# Usage Guide Noctua is a modern image viewer for the COSMIC desktop environment with full keyboard support. ## Opening Images ### Command Line Open an image directly from the terminal: ```bash noctua /path/to/image.png ``` When you open an image, Noctua automatically scans the folder and indexes all supported images for quick navigation. ### Supported Formats - **Raster Images**: PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP, and all formats supported by `image-rs` - **Vector Graphics**: SVG (planned, not yet implemented) - **Portable Documents**: PDF (planned, not yet implemented) ## Keyboard Shortcuts All keyboard shortcuts are case-insensitive unless otherwise noted. ### Navigation | Key | Action | Description | |:------|:------------------|:-----------------------------------------------| | `←` | Previous image | Navigate to the previous image in the folder | | `→` | Next image | Navigate to the next image in the folder | The footer shows your current position (e.g., "3 / 42"). ### Zoom and View | Key | Action | Description | |:----------|:---------------------------|:------------------------------------------------------| | `+` / `=` | Zoom in | Increase zoom by 10% | | `-` | Zoom out | Decrease zoom by ~9% | | `1` | Actual size (100%) | Display image at pixel-perfect 1:1 scale | | `f` | Fit to window | Scale image to fit the window while preserving ratio | You can also zoom with the **mouse wheel** - the zoom centers on your cursor position. The current zoom level is displayed in the footer (e.g., "150%" or "Fit"). ### Pan Pan controls allow you to move around zoomed images: | Key | Action | Description | |:-----------|:-------------------|:-----------------------------------------| | `Ctrl + ←` | Pan left | Move view to the left | | `Ctrl + →` | Pan right | Move view to the right | | `Ctrl + ↑` | Pan up | Move view upward | | `Ctrl + ↓` | Pan down | Move view downward | | `0` | Reset pan | Center the image | You can also **click and drag** with the mouse to pan around zoomed images. ### Transformations | Key | Action | Description | |:------------|:-------------------------------|:------------------------------------------| | `h` | Flip horizontal | Mirror the image horizontally | | `v` | Flip vertical | Flip the image upside down | | `r` | Rotate clockwise | Rotate 90° clockwise | | `Shift + r` | Rotate counter-clockwise | Rotate 90° counter-clockwise | All transformations are lossless and show in real-time. ### Panels and UI | Key | Action | Description | |:----|:-----------------------|:-----------------------------------------| | `i` | Toggle properties | Show/hide the properties panel (metadata)| | `n` | Toggle navigation | Show/hide the navigation sidebar | ### Actions | Key | Action | Description | |:----|:-----------------------|:-----------------------------------------| | `w` | Set as wallpaper | Set the current image as desktop wallpaper| ## Mouse Controls ### Zoom - **Mouse wheel up/down**: Zoom in/out centered on cursor - **Footer buttons**: Click zoom in/out buttons for step-by-step control ### Pan - **Click and drag**: Pan around zoomed images - Hold and drag anywhere on the image to move the view ### Navigation - **Footer navigation**: Use Previous/Next buttons to browse images ## Toolbar The header toolbar provides quick access to common operations: ### Left Side - **Navigation toggle**: Show/hide the sidebar - **Previous/Next buttons**: Navigate between images in the folder - **Rotate buttons**: Rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise - **Flip buttons**: Flip horizontally or vertically ### Right Side - **Properties toggle**: Show/hide the metadata panel ## Properties Panel The properties panel (toggle with `i`) displays image metadata and provides quick actions: ### Action Buttons Located at the top-right of the properties panel: - **Set as Wallpaper** (`w` key): Set the current image as your desktop wallpaper - Works with COSMIC, GNOME, KDE, XFCE, and tiling window managers - Automatically detects your desktop environment - Falls back to alternative methods if the primary method fails - **Open With** (planned): Open the image with another application - **Show in Folder** (planned): Open the containing folder in your file manager ### Metadata Display - **File Information**: Name, format, dimensions, file size, color type - **Camera Information** (if available): Camera model, date taken, exposure settings, GPS location ## Footer Information The footer displays useful information: - **Zoom controls**: Zoom out, current zoom level, zoom in, fit buttons - **Image dimensions**: Width × Height in pixels - **Navigation position**: Current image / Total images in folder ## Tips and Tricks ### Keyboard-Driven Workflow Noctua is designed for efficient keyboard use: 1. Open an image from terminal 2. Use `←` `→` to browse through the folder 3. Press `r` to rotate, `h` or `v` to flip 4. Use `+` `-` to zoom, `Ctrl + arrows` to pan 5. Press `i` to check metadata ### Zoom and Pan Together - Zoom with mouse wheel while hovering over the area you want to examine - The zoom centers on your cursor, making it easy to focus on details - Once zoomed, drag with mouse or use `Ctrl + arrows` to navigate ### Bidirectional Controls Mouse and keyboard work together seamlessly: - Zoom with keyboard, pan with mouse - Zoom with mouse wheel, the footer updates automatically - Pan with keyboard, continue with mouse drag ## Configuration Settings are stored in `~/.config/cosmic/org.codeberg.wfx.Noctua/v1/`. ### Configurable Options - **Default directory**: Set your preferred starting location - **Panel states**: Your panel preferences are remembered between sessions ## Planned Features The following features are prepared in code but not yet implemented: ### File Operations - File open dialog - Save transformed images - Copy/Move/Delete operations ### Document Support - SVG rendering with `resvg` - PDF rendering with multi-page support ### Advanced Editing - Crop mode (`c` key prepared) - Scale/Resize mode (`s` key prepared) See [features.md](features.md) for a complete list of planned features.