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Interface Overview

Plugdata features a modern, intuitive interface designed for efficient patching workflows. This guide introduces you to the main components of the interface and essential navigation techniques.

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Main Interface Components

The plugdata interface consists of several key areas:

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Toolbar

The top toolbar provides quick access to essential functions:
  • Menu Button - Access file operations, settings, and application commands
  • Undo/Redo - Navigate patch history (Cmd/Ctrl+Z, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z)
  • Edit/Run/Present Buttons - Switch between editing modes
    • Edit Mode (Cmd/Ctrl+E) - Unlocked for editing patches
    • Run Mode (Cmd/Ctrl+E) - Locked for performance and interaction
    • Presentation Mode - Shows only objects marked for presentation
  • Plugin Mode Button - Toggle between full editor and DAW-embedded view (plugin only)

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Canvas

The canvas is your main workspace for creating and editing Pure Data patches:
  • Grid - Visual grid for object alignment (toggle snapping with Cmd/Ctrl+G)
  • Zoom Controls - Scale your view for detail work or overview
  • Pan - Hold Space to pan around large patches
  • Selection - Click and drag to select multiple objects
The canvas supports multi-touch gestures on compatible devices for zooming and panning.
The right sidebar contains multiple panels accessible via tabs:
Displays messages, errors, and warnings from your patch:
  • Messages - Print output from [print] objects
  • Errors - Compilation and runtime errors in red/orange
  • Settings - Clear, restore, filter messages/errors, toggle autoscroll
  • Click messages - Jump to the originating object
Inspector Panel The inspector (wrench icon) shows properties for selected objects:
  • Auto Mode - Shows properties when objects are selected
  • Pinned Mode - Keeps inspector visible
  • Hidden Mode - Hides inspector completely
Use Cmd/Ctrl+] to toggle the sidebar visibility for maximum canvas space.

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Object Palette

Access the floating object palette with Cmd/Ctrl+[ to quickly add common objects:
  • Drag objects directly onto the canvas
  • Organized by categories (oscillators, filters, GUI, etc.)
  • Create custom palettes for your workflow
  • Save frequently-used object combinations

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Statusbar

The bottom statusbar displays essential information and controls: Left Section:
  • DSP Toggle - Enable/disable audio processing (Cmd/Ctrl+.)
  • Volume Control - Master output level with limiter
  • Audio/MIDI Indicators - Show activity with visual feedback
  • CPU Meter - Monitor processing load
Center Section:
  • Zoom Level - Current canvas zoom percentage
  • Zoom Controls - Zoom in/out or fit to view
    • Zoom In: Cmd/Ctrl++
    • Zoom Out: Cmd/Ctrl+-
    • Zoom 100%: Cmd/Ctrl+0
    • Fit All: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+)
  • Grid Settings - Configure snap-to-grid behavior
Right Section:
  • Latency Display - Current audio latency
  • Oversampling - Toggle oversampling for DSP
  • Help Button - Quick access to help resources

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Zoom Controls

1

Mouse Wheel Zoom

Scroll with Cmd/Ctrl held to zoom in/out at cursor position
2

Trackpad Gestures

Use pinch-to-zoom on trackpads and touch devices
3

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Cmd/Ctrl++ to zoom in
  • Cmd/Ctrl+- to zoom out
  • Cmd/Ctrl+0 to reset to 100%
4

Zoom to Fit

Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+) fits all objects in the viewport

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Panning

  • Space + Drag - Pan around the canvas
  • Cmd/Ctrl+9 - Jump to origin (0, 0)
  • Middle Mouse Drag - Pan (if supported)
  • Two-finger drag - Pan on trackpads

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Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Master these shortcuts to dramatically speed up your workflow:

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File Operations

  • Cmd/Ctrl+N - New patch
  • Cmd/Ctrl+O - Open patch
  • Cmd/Ctrl+S - Save patch
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+S - Save as
  • Cmd/Ctrl+W - Close tab

