You can do everything in pgModeler with the mouse, but a handful of keys make modeling noticeably faster. These are the ones to learn first. On macOS, read Ctrl as Command. The complete list is in Appendix II: Shortcut listing.
Working with the model
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|
Ctrl + N / Ctrl + O / Ctrl + S | New, open and save a model. |
Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | Undo and redo. |
Alt + V | Show or hide the validation widget. |
Alt + S | Source code preview of the selected object. |
Ctrl + Shift + E | Export the model. |
Ctrl + Shift + I | Import a database (reverse engineering). Plus. |
Ctrl + Shift + D | Compare the model with a database (diff). Plus. |
Creating and editing objects
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|
N | Open the new object overlay: create objects (and relationships between selected tables) with the keyboard. |
Space | Open the editing form of the selected object. |
F2 | Rename the selected object. |
Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V / Ctrl + D | Copy, paste and duplicate the selected objects. |
Ins / Del | Add or remove an item in the grids of the editing forms (columns, constraints and so on). |
Moving around the canvas
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|
Ctrl + + / Ctrl + - / Ctrl + 0 | Zoom in, zoom out and reset the zoom. |
| Middle click + drag | Pan the canvas. |
Ctrl + Click | Add objects to the selection. |
Shift + Click + Drag | Select with a rectangle. |
F10 | Model overview, a small map of the whole model. |
F9 | Magnifier over the canvas. |
Going further
The Advanced tips and tricks chapter shows how to be even faster, and the Settings chapter shows how to change the behavior of the tool.