2. The terminal and your workspace

Getting help (HELP, F1, CHG, FB)

HELP opens the guide and every function, and F1 opens the help card of the pane in front of you, including how fresh its data is on your plan.

  • 4 min
  • 3 questions
  • Lesson 6 of 9

Why you would care

What does this screen do, and how fresh is it? You will meet a screen you do not understand at the worst moment. You do not need to remember 150 codes, only one key: F1. The help card also answers the most important question about any number on screen: is it live, or behind?

The idea from scratch

Gloom has two levels of help:

  • The Help pane (HELP)

    a guide with tabs, the full list of functions, every keyboard shortcut, and a way to send feedback.

  • Help cards

    one small card per function. F1 opens the card of the focused pane. HELP OMON opens the card of OMON without opening OMON itself.

What a help card contains

LineWhat it tells you
SummaryOne or two sentences: what the function answers, when to reach for it
UsageHow to type it, with a real example (OMON AAPL)
KeysThe two to four keys that matter in its pane
DataHow fresh the data is, on Free and on Pro; your current plan is highlighted
BloombergThe Bloomberg Terminal function it stands in for, if there is one
DocsA link to its page in the online docs

The Data line uses a few standard phrases:

  • "Real-time": as it happens.
  • "15 minutes delayed": the free plan for US stocks and options.
  • "Daily closes": one number per day, after the close.
  • "On release": updated when an agency or company publishes, like an inflation report.
  • "As filed with the SEC": from company filings.
  • "Pro only": nothing on the free plan except the upgrade.
Diagram: Lost on a screen? leads to Press F1; Press F1 leads to Help card: summary, keys, Data line; Looking for a function? leads to HELP, Functions tab; Something broken? leads to FB: send feedback.
Wide diagram: scroll sideways to see all of it.

See it in Gloom

Gloom screenshot: The Help pane on its Basics tab
The Help pane on its Basics tab: a Start Here list of eight functions, then the command bar keys. Captured 2026-10-06.

open ittype HELP. For one function, type HELP OMON or press F1 on its pane.

  1. The tabs on top: Basics, Functions, Shortcuts, Reference, Feedback. h and l move between them.
  2. Start Here (8): the eight functions to learn first, each with one line: DES, AP, PF, MOST, TOP, ERN, ECO, ASKG.
  3. Command Bar (13): the keys of the command bar, such as Ctrl+P, the backtick for ticker search, and HELP <function>.
  4. UPGRADE: listed with the command bar keys; it opens the Pro checkout.

The other tabs

  • Functions

    every function code, with its name. Press Enter on one to open the command bar with that code typed.

  • Shortcuts

    every key. Press Enter on a row to change it to the key you prefer, x to unbind, 0 to restore the default.

  • Feedback

    send a message to the team. FB opens the same thing from anywhere (also typed FEEDBACK or BUG). It can attach a screenshot and scrubbed logs, and works even when you are signed out.

What changed: CHG

CHG opens the changelog: the version history and release notes, inside the app. Useful after an update, to see what is new.

Practice and recap

Try it3 tasks
  1. Open HELP and read the eight Start Here lines. Which one would you use to see the day's biggest movers? (MOST.)
  2. Type HELP DES and find its Data line. What does the free plan get? (15 minutes delayed, crypto real-time.)
  3. Press F1 on any pane you have open and read its keys.
Common mistakes4 mistakes
  • Guessing what a number means instead of pressing F1.
  • Ignoring the Data line and treating a delayed price as live.
  • Searching the web for a key. The Shortcuts tab lists all of them, and lets you change them.
  • Reporting a bug without a screenshot. FB can attach one for you.
Check yourself3 questions
  1. What is the difference between HELP and F1?
  2. Which line of a help card tells you whether the data is live?
  3. Which code opens the release notes?
Answers
  1. HELP opens the whole Help pane; F1 opens the help card of the focused pane only.
  2. The Data line, with one value for Free and one for Pro.
  3. CHG.
Words in this lesson5 words
help card
A short card per function: summary, usage, keys, data freshness, Bloomberg equivalent, docs link.
Data line
The help card line that says how fresh the data is on Free and on Pro.
real-time
Shown as it happens.
delayed
Shown a fixed time after it happened, like 15 minutes.
changelog
The list of changes in each version of the app.

Educational material about reading market data, not investment advice.