(editor-common-elements)=

# Common Editor Elements

In PME, **select an item in the list, then edit its settings and contents on the right**.
The right-hand settings depend on the menu type. This page uses a practical Pie Menu configuration to explain shared controls.

## Find controls in the overview

```{raw} html
:file: common/_overview_map.html
```

1. [Editor features and display modes](#overview-features): toggle the list, filters, selection mode, and tree view.
2. [List columns](#overview-columns): choose which columns appear in the list.
3. [Editor / Settings](#overview-tabs): switch between menu editing and PME-wide settings.
4. [Tools and display area](#overview-tools): toggle Interactive Panels, Debug Mode, and Maximize Preferences.
5. [Menu list](#overview-menus): choose a menu to edit.
6. [Add and manage menus](#overview-manage): add, duplicate, import, and export menus.
7. [Selected menu settings](#overview-selected): edit its name, invocation, and advanced settings.
8. [Menu contents](#slot-list): edit slots, branches, or other type-specific content.

(overview-display)=

## Four groups in the top bar

From left to right, the top bar has four groups of controls.
The selected menu's name, enabled state, and advanced settings are in the row below.

(overview-features)=

### 1. Editor features and display modes

The leftmost group switches editor features and display modes.

| Control | Role |
|---|---|
| Show List (three lines) | Shows or hides the menu list. Turn it off to widen the selected menu's editor; turn it on to select another menu |
| Filter (funnel) | Enables or disables list filtering. Check filters before concluding that a missing menu was deleted |
| Select Mode (arrow) | Selects several menus for bulk actions, distinct from choosing one menu to edit |
| Tree Mode (tree) | Displays menu relationships as a tree |
| Group by (star and downward arrow in the image) | Groups Tree Mode by None / Keymap / Type / Tag / Key. The icon reflects the selected choice |

Turning Show List off also hides the remaining controls in this group and the List columns group.

(overview-columns)=

### 2. List columns

The five controls from the checkbox through **F** choose **which information appears in the menu list**.

| Button | List information |
|---|---|
| Checkbox | Each menu's enabled state |
| Ab | Menu name |
| Star | Tags |
| Mouse | Keymap name |
| F | Hotkey |

Turning off the top-bar checkbox does not disable menus.
Use the checkboxes on list rows or in the selected menu settings to change enabled state.
Name and hotkey cannot both be hidden. Turning off the second while the first is hidden automatically shows the first again.

(overview-tabs)=

### 3. Editor / Settings

The large central control selects the working page.
**Editor** edits menu settings and contents; **Settings** changes PME-wide options.
For example, **Expand Slot Tools**, which exposes slot action buttons, is under Settings > General.

(overview-tools)=

### 4. Tools and display area

The three controls on the right provide:

| Control | Role |
|---|---|
| Interactive Panels (panel) | Adds PME editing buttons to Blender panels and other UI. See [Interactive Panels](interactive_panels.md) |
| Debug Mode (Python) | Toggles Blender's `bpy.app.debug_wm` for operator logs and other debugging information. Separate from error traceback display |
| Maximize Preferences (expand) | Gives PME more space inside Preferences |

**Show List** controls the list within PME; **Maximize Preferences** controls how much of Preferences PME occupies.
Neither is Blender's area-maximization command.

(overview-menus)=

## Menu list

Select a name to change the menu being edited on the right. The icon next to it identifies the menu type.
Menus sharing a hotkey can serve different purposes according to type, Keymap, and conditions.
Check the right-hand settings rather than relying on the name alone.

**Tags** label menus for organization and search. A menu can have several tags.
When grouped by tag, the same menu can appear in several groups.
These are not separate copies.

(overview-manage)=

## Add and manage menus

Use **＋** beside the list to choose and add a menu type. Duplication and other management actions are also available in the list tools.
Choose what to create first: the type determines which settings appear on the right.

**Import / Export** below the list reads and writes configuration files.
When importing an example, check that its referenced menus and external scripts are also available.
See [File Locations](../reference/file_locations.md) for storage paths.

(overview-selected)=

## Selected menu settings

The top of the right-hand area shows the selected menu's name and display/invocation settings.
Check its name and enabled state, then set where and how it is called if the type supports hotkeys.
Open advanced settings as needed.

```{include} common/topbar.md
```

(hotkey-editor)=

## Hotkey settings

For menu types supporting hotkeys, choose where and how to invoke them. Value-definition types such as Property do not have this section.

```{include} common/hotkey_settings.md
```

```{admonition} Related pages
:class: seealso

- [Choosing a Keymap](../reference/keymap_guide.md) — Keymap hierarchy and how PME hotkeys are resolved
- [Checking Keymap Duplicates](../reference/keymap_duplicates.md) — investigate conflicts with existing hotkeys
```

---

(slot-list)=

## Slot list

A **slot** is one item in a menu. Each Pie Menu direction or Pop-up Dialog button, for example, is a slot.

Slot arrangement has different meanings in different editors.

- **Fixed count**: Pie Menu has ten slots (eight directions plus top and bottom); Sticky Key has two (On Press and On Release).
- **Variable count**: Pop-up Dialog, Regular Menu, Stack Key, Macro Operator, and Modal Operator.
- **Meaningful order**: Macro Operator runs slots in order. Modal Operator mixes action slots with event slots such as invocation, confirmation, and cancellation.

