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Keyboard Shortcuts & Productivity in PocketCode

Master keyboard shortcuts, snippets, and productivity tricks to code faster from your Android device.

4 min
By Pelayo Naredo
Keyboard Shortcuts & Productivity in PocketCode

Keyboard Shortcuts & Productivity in PocketCode

Coding on mobile can be fast if you know the right tools. These shortcuts and tricks will make you much more productive.

Essential keyboard shortcuts

Editing

ShortcutAction
Ctrl + ZUndo
Ctrl + YRedo
Ctrl + DDuplicate line
Ctrl + Shift + KDelete line
Alt + ↑/↓Move line up/down
Ctrl + Shift + ↑/↓Copy line up/down
Ctrl + /Toggle comment
Ctrl + LSelect line
Ctrl + Shift + LSelect all occurrences
ShortcutAction
Ctrl + PGo to file
Ctrl + GGo to line
Ctrl + Shift + OGo to symbol
Ctrl + TabSwitch between tabs
Ctrl + BToggle sidebar
Ctrl + JToggle terminal
F12Go to definition
Shift + F12View references
ShortcutAction
Ctrl + FFind in file
Ctrl + HFind and replace
Ctrl + Shift + FFind in project
Ctrl + Shift + HReplace in project

Custom snippets

Creating a snippet

Open the command palette (Ctrl + Shift + P) and search for "Snippets":

{
	"React Functional Component": {
		"prefix": "rfc",
		"body": [
			"export default function ${1:Component}() {",
			"  return (",
			"    <div>",
			"      ${2:content}",
			"    </div>",
			"  );",
			"}"
		],
		"description": "React functional component"
	}
}

Built-in snippets

PocketCode includes snippets for the most popular languages:

JavaScript/TypeScript:

  • logconsole.log()
  • impimport ... from '...'
  • expexport default ...
  • af() => {}
  • trycatch → Try/catch block

Python:

  • def → Function definition
  • class → Class definition
  • mainif __name__ == '__main__':
  • fori → For loop with enumerate
  • with → Context manager

Rust:

  • fn → Function
  • impl → Implementation
  • match → Pattern matching
  • test → Test function
  • derive → Derive macro

Productivity tricks

Multi-cursor

Hold Alt and tap at different positions to edit multiple lines simultaneously.

Emmet

Type HTML abbreviations and expand them with Tab:

div.container>ul>li*5>a.link

Generates:

<div class="container">
	<ul>
		<li><a href="" class="link"></a></li>
		<li><a href="" class="link"></a></li>
		<li><a href="" class="link"></a></li>
		<li><a href="" class="link"></a></li>
		<li><a href="" class="link"></a></li>
	</ul>
</div>

Command palette

Ctrl + Shift + P opens the command palette where you can:

  • Execute any IDE action
  • Change settings quickly
  • Install extensions
  • Run tasks

Zen Mode

Activate zen mode for distraction-free coding:

  • Hides all sidebars
  • Full screen
  • Just code and cursor
  • Activate with Ctrl + K Z

External keyboard setup

If you use a Bluetooth keyboard with your Android:

  1. Go to Settings > Keyboard > External
  2. Select the key layout
  3. Customize shortcuts to your preference

Supported layouts

  • QWERTY (US/ES/UK)
  • AZERTY (FR)
  • QWERTZ (DE)
  • Dvorak
  • Colemak

Touch gestures

For coding without an external keyboard:

  • Two-finger swipe — Horizontal scroll in code
  • Pinch — Zoom in/out the editor
  • Double tap — Select word
  • Triple tap — Select line
  • Long press — Context menu

Mastering these shortcuts and tricks will transform your development experience in PocketCode. Practice the most useful ones for your workflow and watch your productivity soar.

The tool behind this article

Code Editor

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