Usage Guide

Master CommandWise with this comprehensive usage guide. Learn tips, tricks, and best practices to maximize your productivity.

Basic Usage

Opening the Command Palette

There are two ways to open the command palette:

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut (Recommended)

• Mac: Press Cmd + K
• Windows/Linux: Press Ctrl + K

Method 2: Admin Bar Click

• Look for the CommandWise icon in the WordPress admin bar (top right)
• Click the icon to open the palette

Best Practice

Get in the habit of using the keyboard shortcut. It's faster and keeps your hands on the keyboard, which is the whole point of a command palette!

Searching

Once the command palette is open, start typing to search:

Search Behavior:

• Results update as you type
• Basic matching on item titles
• Case insensitive
• Order independent

Live Search with "#"

Start with # to see a list of available live search items. In the free version, you'll see:

• post — live search posts
• page — live search pages
• user — live search users

Flow:

1. Type # to show the live search list
2. Continue typing (e.g., po…) to filter the list
3. Select one (e.g., post)
4. Then type any text to filter items within that live search (e.g., homepage)

Examples:

# → select "post" → type "hello world"
# → select "page" → type "contact"
# → select "user" → type "john"

Note: Live search currently supports posts, pages, and users in the free version.

Search Examples:

"new post" → Add New Post
"med" → Media Library
"plug install" → Add Plugins, Installed Plugins
"appearance menu" → Appearance → Menus
"user profile" → Users → Profile, Users → Your Profile

Navigating Results

Use your keyboard to move through search results:

Key	Action
↓ or Tab	Move to next result
↑ or Shift + Tab	Move to previous result
Enter	Navigate to selected result
Escape	Close command palette

Visual Feedback:

• Selected result is highlighted
• Hover effects show which item your mouse is over
• First result is selected by default

Executing Commands

Option 1: Keyboard (Faster)

1. Navigate to desired result with arrow keys
2. Press Enter

Option 2: Mouse/Trackpad

1. Click on any result

The command palette closes automatically and navigates you to the selected page.

Advanced Techniques

Speed Searching

Type natural keywords; use # prefix for live searches of posts, pages, and users:

Examples of Fast Typing:

Instead of	Type This
"new post"	"new post"
"media library"	"media"
"general settings"	"settings general"
Search posts	"#post homepage"
Search users	"#user jane"

Why This Works: Typing natural keywords narrows results quickly. Use # for live entity searches (posts/pages/users).

First Match Navigation

If you're confident in your search:

1. Type unique identifying characters
2. Press Enter immediately (don't arrow down)
3. The first/best match is automatically selected

Example:

• Type "newp"
• Press Enter
• Instantly at "Add New Post"

This can save you from having to arrow down to select results.

Menu Hierarchy Navigation

CommandWise shows the full menu path for items:

Display Format:

Parent Menu → Child Menu Item

Examples:

• "Posts → Add New"
• "Appearance → Themes"
• "Settings → General"
• "Tools → Import"

This helps you understand where menu items are located in the admin structure.

Workflow Tips

Common Workflows

Here are optimized workflows for common tasks:

Creating Content:

New Post:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "newp" → Enter

New Page:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "newpa" → Enter

Upload Media:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "med" → Enter

Managing Content:

View All Posts:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "posts" → Enter

View All Pages:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "pages" → Enter

Manage Comments:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "comm" → Enter

Site Configuration:

General Settings:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "set gen" → Enter

Permalink Settings:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "perm" → Enter

Manage Menus:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "menu" → Enter

Plugin & Theme Management:

Installed Plugins:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "plug" → Enter

Add New Plugin:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "addplug" → Enter

Manage Themes:
  Cmd/Ctrl + K → "theme" → Enter

Keyboard-First Workflow

To maximize efficiency, adopt a keyboard-first workflow:

The Flow:

1. Working in WordPress admin
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + K (no mouse needed)
3. Type 2-4 characters
4. Press Enter
5. Instantly at your destination

Time Saved:

• Traditional navigation: 3-5 seconds (multiple clicks)
• CommandWise: <1 second (one shortcut + type + enter)

Over dozens of navigations per day, this adds up to significant time savings.

