Welcome to another blog post that promises to elevate your workday from "meh" to "woah-did-I-just-become-a-productivity-supernova?" Today, we’re talking about keyboard shortcuts—specifically for the vastly popular Siebel application provided by Oracle. So, sit back, relax, and scroll down, because we’re about to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del on your old, mouse-loving ways. (See what I did there? 😉)
What are Oracle keyboard shortcuts?
Keyboard shortcuts, in the simplest terms, are combinations of keys that you press at the same time to perform a certain command, without having to click around the menu like a chicken pecking at the feed.
The Siebel application, like many other apps including Salesforce and Pipedrive, incorporates these shortcuts, but here’s the tricky bit—they might behave differently depending on your browser or the focus of the editable controls. It's all about the context, much like knowing if a text with "OK" means you're actually okay or you're planning a trip to Oklahoma after dinner.
On to the more important stuff though, grab your notepads folks, or better yet, bookmark this page for easy access to these keyboard shortcuts. Oh, and if you’re into saving time? You’ll definitely want to check out Magical—this free Chrome extension only has one shortcut: “//.” You can type it anywhere to call up any of your message templates or automate data entry. It works across all major web apps and platforms, including Oracle.
Data management shortcuts
Managing your data is one of the most time-consuming parts of working in Oracle. These keyboard shortcuts can help you keep things organized…
Action: New Record
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+N
Extended Mode: CTRL+N
Context: List, Form
Action: New Record using Quick Fill template
Basic Mode: CTRL+K
Context: Form
Action: New Record using last used Quick Fill template
Basic Mode: CTRL+J
Context: Form
Action: Apply Quick Fill template to record
Basic Mode: CTRL+Q
Context: Form
Action: Copy Record
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+C
Extended Mode: CTRL+B
Context: Record
Action: Save Record
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+S
Extended Mode: CTRL+S
Context: List, Form
Action: Delete Record
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+D
Extended Mode: CTRL+D
Context: Record
Action: Undo Record
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+U or ESC
Extended Mode: CTRL+U or ESC
Context: Record
Action: Select All
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+A
Extended Mode: CTRL+A
Context: List
Action: Invoke Selection Dialog Box, Open the Calendar Control, Open the Calculator Control or Open a Dropdown List
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+P
Extended Mode: F2 or DOWN ARROW
Context: Field
Action: Save and Close the Calendar Control, Save and Close the Calculator Control
Basic Mode: CTRL+1
Context: Control
Action: Close the Calendar Control without saving, Close the Calculator Control without saving
Basic Mode: CTRL+2 or ESC
Context: Control
Record Navigation Shortcuts
Move around records faster than a peregrine falcon in flight—now that is a bird known for its speed for my non-bird-watching readers—using various combination keys.
Action: Drill down into record
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+SPACE (Cursor focus must be on the hyperlinked field.)
Context: List
Action: Go to previous record
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+, (comma)
Extended Mode: CTRL+UP ARROW
Context: List, Form
Action: Go to next record
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+. (period)
Extended Mode: CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Context: List, Form
Action: Go to previous record set
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+, (comma)
Extended Mode: ALT+UP ARROW
Context: List
Action: Go to next record set
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+. (period)
Extended Mode: ALT+DOWN ARROW
Context: List
Action: Go to first record set
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+F
Extended Mode: ALT+F
Context: List, Form
Action: Go to last record set
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+L
Extended Mode: ALT+L
Context: List, Form
Query Management Shortcuts
Get your query on with shortcuts like CTRL+ALT+Q for a new query, CTRL+ALT+ENTER to execute.
Action: New Query
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+Q
Extended Mode: ALT+Q
Context: List, Form
Action: Execute Query
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+ENTER
Extended Mode: ALT+ENTER
Context: List, Form
Action: Refine Query
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+G
Extended Mode: ALT+G
Context: List, Form
Action: Save Query with Different Name
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+S
Extended Mode: ALT+S
Context: List, Form
Action: Launch Query Assistant
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+Z
Context: List, Form
Action: Cancel Query
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+9
Context: List, Form
General Navigation Shortcuts
Exactly what it says on the tin. Navigate to different parts of Siebel with ease without clicking around aimlessly like we're back in the 90s. My favorite? ALT+LEFT ARROW to go back. Because, sometimes in life, you gotta step back to go forward, right?
Action: Go to Site Map
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+A
Context: Application
Action: Go to Application-level Menu
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+M
Context: Application
Action: Go Back
Basic Mode: ALT+LEFT ARROW
Context: Application
Action: Go Forward
Basic Mode: ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Context: Application
Action: Go to Screen Tabs
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+T
Context: Application
Action: Go to View Tabs
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+T
Context: Application
Action: Go to Subtabs
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+V
Context: Application
Action: Open Menu Button Pop-up on List or Form
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+M
Context: List, Form
Action: Go to Next List or Form
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+]
Context: Application
Action: Go to Previous List or Form
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+[
Context: Application
Action: Open Search Center
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+F
Context: Application
Action: Open iHelp
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+E
Context: Application
Action: Go to the iHelp Pane
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+0
Context: Application
Action: Go to Previous iHelp Topic
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+5
Context: Application
Action: Go to Next iHelp Topic
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+6
Context: Application
Action: Open Tasks
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+Y
Context: Application
Action: Open How Do I…
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+E
Context: Application
Action: Go to Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Toolbar
Basic Mode: SHIFT+F2
Context: Application
Action: Go to Message Broadcast Bar
Basic Mode: SHIFT+F3
Context: Application
Action: Go to Previous Page
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+, (comma)
Context: Application
Action: Go to Next Page
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+. (period)
Context: Application
Action: Go to Tree Applet
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+4
Context: Application
Action: Go to Previous Tree Applet Node
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+1
Context: Application
Action: Go to Next Tree Applet Node
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+2
Context: Application
Action: Close Menu Button Pop-up on List or Form
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+O
Context: List, Form
Action: Go to the Show Drop-down List
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+V
Context: Application
Action: Go to the Reports Drop-down List
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+R
Context: Application
Communication Management Shortcuts
Let's keep the buzz alive with easy combinations for sending faxes (CTRL+ALT+2 or CTRL+F9), emails (CTRL+ALT+1 or F9), letters (CTRL+SHIFT+L or CTRL+L) and even a wireless message (CTRL+ALT+4 or ALT+F9). Yes, fax machines still exist!
Action: Send Letter
Basic Mode: CTRL+SHIFT+L
Extended Mode: CTRL+L
Context: Record
Action: Send Email
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+1
Extended Mode: F9
Context: Record
Action: Send Fax
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+2
Extended Mode: CTRL+F9
Context: Record
Action: Send Page
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+3
Extended Mode: SHIFT+F9
Context: Record
Action: Send Wireless Message
Basic Mode: CTRL+ALT+4
Extended Mode: ALT+F9
Context: Record
Important note on Oracle shortcuts
And here's an important note (or should I say CTRL+SHIFT+K?): these are standard Siebel shortcuts, if your genius IT administrator has tweaked them to suit your organization better, they might be different.
Save even more time with Magical shortcuts
So, there you have it, folks! A consolidated list of keyboard shortcuts to help you make the most of your Siebel game. The key (pun intended) is to practice until these combos are second nature to you. And if you find yourself often grinding away in Oracle on admin tasks—do yourself a favor and download Magical. This handy Chrome extension can automate repetitive tasks like data entry and messaging, and saves the average person seven hours a week. (Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Oracle!)
CTRL+ALT+END BLOG POST