See each editor's page for its arrangement and behavior.

Ordinary slots, such as Pie Menu slots, provide the following controls. Available controls vary by type.

1. **Edit Slot** — opens the Slot Editor to configure its contents.
2. **Icon** — chooses the displayed icon.
3. **Display name** — sets the slot label.
4. **Advanced settings** — additional options for the slot.

(expand-slot-tools)=

### Expand Slot Tools

Enable Settings > General > **Expand Slot Tools** to expose the actions from each slot's rightmost menu as directly clickable icons.
This changes the editor display, not slot contents or execution.

For Pie Menu, the controls are **Edit Slot / Copy / Move Slot / Enabled or Disabled / Clear**;
**Paste** also appears after copying a slot.
Move Slot exchanges contents between fixed pie positions; Clear empties a position.
Available actions depend on editor type and slot state.

See the [Pie Menu interface](pie_menu_editor.md) for the expanded view.
Turn it off to group the actions back into each slot's rightmost menu.

---

(slot-editor)=

## Slot Editor

Click Edit Slot to open the **Slot Editor**.
Set the name and other shared options at the top, then choose a slot type through its tab. See each editor's page for specialized fields such as callbacks and conditions.

:::{image} /../../shared/_static/images/editors/common/slot_editor.png
:class: img-shadow
:alt: Slot Editor
:align: center
:width: 100%
:::

<div style="margin: 1.5rem 0;"></div>

### Shared controls at the top

- **Icon**: chooses the slot's icon. See [Custom Icons](custom_icons.md) for custom artwork.
- **Display name**: the slot label. Press {octicon}`arrow-left` to apply a Suggested name derived from the current settings.
- **OK / Cancel**: accepts or discards slot edits. {kbd}`Enter` / {kbd}`Escape` perform the same actions.

(slot-types)=

### Slot types

There are **five slot types**, defining what the slot does.
Only **types supported by the current editor** appear as tabs. Some editors have specialized inputs; check their individual pages for supported types.

The tabs below describe each type.

::::{tab-set}

:::{tab-item} Command
:sync: command

```{include} common/slot_types/command.md
```
:::

:::{tab-item} Property
:sync: property

```{include} common/slot_types/property.md
```
:::

:::{tab-item} Menu
:sync: menu

```{include} common/slot_types/menu.md
```
:::

:::{tab-item} Hotkey
:sync: hotkey

```{include} common/slot_types/hotkey.md
```
:::

:::{tab-item} Custom
:sync: custom

```{include} common/slot_types/custom.md
```
:::
::::

(how-to-add-widgets)=

### Add a slot preset

```{include} common/slot_types/examples.md
```

---

(editor-extra-settings)=

## Advanced settings

Open these with the selected menu's gear button. Available options depend on the type.
Description sets tooltip text; Poll sets availability. Type-specific options follow, such as Pie Menu Radius or Stack Key Remember Slot / Advance On.

(menu-description)=

```{include} common/description.md
```

(poll-method)=

```{include} common/poll.md
```

See each editor's page for its specific options.

---

## Editor-specific features

The following belong to **individual editors**, rather than shared controls, and are covered on their respective pages:

- Pie Menu **Radius** / **Threshold** / **Confirm Threshold** / Confirm on Release.
- Pop-up Dialog layout (rows, columns, subrows), Pie / Dialog / Popup modes, fixed columns, and alignment.
- Modal Operator **On Invoke / On Confirm / On Cancel / On Update** slots, Confirm on Release, Block UI, and Lock.
- Macro Operator submenu references (nested Sticky Key / Macro / Modal) and diagnostics.
- Stack Key **Remember Slot** / **Advance On** (Every Press / Quick Repeat) / **Repeat Timeout** / **Undo Previous Command**.
- Sticky Key On Press / On Release pair and **Save and Restore Previous Value** generator.
- Property Editor types, storage, Property ID, Getter / Setter.
- Property Stack conditions and state; Context Router branches and fallback behavior.

---

```{admonition} Related pages
:class: seealso

- [Pie Menu Editor](pie_menu_editor.md)
- [Pop-up Dialog Editor](popup_dialog_editor.md)
- [Regular Menu Editor](regular_menu_editor.md)
- [Modal Operator Editor](modal_operator_editor.md)
- [Macro Operator Editor](macro_operator_editor.md)
- [Stack Key Editor](stack_key_editor.md)
- [Sticky Key Editor](sticky_key_editor.md)
- [Property Editor](property_editor.md)
- [Glossary](../reference/terminology.md)
```

(common-hotkey-videos)=

## Reference videos (original author's channel)

From [roaoao's videos](../reference/original_author_videos.md). These show an older interface and workflow.

:::{dropdown} Advanced Mouse Hotkeys in Blender
:open:

<div class="video-container pme-reference-video">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9cGWQF6L4o4" title="Advanced Mouse Hotkeys in Blender" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

[Advanced Mouse Hotkeys in Blender — Open on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cGWQF6L4o4)
:::

:::{dropdown} Double Click + Hold

<div class="video-container pme-reference-video">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8XUvscCCviA" title="Double Click + Hold" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

[Double Click + Hold — Open on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUvscCCviA)
:::