2. The terminal and your workspace

The command bar and function codes

The command bar is the one place you type everything: a function code, then what it applies to (DES AAPL), or plain words to search; it answers "how do I open X?".

  • 5 min
  • 3 questions
  • Lesson 2 of 9

Why you would care

In most apps you click through menus. In Gloom you type. It feels slower for one hour and much faster for the rest of your life. A trader who wants Apple's options chain does not hunt for a menu. They type OMON AAPL and press Enter.

The idea from scratch

A function code (traders also say mnemonic) is a short code for one screen: DES = description, HP = historical prices, N = news. Many follow the Bloomberg Terminal's codes, so people coming from there feel at home.

A command is built like a short sentence:

You typeVerbObjectWhat opens
DES AAPLDES (overview)AAPLApple's overview page
QQ NVDA, AAPL, MSFTQQ (quote board)a listthree tiles side by side
SA NVDA above 240SA (set alert)ticker, condition, pricea new price alert
CNCN (company news)nothingnews for the ticker you are on
ERNERN (earnings)nothingthe market's earnings days

Two rules hide in that table:

  • Lists use commas. QQ NVDA, AAPL, MSFT.
  • No ticker means "the one I am on". Many functions, typed alone, use the ticker of the pane you are looking at (the focused pane), or show a market-wide view.

See it in Gloom

Gloom screenshot: The command bar after typing GP AAPL
The command bar after typing GP AAPL: it reads the code and the ticker, says what will open ("Graph Price for AAPL"), and lists the matching pane. Press Enter to open it. From the public product screenshots.
Gloom screenshot: What QQ NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, ..
What QQ NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, ... opens: one tile per ticker. The command bar turned one line of text into this pane.

open itpress Ctrl+P anywhere. In the desktop app, Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K also work. Press ` `` (backtick) to jump straight into ticker search.

Inside the bar, the keys that matter:

  1. Type a code, a ticker, or words. Results appear below and narrow as you type.
  2. Up / Down (or Ctrl+P / Ctrl+N) move through the results.
  3. Tab accepts a suggested argument when the bar offers one, so you type less.
  4. Enter runs the selected result. Shift+Enter runs its secondary action when there is one.
  5. Esc closes the bar. Ctrl+U clears what you typed; Ctrl+W deletes the last word.

A few things the bar does on its own:

  • Forms. Commands that need more answers (New Portfolio, Add Alert) open a small centered form after the bar closes. Tab moves between fields, Enter goes to the next one, Ctrl+S sends it.
  • Plain words. Text that is not a code searches tickers and company names. Signed in with a verified email, the bar can also suggest commands for a plain-English request (rows marked ✦), and a question such as why is NVDA down? offers to open Ask Gloom (see lesson: AI helpers).
  • Missing plugin. Typing the code of an official plugin you do not have yet (like TV) offers to install it, after a confirmation.
  • Your own keys. After you type a full command, a Bind a key row lets you put it on a key, like F5 for CN.

Practice and recap

Try it3 tasks
  1. Without the app: write the command that opens a quote board for SPY, QQQ and GLD. (QQ SPY, QQQ, GLD.)
  2. You are on a DES TSLA pane and type CN alone. Whose news opens? (Tesla's: the focused ticker.)
  3. In the app: open the bar, type earn, and look at what it suggests before pressing anything.
Common mistakes4 mistakes
  • Forgetting the space: DESAAPL is one word the bar cannot split. Type DES AAPL.
  • Using spaces instead of commas in a list. Use QQ NVDA, AAPL.
  • Typing a bare code like CN while focused on the wrong pane, then wondering why it shows another company.
  • Learning 100 codes on day one. Learn five (DES, PF, MOST, TOP, HELP), then add one a day.
Check yourself3 questions
  1. What is the difference between Ctrl+P and the backtick key?
  2. What does Tab do inside the command bar?
  3. You type CN with no ticker while a DES MSFT pane is focused. What opens?
Answers
  1. Ctrl+P opens the full command bar (functions, tickers, actions); the backtick opens ticker search directly.
  2. It accepts the argument the bar suggests, when it suggests one.
  3. News for MSFT, the focused ticker.
Words in this lesson4 words
function code (mnemonic)
the short code of one screen, like DES or HP
argument
what the function applies to: a ticker, a list, a price
focused pane
the pane your keys go to right now; its border is highlighted
ticker search
the part of the command bar that finds tickers by symbol or name

Educational material about reading market data, not investment advice.