Keyboard Shortcuts
ContextQA keyboard shortcuts for the portal — browser shortcuts, editor actions, and accessibility guidance for navigating the test automation platform efficiently.
Keyboard shortcuts in ContextQA: A set of keyboard combinations available in the portal's single-page application for common navigation and editing actions, supplemented by standard browser shortcuts that work across all views.
Mouse-heavy workflows slow down experienced users. ContextQA's portal supports keyboard shortcuts for common actions in the test steps editor and test case list views. This page documents confirmed shortcut behavior, browser-level shortcuts that work across all portal views, and accessibility considerations.
Current state of keyboard shortcut support
ContextQA is a browser-based single-page application (SPA). Keyboard shortcuts are available for common actions in two primary areas:
The test steps editor (when creating or editing test case steps)
The test case list view (when navigating and managing test cases within a suite)
The definitive way to discover available shortcuts in the current portal version is to hover over interactive buttons and controls. When a keyboard shortcut is bound to a button, the tooltip that appears on hover includes the shortcut combination. This is the most reliable reference because the shortcut set evolves as ContextQA adds features.
A comprehensive, versioned shortcut reference will be added to this page as the portal's shortcut system matures and stabilizes.
Browser-level shortcuts that work in ContextQA
Because ContextQA runs in a standard browser, all browser-level shortcuts work in the portal. The following shortcuts are particularly useful during test authoring and result review sessions:
Ctrl+R / Cmd+R
Reload the current page — useful when a portal view is stale after a background operation completes
Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R
Hard reload, bypassing browser cache — use this when portal assets appear outdated after a ContextQA release
Alt+Left / Cmd+[
Browser back — navigate to the previous portal view
Alt+Right / Cmd+]
Browser forward — navigate to the next portal view
Ctrl+L / Cmd+L
Focus the browser address bar — useful for quickly copying the current execution report URL to share
Ctrl+F / Cmd+F
Open browser find-in-page — works on test case lists and execution reports to locate specific text
Ctrl+T / Cmd+T
Open a new browser tab — useful for comparing two execution reports side by side
Ctrl+W / Cmd+W
Close the current tab
F5
Reload the page (Windows/Linux alternative to Ctrl+R)
F11
Toggle full-screen mode — useful on laptops when reviewing execution report detail panels
Test steps editor shortcuts
When editing test case steps in the step editor, the following keyboard shortcuts are available:
Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z
Undo the last change to the test case steps
Ctrl+U / Cmd+U
Redo a previously undone change
The Undo and Redo buttons are also available in the test case details toolbar. They are disabled when no undo or redo history is available.
Hovering over other action buttons reveals additional shortcuts if one is bound. Common editing patterns that benefit from shortcuts include:
Adding a new step — look for the keyboard shortcut on the Add Step button tooltip
Saving the current test case — the Save button tooltip displays the save shortcut
Deleting a selected step — the Delete or trash icon button tooltip displays the delete shortcut when a step row is selected
If a button has no tooltip shortcut, the action is mouse-only in the current portal version.
Dialog and overlay shortcuts
Dialogs, filter panels, and side drawers throughout the portal support consistent keyboard shortcuts for saving and dismissing:
Enter
Save or apply the current dialog (when the form is valid)
Escape
Cancel and close the dialog or overlay
These shortcuts work in the following areas:
Test case detail drawer — save edits or close the drawer
Filter panels — apply filters on test plans, test results, test suites, and elements
Element form — save or cancel element creation and editing
Schedule plan form — create or update a scheduled plan
Test plan environment form — save environment configuration
Test suite add case form — confirm test case selection
Upload form — create or update an uploaded file
The Enter shortcut is disabled when required fields are incomplete or the form contains validation errors. In those cases, resolve the errors first, then press Enter to save.
Accessibility considerations
ContextQA's portal is a browser-based SPA. Standard browser accessibility shortcuts work throughout the portal:
Tab and Shift+Tab move focus between interactive elements in the logical DOM order.
Enter and Space activate focused buttons and checkboxes.
Escape closes modal dialogs and dismisses dropdown menus.
Arrow keys navigate within dropdown menus and option lists once they are open.
If you rely on a screen reader, the portal's semantic HTML and ARIA labeling support standard screen reader navigation patterns. Areas with dynamic content updates (execution status polling, step result updates) may require manual refresh or navigation to pick up new content, depending on your screen reader and browser combination.
What to expect in future releases
The ContextQA team continues to expand keyboard shortcut coverage across the platform. Recent additions include consistent Enter / Escape shortcuts in dialogs and overlays (see Dialog and overlay shortcuts). The hover-tooltip method described earlier in this topic remains a reliable way to discover shortcuts as the team adds new ones.
If specific keyboard shortcuts are important to your workflow, submit a feature request through the ContextQA support portal or flag it with your account team. Shortcut coverage priorities are influenced by user feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if a button has a keyboard shortcut?
Hover your mouse cursor over the button and wait for the tooltip to appear. If a shortcut is bound to that button, the tooltip displays the key combination alongside the button label. If no shortcut is listed, the action does not currently have a keyboard shortcut.
Do keyboard shortcuts conflict with my operating system shortcuts?
Most ContextQA shortcuts use combinations that avoid conflicts with common OS shortcuts. However, combinations using Ctrl+Shift or Alt on Windows/Linux may occasionally overlap with OS-level shortcuts depending on your configuration. If a shortcut does not work as expected, check whether the OS or another application is intercepting the combination.
Can I customize keyboard shortcuts in ContextQA?
Custom shortcut binding is not available in the current portal version. Shortcut customization may be added in a future release.
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