Context Switching

CommandWise excels at rapid context switching:

Example Scenario: You're editing a post and need to:

1. Check a plugin setting
2. Upload an image
3. Return to editing

With CommandWise:

(editing post)
Cmd/Ctrl + K → "plugset" → Enter
(check setting)
Cmd/Ctrl + K → "med" → Enter
(upload image)
Cmd/Ctrl + K → "editpost" → Enter
(back to editing)

Total time: <10 seconds

Traditional menu navigation would take 30+ seconds.

Best Practices

Muscle Memory Development

Build CommandWise into your muscle memory:

Week 1: Learning

• Use the keyboard shortcut every time
• Don't fall back to menu clicking
• Look up the shortcut if you forget

Week 2: Speed

• Start abbreviating your searches
• Use fewer characters
• Trust the fuzzy search

Week 3: Mastery

• Navigate without thinking
• Create mental shortcuts for common tasks
• Rarely touch your mouse in admin

Week 4+: Expert

• Command palette is second nature
• Significantly faster admin navigation
• Can't imagine working without it

Common Search Patterns

Learn these high-frequency patterns:

Content Creation:

• "new" → all "Add New" items
• "post" → post-related pages
• "page" → page-related pages
• "med" → media library

Settings:

• "set" → all settings pages
• "set gen" → general settings
• "setread" → reading settings
• "setwrite" → writing settings

Management:

• "plug" → plugins
• "theme" → themes
• "user" → users
• "tool" → tools

Efficiency Tips

1. Use Unique Prefixes Type just enough to make results unique:

• "newp" is enough for "New Post"
• "med" is enough for "Media"
• "thm" is enough for "Themes"

2. Learn Your Most Used Pages Identify your top 10 most visited pages and memorize their shortest search terms.

3. Keep Hands on Keyboard Avoid the mouse/trackpad. Arrow keys and Enter are faster than moving your hand to the mouse.

4. Close Quickly If you open the palette by mistake, just hit Escape. Faster than clicking away.

5. Trust the Search The fuzzy search is smart. Type naturally and it'll find what you need.

Troubleshooting Usage

Can't Find a Page

If a page doesn't appear in search:

1. Check if it exists: Verify the page is in your admin menu
2. Try different terms: Search for parent menu name
3. Check permissions: You can only see pages you can access
4. Look for full path: Sometimes searching parent name helps

Example: Can't find "Product Categories"? Try: "woocommerce categories" or "products"

Shortcut Not Working

If Cmd/Ctrl + K doesn't open the palette:

1. Check for conflicts: Another plugin might use the same shortcut
2. Try clicking: Use admin bar icon as backup
3. Check browser: Some browsers have conflicts with Cmd/Ctrl + K
4. Check focus: Make sure a form field isn't focused

Browser Conflicts:

• Chrome: Cmd/Ctrl + K opens search (CommandWise takes precedence in admin)
• Some extensions override shortcuts

Slow Performance

If search feels slow:

1. Check browser: Update to latest version
2. Disable other plugins temporarily: Identify conflicts
3. Clear cache: Browser and WordPress cache
4. Check JavaScript errors: Open browser console (F12)

Expected Performance:

• Palette opens: <50ms
• Search updates: <10ms per keystroke
• Smooth, instant results

Power User Tips

Multi-Step Workflows

Plan multi-step workflows and execute rapidly:

Example: Complete Content Workflow

1. Cmd/Ctrl + K → "newp" → write post
2. Cmd/Ctrl + K → "med" → upload featured image
3. Cmd/Ctrl + K → "cat" → manage categories
4. (Return to post and publish)

Menu Discovery

Use CommandWise to discover admin features you didn't know existed:

Exploration Technique:

1. Open command palette
2. Type general terms like "settings", "tools", "posts"
3. Browse results to see all submenu items
4. Discover features you've never used

Many WordPress sites have plugin-added menu items you might not know about!

Rapid A/B Comparison

Quickly switch between two pages to compare:

Page A: Cmd/Ctrl + K → "pageA" → Enter
(Check something)
Page B: Cmd/Ctrl + K → "pageB" → Enter
(Compare)
Back to A: Cmd/Ctrl + K → "pageA" → Enter

Faster than browser back button and more reliable.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to use CommandWise effectively:

• Keyboard Shortcuts Reference - Complete shortcut list
• Settings - Learn about available settings
• FAQ - Find answers to common questions

Ready to learn all the shortcuts? Continue to Keyboard Shortcuts →