# Tour of the editor

> A tour of the Nodaro editor, from the home screen and sidebar to the canvas, node picker, settings panel, runs, results, the Copilot and keyboard shortcuts.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/get-started/editor-tour

The **Nodaro editor** is where you find, build and run your workflows. It has two main screens: the **home screen**, where your work, templates and tutorials are, and the **workflow editor**, where you place nodes on a canvas, connect them, set them up and run them. This tour shows each part of both screens and what it is for.

## The home screen

The home screen opens after you sign in. At the top are a greeting, two tabs and a **New Workflow** button, which creates an empty workflow and opens it.

| Tab | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Continue** | **Jump back in**: your workflows and projects, with a filter, a search box, **New project** and **Import JSON**. |
| **Explore** | **Start from a template**: templates grouped by use case. **Level up**: tutorials and release notes. **Your path**: a short checklist for new users. |

On Nodaro Cloud, the **Continue** tab also shows **Nodaro apps**, links to Nodaro's other apps, and a **Copilot** box. Describe a workflow in the box and click **Build it**: the [Copilot](https://nodaro.ai/docs/get-started/workflow-copilot) builds the workflow for you in a new canvas.

**Your path** counts three first steps: **Create your first image**, **Connect two nodes into a workflow** and **Turn it into a MiniApp**. As you complete them, your level moves from Newcomer to Explorer, Builder and Creator.

## The sidebar

The sidebar on the left of every screen has three sections.

| Section | Entry | What it opens |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Workspace** | **Projects** | The home screen, with your projects and workflows. |
| | **Templates** | Ready-made workflows to copy into your account. See [Tutorials and templates](https://nodaro.ai/docs/get-started/tutorials-and-templates). |
| | **Tutorials** | The **Explore** tab of the home screen, where the tutorials are. |
| | **Explore** | The community library of characters, locations, objects and creatures that other people shared. Nodaro Cloud and the Business edition. See [Community library](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/community-library). |
| | **MiniApps** | Apps published from workflows: your own and the ones you can run. See [Apps](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/apps). |
| **Activity** | **Executions** | Every run of your workflows, with its status, duration and credits. |
| | **My Files** | The images, videos and audio in your account, and how much storage you use. |
| | **Gallery** | The Community Gallery, with what people create with Nodaro. |
| **Account** | **Integrations** | Your connected social accounts for publishing. On a self-hosted install, also the Nodaro Cloud connection and your own model provider keys. |
| | **Pricing** | Plans and credit packs. Nodaro Cloud only. |
| | **Billing** | Your subscription and credit purchases. Nodaro Cloud only. |
| | **Settings** | Your account settings, such as API tokens, the visibility of new results in the gallery, remembered defaults and prompt templates. |

Two entries have similar names but open different pages. **Tutorials** opens the **Explore** tab of the home screen. The **Explore** entry opens the community library.

At the bottom of the sidebar are your credit balance, the **language switcher** and the **theme toggle** for light or dark mode. The version label there opens the release notes.

## The workflow editor at a glance

When you open a workflow, the editor shows these areas:

| Area | Where | What it is for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Top bar | Top | **Back to project**, the workflow name, the save status and the **More options** menu with **Export** and **Import**. |
| Editor tabs | Top center | **Editor** for the canvas, **Present** for sharing and publishing, **Executions** for the run history, and **Cost** on Nodaro Cloud for what the runs cost. |
| Node sidebar | Left | Every node, grouped by tab and family. Click a node to add it. Ctrl+B shows or hides it. |
| Canvas | Center | Where the nodes and connections are. |
| Canvas toolbar | A vertical rail on the canvas | **Add Node**, **Components**, search, **My Library**, **Media Library**, **Add Sticky Note**, **Tidy Up**, **Clear all results**, **Undo**, **Redo** and **Keyboard shortcuts**. You can drag the rail to another place. |
| Settings panel | Right | The settings of the node you open. |
| Run bar | Bottom center | **Execute workflow**, with the credit estimate. During a run, it shows the progress. |
| Copilot | Left, beside the canvas | The [Copilot](https://nodaro.ai/docs/get-started/workflow-copilot) panel, on Nodaro Cloud. |

![The Nodaro workflow editor with the Editor, Present, Executions, Cost and Copilot tabs at the top, the canvas toolbar on the left, a small image-to-video workflow on the canvas and Execute workflow at the bottom.](https://nodaro.ai/docs-media/screens/en/editor/canvas.light.webp)

The editor saves your workflow automatically a few seconds after each change. The top bar shows **Saved**, **Saving...**, **Unsaved** or **Save failed**. Press Ctrl+S to save at once.

