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New Keyboard Shortcuts

ESC exits Preview mode; DEL/Backspace deletes only selected assets, eliminating accidental page-wide deletions

1. Purpose & Scope

This article documents the new keyboard shortcuts shipped in Tiled v51.0.0. Two shortcut behaviors were added or clarified: ESC to exit Preview mode, and DEL/Backspace constrained to delete only currently selected assets (not page-wide content). These changes align Builder 2.0 with expected patterns in modern design tools and reduce the risk of accidental destructive actions.

Scope: All Tiled users with Builder 2.0 access (Editor and above).

2. Shortcuts Shipped

ESC — Exit Preview

Pressing ESC while in Preview mode exits Preview and returns the creator to the Builder canvas. Previously, exiting Preview required clicking the Close button in the UI. ESC provides a faster, keyboard-native exit that aligns with how modern design tools handle preview mode.

DEL / Backspace — Multi-select Delete

DEL and Backspace now delete only the currently selected assets. In prior behavior, these keys could trigger broader deletion actions in certain focus states. The constrained behavior ensures that DEL/Backspace only removes what the creator has explicitly selected, preventing accidental page-wide or structure-level deletions.

3. Behavior Context

The DEL/Backspace change is a companion to the Delete key guard-rail introduced for the Pages panel in v54.0.0 (KB-v54-02), which prevents the Delete key from removing subpages and overlays. The July v51.0.0 change addresses the selection-scoping behavior on the canvas; the October v54.0.0 change addresses structural deletion in the Pages panel. Together they establish a consistent, safe keyboard delete model across Builder 2.0.

Note: DEL and Backspace now respect the selection context. If no tiles are selected, pressing DEL/Backspace will have no effect on canvas elements. Creators must explicitly select assets before using keyboard delete.

4. Design Tool Alignment

ESC to exit preview and selection-scoped delete are both standard behaviors in professional design tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD). Aligning Builder 2.0 with these conventions reduces the learning curve for creators transitioning from other design tools and reduces accidental actions from muscle memory.

5. QA Validation

QA Scope: Keyboard shortcut behaviors (ESC and DEL/Backspace) were included in the July 2025 pre-release validation. References: 2025-07-08 standup (final regression checks); 2025-07-15 standup (mid-cycle verification of text hotkeys and personalization). Post-release: shortcut behaviors performed as expected with no regressions reported.

6. Reconciliation Note

Deferred: Jira ticket number pending reconciliation. Update per the checklist in KB-v51-06.

7. Change History

v1.0 — July 8, 2025

Initial article. Feature shipped in Tiled v51.0.0. Ticket number pending reconciliation.