Basic Navigation

Basic navigation on the COMSOL Desktop extensively involves the nodes in the Model Builder as well as moving between windows and sections on Settings windows.

Working with Nodes in the Model Builder

The following methods are available to select nodes, expand and collapse branches, open the Settings window, or move up and down the nodes in the model tree:

•	Click a node in the Model Builder to highlight it and to open the associated Settings window. See Settings and Properties Windows for Features Nodes. You can also adjust how you are Displaying Node Names, Tags, and Types in the Model Builder.

•	Once a node is highlighted, there are many things you can do; for example, you can copy, duplicate, delete, and move some nodes around. See Copying, Pasting, and Duplicating Nodes, Moving Nodes in the Model Builder, and Clearing Sequences and Deleting Sequences or Nodes.

•	Right-click a node to open a context menu. See Opening Context Menus and Adding Nodes.

•	When a node is highlighted, use the up arrow key on the keyboard to move to the node above; to move to the node below, use the down arrow key.

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To expand a branch to display all nodes in the branch, click the small left-pointing white triangle next to the branch icon in the model tree, or press the right arrow key. To collapse a branch to display only the main branch node, click the small downward-right pointing black triangle next to the branch icon in the model tree, or press the left arrow key. See The Model Builder Toolbar for information about how to collapse or expand all branches.

•	A highlighted node is also dynamic and its appearance can change based on where in the modeling process you are. See Dynamic Nodes in the Model Builder for a list of these visual cues.

The COMSOL Desktop Menus and Toolbars

Moving Between Windows and Sections on the COMSOL Desktop

Keyboard shortcuts are quick ways to navigate between the windows on the COMSOL Desktop and to switch focus between windows and Settings window sections:

•	Press Ctrl+Tab to switch focus to the next window on the desktop.

•	Press Ctrl+Shift+Tab to switch focus to the previous window in the desktop.

•	Press Ctrl+Alt+left arrow to switch focus to the Model Builder window.

•	Press Ctrl+Alt+right arrow to switch focus to the Settings window.

•	Press Ctrl+Alt+up arrow to switch focus to the previous section in the Settings window.

•	Press Ctrl+Alt+down arrow to switch focus to the next section in the Settings window.

The section Keyboard Shortcuts lists additional shortcuts for all operating systems.

• The COMSOL Desktop • The Model Builder • Creating a New Model