Using it
Keys
These tables come from crates/plottypus/src/keymap.rs, the one source the in-app help (?) and the README are generated from. Two rules hold in every profile:
ctrl-cquits from anywhere.qnever quits from inside an overlay (help, settings, the details card, a confirmation, the menu). There it closes the overlay.
Choosing a profile#
Three profiles: plottypus (the default), htop and btop. Pick one in settings → keys, set keymap = "htop" in the config file, or set it for one run:
sh
PLOTTYPUS_KEYS=btop plottypusThe environment variable wins over the config file. Only the home-screen keys differ between profiles; the details card, the filter and the settings page work the same in all three.
Default profile#
| Key | Where | Action |
|---|---|---|
| s | general | settings |
| v | general | cycle work / glance |
| T | general | cycle theme |
| Z | general | zen mode |
| p | general | pause / resume |
| [ - | general | sample slower |
| ] + = | general | sample faster |
| ? | general | help |
| m | general | main menu |
| z | general | zoom graphs |
| q ctrl-c | general | quit |
| esc | general | close / clear filter / back / menu |
| 1 | general | preset: silicon |
| 2 | general | preset: ml |
| 3 | general | preset: laptop |
| 4 | general | preset: sre |
| 5 | general | preset: ricer |
| → tab | navigate | next box |
| ← shift-tab | navigate | previous box |
| e | navigate | expand / collapse box |
| g home | navigate | top of list |
| G end | navigate | bottom of list |
| enter | navigate | details / expand focused box |
| j ↓ | navigate | move down |
| k ↑ | navigate | move up |
| pgdn | navigate | page down |
| pgup | navigate | page up |
| f / | processes | filter processes |
| t | processes | process tree |
| o > | processes | next sort column |
| < | processes | previous sort column |
| r | processes | reverse sort |
| x | processes | quit process (TERM) |
| K | processes | force quit (KILL) |
| X | processes | send signal… |
| delete | processes | clear filter |
| esc enter q | process details | close details |
| j ↓ | process details | next process |
| k ↑ | process details | previous process |
| x | process details | quit (TERM) |
| K | process details | force quit (KILL) |
| i | process details | interrupt (INT) |
| + | process details | lower priority (nice +) |
| - | process details | raise priority (nice -) |
| b | process details | background QoS on/off |
| y | process details | copy pid |
| Y | process details | copy command |
| X | process details | send signal… |
| esc | while filtering | clear, then leave |
| enter | while filtering | open the selection |
| ↓ | while filtering | move down, keep typing |
| ↑ | while filtering | move up, keep typing |
| delete | while filtering | clear filter |
| esc | in settings | clear search, then close |
| q s | in settings | close settings |
| j ↓ | in settings | next setting |
| k ↑ | in settings | previous setting |
| l → enter space | in settings | change value |
| h ← | in settings | change value back |
| tab | in settings | next section |
| shift-tab | in settings | previous section |
| / | in settings | search settings |
[ and ] step the interval through 250 ms, 500 ms, 1 s, 2 s and 5 s. z steps the graph window through 5 min, 15 min, 1 min and the live 2 min.
htop profile#
Home-screen keys with keymap = "htop". Everything else is as in the default profile.
| Key | Where | Action |
|---|---|---|
| F1 ? | general | help |
| F2 S | general | settings |
| F10 q ctrl-c | general | quit |
| Z | general | pause / resume |
| v | general | cycle work / glance |
| [ - | general | sample slower |
| ] + = | general | sample faster |
| m | general | main menu |
| z | general | zoom graphs |
| esc | general | close / clear filter / back / menu |
| 1–5 | general | presets |
| → tab | navigate | next box |
| ← shift-tab | navigate | previous box |
| e | navigate | expand / collapse box |
| enter | navigate | details / expand focused box |
| j ↓ | navigate | move down |
| k ↑ | navigate | move up |
| pgdn | navigate | page down |
| pgup | navigate | page up |
| home | navigate | top of list |
| end | navigate | bottom of list |
| F3 F4 / | processes | filter processes |
| F5 t | processes | process tree |
| F6 | processes | cycle sort column |
| P | processes | sort by cpu |
| M | processes | sort by memory |
| N | processes | sort by pid |
| I | processes | invert sort |
| F7 | processes | raise priority |
| F8 | processes | lower priority |
| F9 x | processes | quit process (TERM) |
| K | processes | force quit (KILL) |
| delete | processes | clear filter |
Two htop keys are bound but do nothing yet in 1.0.0: T (sort by time) and space (tag process). Pressing them says not available yet in the footer. There is no theme-cycle or zen key in this profile; use settings.
btop profile#
Home-screen keys with keymap = "btop". Everything else is as in the default profile.
| Key | Where | Action |
|---|---|---|
| o s | general | settings |
| v | general | cycle work / glance |
| T | general | cycle theme |
| Z | general | zen mode |
| p | general | pause / resume |
| [ - | general | sample slower |
| ] + = | general | sample faster |
| ? | general | help |
| m | general | main menu |
| z | general | zoom graphs |
| q ctrl-c | general | quit |
| esc | general | close / clear filter / back / menu |
| 1–5 | general | presets |
| g home | navigate | top of list |
| G end | navigate | bottom of list |
| tab | navigate | next box |
| shift-tab | navigate | previous box |
| enter | navigate | details / expand focused box |
| j ↓ | navigate | move down |
| k ↑ | navigate | move up |
| pgdn | navigate | page down |
| pgup | navigate | page up |
| f / | processes | filter processes |
| e t | processes | process tree |
| ← | processes | previous sort column |
| → | processes | next sort column |
| r | processes | reverse sort |
| x | processes | quit process (TERM) |
| K | processes | force quit (KILL) |
| delete | processes | clear filter |
In the btop profile ←/→ sort and e is the tree, so boxes are expanded with enter and walked with tab.
Overlays#
These are the same in every profile.
| Where | Keys |
|---|---|
Main menu (m, or click plottypus ≡) |
j/k, ↓/↑, tab move; enter, space, l, → open; s settings, t themes, a about; esc, m, q close |
Help (?) |
j/k, ↓/↑ scroll; pgdn/space, pgup page; g/home, G/end; ?, q, esc close |
Confirmation (after x or K) |
y or enter sends; n, esc or q cancels |
Signal picker (X) |
j/k, ↓/↑ pick; enter sends; n, esc, q or X closes |
Settings search (/ in settings) |
type to search; ↑/↓ move; ←/→ change the value; esc clears |
esc on the plain home screen, with nothing to close, opens the main menu.
Mouse#
On unless you start with --no-mouse.
- Click a process to select it; double-click (or
enter) opens its details. Clicks land on the row under the pointer even when the table is scrolled. - Click a column header to sort by it; click it again to reverse.
- Scroll over the process table to move the list without moving the selection. Scrolling elsewhere does nothing.
- Every hint in the footer (
? help,q quit,x kill,y yes/n cancel…) is a button, and so are the actions in the details card. - Click
plottypus ≡for the main menu. Click aBusy:verdict in the footer to select that process. - Click a panel to focus it, its
[↗]corner to expand it,[×]to close. Drag the gutter to resize the process column. - In settings, click a section, click a value to cycle it, scroll to move.