## The canvas

The canvas is the space where you place and connect nodes. Each node does one job, and each connection carries a result from one node to the next. [Nodes and connections](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/nodes-and-connections) explains both in detail.

- **Move around.** Drag the empty canvas, or scroll. Pinch to zoom, or press Alt+= and Alt+-.
- **Select.** Click a node to select it. Hold Shift and drag to select several nodes, or press Ctrl+A to select all.
- **Act on a node.** Right-click a node for **Run**, **Run from here**, **Skip Node**, **Duplicate** and **Delete**. With several nodes selected, **Run selected** runs only those.
- **Organize.** **Tidy Up** arranges the nodes in order. A [Sticky Note](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/sticky-note) holds a comment, and a [Group](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/group) keeps related nodes together.
- **Find.** **Find in workflow** searches the nodes of this workflow by type, name, model or prompt.
- **Undo.** **Undo** and **Redo** in the canvas toolbar, or Ctrl+Z, work while the editor is open.

## The node picker

The **node picker** is the menu you add nodes from. It groups every node by what you want to do.

- Press Tab on the canvas to add a node where the pointer is.
- Click **Add Node** in the canvas toolbar.
- Drag a connection from a node and drop it on empty canvas. The picker then shows only the nodes that can connect there, and connects the new node for you.

| Tab | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| **Common** | A short list of the most used nodes, in six groups: **Create**, **Edit**, **Add Your Own**, **Build Once, Reuse**, **Batch** and **Finish**. Every node here also appears on its own tab. |
| **Image** | **Add Your Own**, **Create**, **Edit & Retouch**, **References** and **Understand**. |
| **Video** | **Add Your Own**, **Create**, **Story & Script**, **Animate & Perform**, **Continue & Restyle**, **Cut & Assemble**, **Sound for Video**, **Titles, Graphics & Captions**, **Format & Export** and **Analyze**. |
| **Audio** | **Add Your Own**, **Speech & Voiceover**, **Voices**, **Music**, **Sound Effects**, **Clean & Separate**, **Analyze**, **Edit Audio** and **Transcribe**. |
| **Models** | Every model, grouped by series. Choosing a model adds the node that runs it, with the model already selected. Below the models are the **Generation Settings** nodes, such as [Provider](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/settings/provider) and [Aspect Ratio](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/settings/aspect-ratio). |
| **Assets** | **Characters**, **Creatures**, **Places** and **Objects**: the nodes that keep a subject the same in every image and video. |
| **Automate** | **Triggers**, **Get Content**, **Text**, **Lists & Batching**, **Logic & Data**, **Workflows** and **Canvas**. |
| **Publish** | **One-Click**, **Platforms** and **Export**: the nodes that post or save your results. |
| **All** | Every family of every tab in one list. |

The **Image**, **Video** and **Audio** tabs show up to three popular nodes at the top. They also end with a collapsed **Creative Controls** block with the [pickers](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls), such as Lighting, Framing and Mood. Click **Show** to open it.

**Search.** Type in the search box to find a node by name, or a model by name, company or setting. Results from the current tab come first, then models, then matches **From other tabs**, each marked with its tab. Use the arrow keys to move, Enter to choose and Esc to close.

**Auto Connect.** When a node is selected and **Auto Connect** is on, the new node connects to it. A small dialog lets you name the new node and choose the connection, or choose **Don't connect (just add)**.

![The node picker open on the Common tab, with the tab bar, the search box and the Create group that starts with Text, Generate Image and Generate Video.](https://nodaro.ai/docs-media/screens/en/editor/node-picker.light.webp)

The [node reference](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes) documents every node, tab by tab.

## The settings panel

The **settings panel** shows every setting of one node. To open it, double-click the node, press Enter with the node selected, or click the settings button in the strip under the node. Close it with its close button or Esc.

From top to bottom, the panel shows:

- **Label**: the name of the node on the canvas. A clear label makes a large workflow readable, and you can use it as a [prompt variable](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/prompt-variables).
- **Presets**: a menu of saved settings for this node. See [Presets](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/presets).
- **The node's settings**, such as **Provider**, **Prompt**, **Aspect Ratio** or **Duration**. The settings change with the model you choose.
- **Pre & post text**, on nodes with a prompt: text added before and after the prompt at run time. See [Prompt pre and post text](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/prompt-pre-post-text).
- **Results**: the results of the node, when it has any.
- **Repeat**, on generation nodes: run the node up to 20 times in one click.
- **Run This Node** and **Run from here**.

