user: Show practical ways to work with Preferences in a Blender add-on or script – include code.

assistant: These preferences only apply to the *Blender* keymap.

Select with Mouse Button
:   Controls which mouse button is used to select items.

    Left:
    :   `LMB` selects items while `RMB` opens the context menu.

    Right:
    :   `RMB` selects items while `LMB` places the [3D Cursor](../3dview/3d_cursor.html).

Spacebar Action
:   Controls the action of `Spacebar`.

    Play:
    :   Starts/stops [animation playback](../../animation/index.html).
        This option is good for animation or video editing work.

    Tools:
    :   Opens the Toolbar underneath the cursor to quickly change the active tool.
        This option is good if you are doing a lot of modeling or rigging work.

        You can select tools in multiple ways:

        - Press `Spacebar`, then click a tool with the mouse.
        - Hold `Spacebar`, move the mouse to a tool, and release `Spacebar`.
        - Press `Spacebar`, then press the key that’s shown in the popover (e.g. `T` for
          the Transform tool).
        - Press `Spacebar` and the tool’s key together, e.g. `Spacebar`-`T` to select the
          Transform tool in one go.

    Search:
    :   Opens up the [Menu Search](../../interface/operators.html#bpy-ops-wm-search-menu).
        This option is good for someone who is new to Blender and is unfamiliar with the menus and shortcuts.
        Even if you don’t select this option, however, you can still access the search with `F3`.

    If you select something other than *Play*, you can instead use `Shift`-`Spacebar`
    to start/stop playback.

Activate Gizmo Event
:   The activation event for [gizmos](../3dview/display/gizmo.html) that support drag motion.
    This option is only available when *Select with Mouse Button* is set to *Left*.

    Press:
    :   The gizmo’s operation gets initiated (and additional options become available in the Status Bar)
        the moment you press down the mouse button on the gizmo.

    Drag:
    :   The operation only gets initiated once you start dragging the gizmo.

Tool Keys
:   Determines the behavior of tool activation keyboard shortcuts.

    Immediate:
    :   The tool is immediately in use. For example, if you press `Ctrl`-`B` while editing a mesh,
        this will immediately initiate a Bevel: you can move the mouse to change the size and then
        click `LMB` to confirm.

    Active Tool:
    :   The tool is only selected (same behavior as if you were to click on it in the Toolbar).
        For example, if you press `Ctrl`-`B` while editing a mesh, the Bevel tool will be selected
        and the gizmo will become visible in the viewport; to actually perform a bevel, you then
        need to drag this gizmo.

Alt Click Tool Prompt
:   Tapping `Alt` shows a prompt in the status bar prompting a second keystroke to activate the tool.
    Note that this option is not available when using
    [Emulate 3 Button Mouse](input.html#bpy-types-preferencesinput-use-mouse-emulate-3-button).

Alt Tool Access
:   Hold `Alt` to use the [Active Tool](../../interface/tool_system.html) when the gizmo would normally be required.
    (For example, with the Move tool selected, you can hold `Alt` and drag the mouse anywhere in the viewport
    to move the selected object, rather than having to drag its gizmo.)
    This option is only available when *Select with Mouse Button* is set to *Left*
    and [Emulate 3 Button Mouse](input.html#bpy-types-preferencesinput-use-mouse-emulate-3-button) is disabled.

Select All Toggles
:   Causes the *Select All* shortcut `A` to deselect all when any selection exists.

Region Toggle Pie
:   `N` opens a [pie menu](../../interface/controls/buttons/menus.html#bpy-types-uipiemenu) to toggle [Regions](../../interface/window_system/regions.html)
    rather than always toggling the Sidebar region.

### 3D Viewport

Grave Accent / Tilde Action
:   Navigate:
    :   [Viewpoint](../3dview/navigate/viewpoint.html#bpy-ops-view3d-view-axis) pie menu, useful on systems without a numeric keypad.

    Gizmos:
    :   Transform gizmos pie menu, useful for quickly switching between transform gizmos.
        Note that this doesn’t apply to tools that force a certain gizmo (Move, Rotate, Scale
        and Transform); if you have such a tool selected, the gizmo will stay the same
        no matter what you choose in the pie menu.

Middle Mouse Action
:   The action when `MMB` dragging in the viewport. This also applies to trackpads.

    Orbit:
    :   [Orbits](../3dview/navigate/navigation.html#bpy-ops-view3d-view-orbit) the view around a central point.
        `Shift`-`MMB` is used for panning.

    Pan:
    :   [Pans](../3dview/navigate/navigation.html#bpy-ops-view3d-view-pan) the view. `Shift`-`MMB` is used for orbiting.

Alt Middle Mouse Drag Action
:   How to determine the new [viewpoint](../3dview/navigate/viewpoint.html#bpy-ops-view3d-view-axis) when dragging `Alt`-`MMB` in the viewport.

    Relative:
    :   The new viewpoint depends on both the mouse movement direction and the current viewpoint. For example, dragging
        the mouse horizontally rotates the viewpoint 90° around the view’s current vertical axis.

    Absolute:
    :   The new viewpoint only depends on the mouse movement direction. For example, dragging the mouse to the right
        always puts the viewpoint on the positive side of the global X axis.

Tab for Pie Menu
:   By default, `Tab` toggles Edit Mode and `Ctrl`-`Tab` opens a pie menu for selecting from all
    [modes](../3dview/modes.html). This option flips these two shortcuts around.

Pie Menu on Drag
:   When enabled, certain keys get different behavior when tapped and show a pie menu when holding them and dragging
    the mouse.

    `Tab`
    :   Tap:
        :   Toggle Edit Mode.

        Drag:
        :   Show [Object Mode](../3dview/modes.html) pie menu.

    `Z`
    :   Tap:
        :   Toggle wireframe view.

        Drag:
        :   Show [Viewport Shading](../3dview/display/shading.html) pie menu.

    `AccentGrave`
    :   Tap:
        :   Start first person [Fly/Walk Navigation](../3dview/navigate/walk_fly.html#dview-fly-walk).

        Drag:
        :   Show viewpoint pie menu.

Extra Shading Pie Menu Items
:   Show additional items in the shading menu (`Z` key).

Transform Navigation with Alt
:   Requires additionally holding `Alt` to navigate the view while transforming something.
    In return, you don’t need to hold `Alt` to perform certain other operations.

    As an example: if this option is disabled, dragging `MMB` always orbits the view, and when you’re
    moving an object, you can drag with `Alt`-`MMB` to lock the movement to an axis. If this option is enabled,
    these shortcuts get inverted while moving: `MMB` does the axis lock, and you need to use `Alt`-`MMB`
    to orbit, `Shift`-`Alt`-`MMB` to pan, and `Alt`-`Wheel` to zoom.

    This also applies to [Proportional Editing](../3dview/controls/proportional_editing.html)
    (where `Wheel` controls the size of the influence area) and [Auto IK](../../animation/armatures/posing/tool_settings.html#bpy-types-pose-use-auto-ik)
    (where `Wheel` controls the length of the temporary IK chain). If the option is disabled,
    `Wheel` will zoom the view instead, and you need to use `Alt`-`Wheel` to change these properties.

### File Browser

Open Folders on Single Click
:   Navigate into folders by clicking on them once instead of twice.