Quick Keys to Trade

Quick Keys let you place buy and sell orders using only your keyboard. Press B on your keyboard to place a buy order, or S to place a sell order, using the current Quick Trade settings for quantity and order type.

Two keyboard keys are mapped to trading actions. The mapping is hard-coded and cannot be customised through the settings UI:

Both keys are case-insensitive. The keydown event checks `event.key` against `"b"` and `"s"` after lowercasing. Modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Meta) are not explicitly blocked — if a browser or OS shortcut uses B or S, it takes precedence and the trade key is suppressed. The keys are not active when the user is typing in an input field (checked via `event.target`).

When a key is pressed, the system follows a deterministic resolution chain to construct and submit the order. Here is the exact execution flow:

1. 1
   Key press detected

   A `keydown` event listener on the chart container fires. The handler checks if the key is B or S (case-insensitive) and if the event target is not an input/textarea element. If both conditions are met, `event.preventDefault()` is called to stop the character from being typed.
2. 2
   Settings snapshot

   The handler reads the current QuickTradeSettings snapshot from the context. This includes `orderType`, `quantity`, `leverage`, `timeInForce`, `reduceOnly`, `postOnly`, `tradeWithoutConfirmation`, `takeProfitEnabled`, `takeProfitPercent`, `stopLossEnabled`, and `stopLossPercent`. All values are read synchronously from React state, so the order always uses the latest settings.
3. 3
   Price resolution

   For market orders, the reference price is determined: buy uses `bestAsk` (or current price fallback), sell uses `bestBid` (or current price fallback). For limit orders, the price comes from the limit price input field in the Quick Trade bar (if Price Input is enabled). If Price Input is disabled in Limit mode, a dialog prompts for the price.
4. 4
   Order construction

   `createOrder()` builds a `QuickTradeOrder` object with the resolved side, price, quantity, order type, leverage, time-in-force, reduce-only flag, post-only flag, and calculated TP/SL prices (if enabled). Validation runs at this stage — invalid settings abort with a toast error.
5. 5
   Order submission

   If validation passes and `tradeWithoutConfirmation` is true, the order is submitted directly via the exchange API callback. If confirmation is required, a modal dialog appears with the order preview for the user to review and confirm before submission.
6. 6
   Feedback

   A toast notification summarises the result (success with order ID, or error with reason). If Quick Trade Lines are enabled, a dashed order line appears on the chart at the placed price level, following the same lifecycle as click-placed orders.

Quick Keys only fire when the chart container has keyboard focus. This is enforced by attaching the `keydown` listener to the chart's DOM container element (via `chartContainerRef.current`), not to `document` or `window`. Understanding the focus scope is essential for reliable key detection:

• Chart area focus — the chart container must be the focused element. Clicking anywhere on the chart canvas or any non-input overlay element gives the container focus. A visual indicator (e.g., focus ring) is typically not shown since the chart container is styled without an outline.
• Input field suppression — when the user is typing in an input field (quantity input, limit price input, search bar), the handler checks `(event.target as HTMLElement).tagName` and skips processing if the target is `INPUT`, `TEXTAREA`, or `SELECT`. This prevents accidental trade placement while editing settings.
• Tab order — the chart container should be reachable via Tab navigation. If the browser tab order skips the chart, clicking the chart once establishes focus. The focus state persists until another element is clicked or Tab is pressed to move to the next focusable element.
• Iframe considerations — if the chart is rendered inside an iframe, the keydown event is scoped to the iframe document. The parent document cannot relay B/S key presses into the iframe. The chart must be focused within the iframe context.
• DevTools interference — opening browser DevTools and clicking the console panel removes focus from the chart. The keys will not work until the chart is clicked again. This is normal DOM focus behaviour.

