The slash menu
Inserting any block, searching the catalog, the recents list.
The slash menu is the single entry point for inserting any block in Dalea. Type
/ at the start of a line, or after a space, and the menu opens under the caret
with the header Insert block. Type a few letters to filter, or scroll the
list by category.
How to open it
| Where | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Start of any block | Just type /. Paragraphs, headings, list items and blockquotes all work. |
| Mid-sentence | Type a space, then /. The slash only triggers at the start of a block or straight after whitespace, so word/ never opens the menu. |
| While the menu is open | The filter accepts letters, digits and hyphens. A space closes the menu, so search with a single word. |
| Inside a spreadsheet, registration table or well plate | Those blocks run their own cell editor, so / is typed into the cell. Insert new blocks above or below the block instead. |
Categories
The menu groups blocks into five fixed categories, always in this order:
- Text
- Heading 1, Heading 2, Bullet List, Numbered List, Blockquote, Divider, Section, Simple Table.
- Data
- Registration Table, Data Form, Lookup Table, Inventory Lookup.
- Compute
- Spreadsheet, Chart, AI Prompt, Addon, Python, Code Block.
- Lab
- Timeline, Inventory Operation, and one entry per plate format: 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192, 384 and 1536-well plates.
- Media
- File / Image, for uploading an image, PDF or document.
Category headings are only drawn when more than one category matches. Filter down to a single category and the list renders flat.
Blocks you have saved as templates appear in a Your Templates section below the five categories.
Keyboard navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
↑ ↓ | Move between blocks. The selection wraps around the whole list, templates included. |
Enter | Insert the focused block |
Esc | Close the menu without inserting |
| Any letter | Filter the list |
Arrow-left and arrow-right are not intercepted; the menu is one flat list, not a drill-down.
Filtering by keyword
The filter is a case-insensitive substring match against each block's name and its one-line description. Some useful queries:
/plate→ all eight well-plate sizes./code→ Python (executable) and Code Block (display only)./table→ Simple Table, Registration Table, Data Form and Lookup Table./inventory→ Inventory Lookup and Inventory Operation./image→ File / Image.
Nothing matching shows No results. There are no aliases or synonyms: if a word does not appear in a block's name or description, it will not match.
Inserting from a template
Blocks you save as a block template (template type block, scoped to the current
workspace) appear in a Your Templates section at the bottom of the menu.
Inserting one drops a single block at the cursor with the template's saved
attributes and a fresh block id.
Template locking is configured per document rather than carried by a block template. See Templates and locking.
Tips
Choosing Spreadsheet does not insert immediately. A size picker opens first,
where you drag across the grid or type the row and column counts (up to 1000 rows
and 26 columns). Esc cancels without inserting anything.
In a document whose template lock has structure locking on, the slash menu still opens but the insertion is rejected: adding, removing and reordering blocks is blocked. Text edits are governed separately, block by block.