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Editing

  • Cmd/Ctrl+1 - Create object
  • Cmd/Ctrl+2 - Create message
  • Cmd/Ctrl+3 - Create float atom
  • Cmd/Ctrl+4 - Create list atom
  • Cmd/Ctrl+5 - Create comment
  • Cmd/Ctrl+E - Toggle edit/run mode
  • Cmd/Ctrl+D - Duplicate selection
  • Cmd/Ctrl+K - Create connection between selected objects
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+K - Remove all connections from selection

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Selection and Clipboard

  • Cmd/Ctrl+A - Select all
  • Cmd/Ctrl+C - Copy
  • Cmd/Ctrl+X - Cut
  • Cmd/Ctrl+V - Paste
  • Delete/Backspace - Delete selection

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Object Creation (with Shift)

  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+B - Bang
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+T - Toggle
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N - Number box
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+V - Vertical slider
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+J - Horizontal slider
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+C - Subpatch (canvas)
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+A - Array
  • Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+G - Graph-on-parent

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View

  • Cmd/Ctrl+B - Toggle documentation browser
  • Cmd/Ctrl+F - Search in current patch
  • Cmd/Ctrl+] - Toggle sidebar
  • Cmd/Ctrl+[ - Toggle palettes
  • F1 - Open object reference (with object selected)
  • F2 - Open help patch (with object selected)
  • Shift+? - Object browser
  • Tab - Cycle through objects
  • Arrow Keys - Nudge selected objects by 1 pixel
  • Cmd/Ctrl+PageDown - Next tab
  • Cmd/Ctrl+PageUp - Previous tab
Access the full list of keyboard shortcuts and customize them in Settings > Key Mapping.

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Workspace Customization

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Theme and Appearance

Plugdata supports both light and dark themes:
  1. Open Settings (Cmd/Ctrl+,)
  2. Navigate to Theme panel
  3. Choose from built-in themes or create custom themes
  4. Adjust object colors, font sizes, and UI scaling

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Grid and Snapping

1

Enable Grid Snapping

Click the grid icon in the statusbar or press Cmd/Ctrl+G
2

Configure Grid Size

Click the settings icon next to the grid toggle to adjust grid spacing
3

Fine Control

Hold Shift while dragging to temporarily disable snapping

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Inspector Behavior

Configure how the inspector panel displays:
  1. Click the wrench icon in the sidebar to cycle through modes:
    • Hidden - Inspector panel is hidden
    • Auto - Shows automatically when objects are selected
    • Pinned - Always visible
  2. The inspector displays properties for selected objects:
    • Dimensions - Size and position
    • General - Object-specific settings
    • Appearance - Colors, fonts, borders
    • Label - Label text and positioning
When multiple objects are selected, the inspector shows only properties common to all selected objects.

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Working with Multiple Patches

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Tab Management

  • New Tab - Cmd/Ctrl+N creates a new patch in a new tab
  • Switch Tabs - Click tab headers or use Cmd/Ctrl+PageUp/PageDown
  • Close Tab - Click the X on the tab or press Cmd/Ctrl+W
  • Reorder Tabs - Drag tab headers to rearrange

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Subpatches and Abstractions

Double-click a subpatch or abstraction to open it:
  • Opens in the same tab (navigate back with breadcrumb trail)
  • View parent patch and subpatches simultaneously
  • Edit subpatches in context

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Performance Tips

  • Use Presentation Mode to hide complexity during performance
  • Disable unused GUI objects in run mode
  • Minimize console output in production patches
  • Use subpatches to organize and reduce visual complexity
  • Enable grid snapping for consistent alignment
  • Use Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R to tidy selected objects
  • Group related objects in subpatches
  • Use send/receive for cleaner patch layouts
  • Watch the CPU meter in the statusbar
  • Check the latency display for audio buffer performance
  • Monitor console for error messages
  • Use the limiter to prevent output clipping

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Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the interface, explore:

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