Click **Expand to full screen** to give the panel the whole window, for example to browse a picker's options. Ctrl+I does the same.

## Running nodes and workflows

| Button | Where it is | What runs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Run** | In the strip under a node | Only this node, with the current results of the nodes before it. |
| **Run from here** | Under a Text node, in the right-click menu, or in the settings panel | This node and every node after it, in order. |
| **Run selected** | In the right-click menu, with several nodes selected | Only the selected nodes. |
| **Execute workflow** | At the bottom of the canvas | Every node in the workflow, in order. Nodaro asks you to confirm first. |

On Nodaro Cloud, each button shows its price in credits before you click it. While a node runs, its **Run** button becomes **Stop**, which also lets you discard the run or run it again. [Running workflows](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/running-workflows) explains progress, stopping, failures and refunds.

## Results and versions

When a node finishes, its result appears on the node. Point at the result to download it, open it full screen, or delete it.

Every new run of a node adds a result and keeps the earlier ones. When a node has more than one result, a counter appears on it. Click the counter to see every version and choose one. The version you choose is the one that the next node receives.

**Clear all results**, the eraser button in the canvas toolbar, removes every result from the canvas and keeps your prompts, settings and uploads. Your files stay in your account, and **Undo** brings the results back. See [Running workflows](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/running-workflows#clear-all-results).

## The Copilot

On Nodaro Cloud, the **Copilot** builds and edits workflows from a description. Open its panel with the **Copilot** button beside the editor tabs, the narrow **COPILOT** tab beside the canvas, or Ctrl+J. It adds and connects nodes while you watch, and it never starts a run without your permission. Read [Build a workflow with the Copilot](https://nodaro.ai/docs/get-started/workflow-copilot).

## Language and theme

The **language switcher** at the bottom of the sidebar changes the language of the whole app in one step: the menus, the picker catalogs, dates and numbers, and the Copilot's answers. Signed in, your choice is saved to your account and follows you to other devices. Node names and model names stay the same in every language, and the canvas keeps its left-to-right layout. See [Languages](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/languages).

The **theme toggle** next to it switches between the light and the dark theme.

## Keyboard shortcuts

Press ? in the editor to see every shortcut. On a Mac, use ⌘ where this table says Ctrl.

| Shortcut | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Tab | Add a node where the pointer is |
| Enter | Open or close the settings panel of the selected node |
| Ctrl+E | Open or close the prompt editor of the selected node |
| Ctrl+S | Save the workflow |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl+D | Duplicate the selected nodes |
| Delete | Delete the selection |
| Ctrl+F | Find a node in this workflow |
| Ctrl+K | Search your projects and workflows |
| Alt+T | Tidy up the canvas |
| Shift+S | Add a sticky note |
| Ctrl+J | Show or hide the Copilot panel |
| Ctrl+B | Show or hide the node sidebar |
| Ctrl+M | Show or hide the Media Library |
| Ctrl+L | Open My Library |
| Alt+F | Show the result of the selected node full screen |
| Esc | Close a panel or clear the selection |

**My Library** holds your saved characters, locations, objects and creatures. The **Media Library** holds your images, videos and audio, ready to add to the canvas. See [Assets and media](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/assets-and-media).

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I add a node to the canvas?

Press Tab on the canvas, or click Add Node in the canvas toolbar. The node picker opens. Search for a node by name, or browse its tabs, and choose the node.

### What is the difference between the Tutorials and the Explore entries in the sidebar?

Tutorials opens the Explore tab of the home screen, where the templates and tutorials are. Explore opens the community library of characters, locations, objects and creatures that other people shared, on Nodaro Cloud and the Business edition.

### Does the editor save my workflow automatically?

Yes. The editor saves a few seconds after each change and shows Saved, Saving, Unsaved or Save failed in the top bar. Press Ctrl+S to save at once.

### How do I see every keyboard shortcut?

Press the question mark key in the editor, or click Keyboard shortcuts in the canvas toolbar. On a Mac, the Command key replaces Ctrl.

### How do I change the language of the editor?

Use the language switcher at the bottom of the sidebar. One choice changes the menus, the picker catalogs, dates and numbers, and the language of the Copilot's answers.