Command Bar
Unified keyboard-driven search for 8 biological databases, workspace files, and navigation from a single interface
The Universal Command Bar is a keyboard-driven search overlay in Omics-OS Cloud that provides unified access to 8 biological databases, workspace data, the AI assistant, and application navigation from a single interface. It follows the cmdk pattern (similar to Spotlight on macOS or the VS Code Command Palette). Press / or click Search to open it.
Quick Start
Open the Command Bar
Press / on the canvas or click Search in the footer toolbar.
Select a tag
Type a few letters (e.g., prot) and press Tab to select the Protein tag.
Search
Type your query (e.g., TP53). Results appear in real-time.
Select a result
Press Enter or click a result. A canvas node appears automatically with the corresponding data.
Opening the Command Bar
| Entry Point | How | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Search button | Click Search in the canvas footer toolbar | Primary entry point for mouse users |
/ hotkey | Press / when the canvas has focus | Does not fire when typing in chat or input fields |
| Pathway double-click | Double-click a gene, enzyme, or compound in a pathway diagram | Opens pre-filled with that entity's tag and query |
Tag-Based Search
The command bar uses a two-step search model: first select a tag to scope the search domain, then type your query within that domain. This prevents ambiguity (e.g., "TP53" could be a gene, protein, or literature search) and routes requests to the correct backend.
Biological Databases (8 tags)
| Tag | What It Searches | What It Creates | Example Queries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | UniProt (reviewed entries) | 3D structure (Mol*) or InfoCard | TP53, P04637, insulin receptor |
| Gene | NCBI Gene (human-first) | Gene InfoCard | BRCA1, EGFR, HER2/neu |
| Structure | RCSB PDB | 3D structure (Mol* viewer) | ribosome, 1CRN, kinase |
| Literature | PubMed | Citation InfoCard | CRISPR, "single cell sequencing" |
| Compound | ChEMBL | Compound InfoCard | aspirin, imatinib, CHEMBL25 |
| Dataset | NCBI GEO | Dataset InfoCard | single cell RNA, PBMC scRNA |
| Pathway | KEGG Pathways | Interactive pathway map | glycolysis, MAPK, mTOR |
| Sequence | NCBI Nucleotide | Circular/linear genome map | pUC19, E. coli K-12, SARS-CoV-2 |
Workspace Tags (3 tags)
| Tag | What It Searches | Action |
|---|---|---|
| File | Visualization-capable files (.pdb, .cif, .bam, .vcf, .gbk) | Opens as canvas viewer node |
| Plot | Plots from current session | Materializes or scrolls to plot |
| Session | All user sessions | Switches to selected session |
Action Tags (3 tags)
| Tag | What It Does | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Lobster | Natural language AI prompt | Opens chat with query pre-filled |
| Command | Slash commands (/help, /status, /tokens, etc.) | Executes the selected command |
| Navigate | App destinations (Files, Agents, Settings, etc.) | Opens the corresponding panel |
Keyboard Shortcuts
No tag selected:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Type text | Fuzzy-matches tag suggestions |
| Tab / Enter | Selects highlighted tag |
| Arrow Up/Down | Navigate tag suggestions |
| Escape | Closes command bar |
Tag selected:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Type text | Searches the selected database |
| Enter | Executes highlighted result |
| Arrow Up/Down | Navigate search results |
| Backspace (empty input) | Clears tag, returns to tag selection |
| Escape | First press: clears tag. Second press: closes bar |
Canvas Nodes
Each search result creates a specific node type on the canvas:
| Source | Node Type | Size | Interactive? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein (with PDB match) | MolstarNode | 1200x800 | Rotate, zoom, measure, change style |
| Protein (no PDB match) | InfoCard | 400x300 | Static with external UniProt link |
| Gene | InfoCard | 400x300 | Static with NCBI link |
| Structure | MolstarNode | 1200x800 | Full Mol* controls |
| Literature | InfoCard | 400x300 | PubMed link |
| Compound | InfoCard | 400x300 | ChEMBL link |
| Dataset | InfoCard | 400x300 | GEO link |
| Pathway | PathwayNode | 1200x800 | Click entities, zoom, layout controls |
| Sequence | CgviewNode | 800x800 | Zoom, rotate, feature highlight |
All nodes auto-position to avoid overlaps with existing canvas content.
Chat Mutual Exclusivity
The command bar and the chat modal cannot be open simultaneously. Opening one automatically closes the other. This prevents keyboard shortcut conflicts and visual overlap on the canvas.
Troubleshooting
/ key does not open the command bar --- The canvas must have focus. Click on the canvas background first, then press /. The hotkey is disabled inside chat input fields and text editors.
No results found --- Try alternative names or accession IDs. For example, use P04637 instead of TP53 for an exact UniProt match. Quoted phrases (e.g., "single cell sequencing") enable exact-match search in Literature.
Slow results --- Search input has a 300ms debounce to avoid excessive API calls. Results are cached for 60 seconds, so repeat searches return instantly.
What's Next?
Omics-OS Cloud
Managed multi-omics platform powered by Lobster AI - analyze biological data through natural conversation with 13 specialist agents
Biological Database Search
Search 8 major biological databases from the command bar — UniProt, NCBI Gene, PDB, PubMed, ChEMBL, GEO, KEGG, and NCBI Nucleotide