The behaviour of Quick Keys is not determined by a single setting but by the combination of several interdependent Quick Trade settings:

Quick Keys bypass the graphical order entry process. While fast, they introduce risk if settings are not properly configured beforehand:

• Accidental trades — pressing B or S while typing anywhere near the chart (e.g., in a search bar that loses focus) can trigger an unintended order. Always verify that the chart does not have focus before typing B or S. The input field check mitigates this but does not eliminate the risk if the chart itself is focused.
• Quantity verification — the quantity used is whatever is currently set in the Quick Trade bar. If you previously set a large quantity for a different trade and forgot to reset it, pressing B or S will use that large quantity. Always verify the quantity display before relying on Quick Keys.
• Market order slippage — in Limit mode, the price is controlled. In Market mode, the order fills at the current best available price. During high volatility, this can result in significant slippage. Consider keeping Default Order Mode set to Limit when using Quick Keys in volatile conditions.
• Leverage exposure — the leverage setting is applied silently. A key press with 125x leverage and a large quantity creates substantial position size. Review the leverage setting in Quick Trade Settings before using Quick Keys for high-leverage trades.
• TP/SL auto-attachment — if Take Profit or Stop Loss are enabled in settings, they are automatically attached to every order placed via Quick Keys. Ensure TP/SL percentages are correctly configured to avoid unwanted automatic exits.

• Rapid scalping — a scalper watching the order book can press B to buy the moment liquidity appears at their level, then press S to sell seconds later for a small profit. The keyboard is faster than clicking the B/S buttons in the bar, especially for round-trip trades.
• Hands-on-chart trading — a trader who keeps one hand on the mouse for chart analysis and one on the keyboard can use Quick Keys without moving the mouse to the Quick Trade bar. This is particularly useful with Click to Order for visual price selection and B/S for instant execution.
• Accessibility — traders with motor impairments or RSI concerns may find keyboard-only order placement easier than precise mouse clicks on small bar buttons. The B and S keys are large, easy to locate by touch, and require minimal travel distance.
• Multi-monitor setups — on large multi-monitor configurations, reaching the Quick Trade bar with the mouse can be a significant arm movement. Quick Keys let traders keep both hands on the keyboard and execute trades without reaching across screens.

• Keys not responding — verify that Quick Keys is enabled in Quick Trade Settings. Click the chart area to ensure it has keyboard focus. Check that no input field is active (e.g., search bar). Ensure the global "Keyboard Shortcuts Enabled" setting is on. Try pressing B or S after clicking directly on the chart canvas.
• Wrong side placed — if you press B and a sell order goes through, check that the B/S toggle in Click to Order or the panel is not set to Sell. Quick Keys use the current default mode, not the Click to Order side toggle. The B key always places a buy and S always places a sell, regardless of the toggle state.
• Confirmation dialog appearing — this means Trade Without Confirmation is disabled. The dialog shows the order preview. You can either confirm (Enter) or cancel (Escape). To skip this step in future, enable Trade Without Confirmation in Quick Trade Settings > Execution.
• Order rejected — the rejection toast shows the reason (e.g., "Insufficient balance", "Invalid price", "Market closed"). Common causes: quantity exceeds available balance, limit price is outside the allowed range, or the exchange is in maintenance mode.
• Nothing happens on key press — open the browser console and check for JavaScript errors. Verify that the chart container is mounted and the Quick Keys `useEffect` has attached the listener. Check that no other Chrome extension is intercepting B or S key presses.
• Chrome extension conflicts — some browser extensions use B and S as shortcuts (e.g., Vimium, privacy extensions). Check your extension key bindings or disable extensions when trading. The system cannot intercept key presses that the browser or extensions consume first.

• 1.Trade Without Confirmation — Required for instant execution — otherwise a confirmation dialog appears on each key press
• 2.Default Order Mode — Determines market vs limit order on key press
• 3.Price Input — Controls whether the limit price field is available for limit orders placed via Quick Keys
• 4.Quantity (Default) — Sets the order size used when B or S is pressed
• 5.Keyboard Shortcuts (Global) — Master toggle for all keyboard shortcuts — must be enabled for Quick Keys to work
• 6.Chart Click to Order — Alternative chart-based order placement that works alongside Quick Keys