Canvas navigation settings

Everyone's mouse, trackpad and taste are different. These settings change how the view moves when you drag the desk, flick it, push against an edge, scroll, zoom or jump between widgets with the arrow keys. A live preview lets you feel each change before you go back to a desk.

For the controls themselves, see Move around the canvas.

Before you start

• Plan: these settings are available on every plan.
• They are saved on this computer. If you use PlexiDesk on more than one computer, set them on each one.
• Changes take effect straight away. There is no Save button.

Open the settings

1. Click the gear at the right-hand end of the header. Its tooltip says Appearance settings, and it opens Settings.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Scroll down to Canvas navigation.

Try changes on the live preview

At the top of the section is a small dotted box with a dot in it. The dot moves the way your desk does, using your Click-drag pan settings.

• Press the dot, drag it and let go with a flick to see how far it glides.
• When you leave it alone, it flicks itself every couple of seconds so you can watch the effect of a slider as you move it.

Click-drag pan

These settings are about pressing on an empty part of the desk and dragging.

Good to know:

• Turning off Drag the canvas to pan makes a plain drag on empty space draw a selection box instead. You can still pan by holding Space and dragging, or dragging with the middle mouse button. The other settings in this group are greyed out while it is off.
• Slingshot strength and Glide are greyed out while Momentum (slingshot) is off.
• Sensitivity, Momentum and the ping also apply when you pan with Space or the middle mouse button.
• The ping follows your sound settings: if Sound effects is off, you see the ring without the sound. See Sounds and haptics Coming soon.

Edge pan

Edge pan moves the view when you bring the pointer close to an edge of the desk.

Edge-pan speed is greyed out while edge pan is off. With edge pan off, dragging a widget to the edge of the screen no longer moves the desk either.

Trackpad & zoom

However you set Arrow-key zoom, a widget that is too big for the screen is always zoomed out until it fits.

Go back to the starting settings

Click Reset at the top right of the Canvas navigation section. Every setting in the section goes back to where it started.

Suggestions

• The desk moves too far when you drag. Lower Sensitivity.
• A flick sends the desk too far, or it drifts too long. Lower Slingshot strength or Glide, or turn Momentum (slingshot) off so the desk stops the moment you let go.
• You would rather drag to select several widgets. Turn off Drag the canvas to pan, then hold Space and drag when you want to move the view.
• The desk slides away when you reach for something near the edge of the screen. Lower Edge-pan speed, or turn edge pan off.
• Scrolling on a trackpad feels too fast or too slow. Change Two-finger / wheel pan speed.
• You prefer less movement on screen. Turn off Momentum (slingshot), Sonar feedback on grab and edge pan. For more ways to make the app calmer and easier to read, see Use the desk with a keyboard or screen reader.

Common questions

A slider is greyed out and will not move. It depends on a switch above it. Turn on Drag the canvas to pan, Momentum (slingshot) or Pan when the cursor nears an edge, and the settings under it become available.

My settings are different on my other computer. These settings are kept on each computer separately. Set them again on the other one.

I changed too much and the desk feels strange. Click Reset at the top right of the section to go back to the starting settings.

Related

• Move around the canvas: every way to pan, zoom and jump between widgets.
• The minimap and the jump list: see the whole desk and jump to any item by name.
• Use the desk with a keyboard or screen reader: keyboard routes, text size, fonts and reduced motion.
• Desks, rooms and the canvas: how desks and widgets fit together.