell detects whether you are using a trackpad or a mouse and reads the gesture to match. Turn on Status Bar Hotkey Help in View Settings to see the gestures for your current device in the status bar.

To Do this
Pan Drag with two fingers
Zoom Pinch
Pan without a gesture Arrow keys; hold Shift to pan faster
Zoom without a gesture = to zoom in, - to zoom out

Natural Scrolling (Preferences, Node Graph Editor section) reverses the scroll direction. Open Preferences with Cmd/Ctrl+,.

Frame nodes and jump around

Section titled “Frame nodes and jump around”

These keys work on any device and act on the current Level.

Key Action
F Frame Selected Nodes
A Frame All Nodes
Hold Z Zoom out to show the whole Level. Release Z to zoom in where the pointer is, or drag a box while holding Z to frame that region.
0 Reset Zoom
Shift+0 Reset Pan
Shift+[ / Shift+] Previous view / next view
Option/Alt+1 … Option/Alt+0 Remember the selected nodes in a numbered slot
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+1 … Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+0 Jump to the nodes in that slot

You can also right-click empty canvas and choose Frame Selected Nodes or Frame All Nodes. The full list of keys is on Keyboard shortcuts.

Use the minimap

Section titled “Use the minimap”

The minimap is a small overview of the nodes, groups and visible area of the current Level. It is off by default.

  1. Open View Settings in the Graph Editor’s menu bar and turn on Minimap.
  2. Click or drag inside the minimap to move the view there. With the minimap focused, arrow keys pan the graph and Shift pans a full screen.
  3. Drag the resize handle to make the minimap larger or smaller. The handle also responds to arrow keys.
  4. Use the Previous view and Next view buttons to step back and forward through places you have looked at.
  5. Click the pin button to switch between Auto-hide minimap when not in use and Keep minimap open.

To show the minimap in every graph editor you open, turn on Show Minimap in Preferences under Node Graph Editor. Auto-hide Minimap is on by default.

Select nodes

Section titled “Select nodes”
To Do this
Select one node Click it
Add or remove a node from the selection Shift+click
Select an area Drag on empty canvas (box selection)
Toggle nodes in an area Shift+drag on empty canvas
Switch between box and lasso selection Shift+B
Select everything on the Level Cmd/Ctrl+A
Clear the selection Esc
Select everything upstream, downstream or connected Shift+U, Shift+D, Shift+C
Step through earlier selections [ and ]
Walk the selection along connections Cmd/Ctrl + arrow keys

Clicking and dragging is always done with the primary button, so a trackpad click works for every selection action.

Move, align and duplicate nodes

Section titled “Move, align and duplicate nodes”
  • Drag a node to move it. Snap To Other Nodes (on by default) lines its edges or centre up with nearby nodes.
  • Nudge the selection with Option/Alt + arrow keys; add Shift for larger steps.
  • Hold Option/Alt while dragging to drag out a copy.
  • H and V align the selection horizontally or vertically; Shift+H and Shift+V distribute it evenly.
  • Shift+= and Shift+- make the selected nodes larger or smaller.
  • L tidies the selection or the whole Level. See Organize your graph.

Undo any edit with Cmd/Ctrl+Z and redo with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z.

What are the parts of a node?

Section titled “What are the parts of a node?”
Part What it is
Input sockets Where connections arrive. In the default top-to-bottom flow they sit on the top edge.
Output sockets Where results leave. In the default flow they sit on the bottom edge.
Body The node’s preview: an image, video, text or audio result, or its prompt text.
Name tag The node’s name, shown above it when Node Name Tags is on.
Badges Small markers for state such as errors or warnings, shown when Node Badges is on.
Comment A note you add with Edit Comment, shown when Node Comment is on.

Socket colour shows the content type: image, video, audio, text, 3D or any. Hover a socket to see its name, direction and type. When you change the flow direction, sockets move to the matching edges; node content stays upright and connections keep working.

What is in View Settings?

Section titled “What is in View Settings?”

View Settings sits in the Graph Editor’s menu bar next to Nodes.

Section Setting Effect
Display Minimap Shows the overview map
Display Background Grid Shows the canvas grid
Display Docked Parameter Editor (Q) Shows Parameters docked beside the graph
Node Display Node Name Tags Shows node names above nodes
Node Display Node Badges Shows status badges
Node Display Node Comment Shows node comments
Node Display Node Glance Shows quick information when you hover nodes
Interaction Reference Links Draws links between nodes and what they reference
Interaction Snap To Other Nodes Snaps while dragging or resizing
Interaction Keystroke Indicator Shows the last shortcut you pressed
Interaction Status Bar Hotkey Help Lists keys and gestures for what you are doing

Shift+S cycles the connection line style. Grid style, line type and socket colouring are also in Preferences under Node Graph Editor.

Frequently asked questions

Section titled “Frequently asked questions”

Can I use the Graph Editor without a middle mouse button?

Section titled “Can I use the Graph Editor without a middle mouse button?”

Yes. On a trackpad, drag with two fingers to pan and pinch to zoom. With a mouse, hold Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) and right-drag to pan, and use the arrow keys, F, A and Z to move and frame.

How do I find a node I cannot see?

Section titled “How do I find a node I cannot see?”

Press A to frame every node on the Level, hold Z for a quick overview, or open the minimap from View Settings. To search by name, use Find in graph with Cmd/Ctrl+F.

Does changing the flow direction move my nodes?

Section titled “Does changing the flow direction move my nodes?”

No. Changing the flow direction moves sockets to different edges but leaves node positions as they are. Press L afterwards if you want Nodespell to rearrange the Level.

Can I change the keyboard shortcuts?

Section titled “Can I change the keyboard shortcuts?”

No. Preferences has a Hotkeys section where you can view and search every shortcut, but the keys cannot be reassigned.

Section titled “Related”