As you may have noticed in the last column, I like shortcuts. Anything that saves time and keeps you from taking your hands off the keyboard while working is great. And it would be better if I could use invisible commands to make me look like the greatest wizard to those I don't know.
Here's some good news for people like me who love efficiency. That's because Google is on the verge of introducing an advanced shortcut command system to the Chrome browser. Named Commander, the system seems to have the potential to completely shake the way you surf the web.
The new system is very similar to the concept of a ``command center'' from Superhuman, a Gmail app that power users love. Command Center is a key feature of Superhuman, where pressing Ctrl-K or Cmd-K anywhere in your inbox will prompt you to find and execute any command you can imagine by typing a letter or two.
Chrome's Commander interface is no different. The only difference is pressing the spacebar on the Ctrl or Cmd keys. Pressing Ctrl/Cmd+Spacebar will bring up a box above the web page, ready to type. If you enter any alphabet, a list of shortcut keys that can be used related to the alphabet is displayed. The more letters you enter, the smaller the list.
In fact, Chrome already has several shortcuts attached to it. For example, Ctrl+D opens the bookmarks tab, Ctrl+Shift+T opens the recently opened tab again. However, Chrome, like any other modern software, has a ton of options and a variety of keyboard shortcuts. Remembering all of this is by no means easy. The Chrome Commander system makes it easier to find and use these options and ultimately makes it easier to remember frequently used shortcuts.
In addition, Chrome Commander provides easy access to new Google Docs, Sheets, and Chrome-related commands without built-in shortcuts, such as opening a meeting or enabling/disabling Chrome developer tools.
Common mouse functions, such as browser settings and tab pinning, can also be performed through Chrome Commander.
You can also close all unpinned tabs at once with just three presses of Ctrl+Spacebar, u, and Enter.
The most interesting part of Chrome Commander is not what Commander can do, but the potential for future development. Imagine what it would be like if the user could add custom shortcuts to the commander. And what if other Google apps were also included?
If you have a central menu in Google Docs that you can open with just Ctrl-space, it will be much more powerful and easier to use. Or imagine a Gmail system with a huge number of shortcuts available. Without using special software, everyone will be able to use the service like a 'wizard'.
Currently, the Chrome Commander system is in the early stages of development. If you want to give it a try, you should download the Chrome Developer Channel desktop browser. It runs independently of the regular Chrome browser and supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.
After installing the Chrome developer program, enter chrome: flags/#commander in the address line, and check the box next to the label labeled'Commander', and the status will change to 'Enabled'. After clicking the restart button in the lower right corner, when the browser is restarted, press Ctrl or Cmd and the space bar together to start the magic.
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