The command bar

The command bar is how you spawn panels in the pro terminal. Type a verb, hit Enter. Every analytics panel BackQuant publishes is reachable this way, no nested menus, no clicking through five tabs to find what you want.

Opening it

Press ` (backtick) anywhere on the page. The bar focuses, ready for input. The default focus key is configurable in Settings, if backtick conflicts with your keyboard layout, rebind it to / or k.

Click the bar at the top of the page if you prefer the mouse. Same input either way.

The grammar

A command is a single verb followed by zero or more arguments. The bar is case-insensitive on input, the registry matchesprice btc the same as PRICE BTC.

VERB <required-positional> [optional-positional] [key=value]

Worked examples:

PRICE                                  open price for default symbol
PRICE BTC                              open BTC price
PRICE BTC interval=5m                  override interval
PRICE BTC BINANCE interval=5m          legacy: pick a single venue
CHAIN ETH 28MAR25 oi_min=100           ETH chain, single expiry, OI ≥ 100
CHAIN ETH 28MAR25 type=put             ETH puts only on that expiry
GREEK BTC vanna                        vanna exposure by strike
TRACE BTC charm                        forward charm projection
HEATMAP CRYPTO                         universe-wide performance grid
SAVE morning                           save current layout as "morning"
LAYOUT morning                         load it back later

Reading a signature

Suggestions in the dropdown carry their argument signature:

  • <sym>, required positional. Don't type the brackets.
  • [exchange], optional positional.
  • interval=30m, named argument with default. Override with interval=5m.
  • a|b|c, one of these literal values.

Discovery and history

  • / , recall command history. Same as a unix shell. Persists across reloads.
  • Tab, autocomplete the highlighted suggestion in the dropdown. Quick way to commit to a partial match.
  • Enter, run the command exactly as typed.
  • Esc, close the bar without running anything.

The dropdown matches against verbs, aliases, and per-command keywords. If GAM doesn't surface what you want, try a noun: volatility, gamma, flow, dealer. The matcher reads plain English.

Pinned commands

The six chips on the command rail next to the bar are your pinned commands. Defaults are STUDY, GEX, CHAIN, STRATEGY, PRICE, CHAT, change them from Settings → Pinned commands. One click runs the command (with default symbol auto-filled).

Next: your first session, a concrete walkthrough from a fresh load to a working multi-panel desk.

Two essentials worth memorising
  • HELPCategorised help panel, every command grouped by category.
  • FLDSSearchable function index overlay (also F1).