# gui/launcher

Tags: dfhack

Command: `gui/launcher`

In-game DFHack command launcher with integrated help.

Keybinding: `

Keybinding: Ctrl Shift D

This tool is the primary GUI interface for running DFHack commands. You can open it from any screen with the ` hotkey. Tap ` again (or hit `Esc`) to close. Users with keyboard layouts that make the ` key difficult (or impossible) to press can use the alternate hotkey of `Ctrl` `Shift` `D`.

## Usage

    gui/launcher [initial commandline]

## Examples

`gui/launcher`

  Open the launcher dialog with a blank initial commandline.

`gui/launcher prospect --show ores,veins`

  Open the launcher dialog with the edit area pre-populated with the given command, ready for modification or running. Tools related to `prospect` will appear in the autocomplete list, and help text for `prospect` will be displayed in the help area.

## Editing and running commands

Enter the command you want to run by typing its name. If you want to start over, `Ctrl` `C` will clear the line. When you are happy with the command, hit `Enter` or click on the `run` button to run it. Any output from the command will appear in the help area. If you want to run the command but close the dialog immediately so you can get back to the game, use `Shift` `Enter` or hold down the `Shift` key and click on the `run` button instead. The dialog also closes automatically if you run a command that brings up a new GUI screen. In any case, the command output will also be written to the DFHack terminal console if you need to find it later.

## Autocomplete

As you type, autocomplete options for DFHack commands appear in the right column. If the first word of what you’ve typed matches a valid command, then the autocomplete options will also include commands that have similar functionality to the one that you’ve named. Click on an autocomplete list option to select it or cycle through them with `Tab` and `Shift` `Tab`.

## Context-sensitive help

When you start `gui/launcher` without parameters, it shows some useful information in the help area about how to get started with browsing DFHack tools by their category tags.

Once you have typed (or autocompleted) a word that matches a valid command, the help area shows the help for that command, including usage instructions and examples. You can scroll the help text by half-pages by clicking on the scrollbar or with `PgUp` and `PgDn`. You can also scroll line by line with `Ctrl` `Up` and `Ctrl` `Down`, or by clicking on the scrollbar arrows.

## Command history

`gui/launcher` keeps a history of commands you have run to let you quickly run those commands again. You can scroll through your command history with the `Up` and `Down` cursor keys, or you can search your history for something specific with the `Alt` `S` hotkey. When you hit `Alt` `S`, start typing to search your history for a match. To find the next match for what you’ve already typed, hit `Alt` `S` again. You can run the matched command immediately with `Enter` (or `Shift` `Enter`), or hit `Esc` to edit the command before running it.

## Dev mode

By default, commands intended for developers and modders are filtered out of the autocomplete list. You can toggle this filtering by hitting `Ctrl` `D` at any time.

## Autocomplete tab speed

By default in DF, holding down the `Tab` key is the same as just pressing it once. This makes scanning quickly through the autocomplete list with the keyboard quite slow. To speed things up, you can go to the DF keybinding configuration screen (hit `Esc` from the main map and select `Key Bindings` from the menu), select `General`, and then `Change tab or highlight selection`. If you change the configuration for that item to `Immediate repeat`, then holding `Tab` will allow you to scan through the autocomplete list more quickly. Be sure to also change the configuration for the next item, `Change tab or highlight selection, secondary`, to also allow `Shift` `Tab` to work the same way.

Back at the main Key Bindings screen, select `Save and exit` to get back to the game.