ForefrontSlash Commands
Type / in the handout editor to add blocks, math, and symbols, or to move, change, and delete what's already there.
Slash commands let you build a handout without leaving the keyboard. Type / in the handout editor and a menu opens listing everything you can do at that spot. Keep typing to narrow the list, then press Enter to run the highlighted command.
The menu only lists commands that work where your cursor is. A command missing from it can’t be used there. For example, you can’t put a table inside another table.
Using the menu
- Open it: type / anywhere in a line of text. To act on a block that isn’t text, such as an image, divider, or table, select the block and press /.
- Narrow it: type after the slash. The menu matches any part of a command’s name, so /list finds both kinds of list. Some commands also answer to extra search words: /times finds the × sign.
- Filter by group: the row of chips at the top of the menu (All, Insert, Build, Block, and others, depending on where you are) shows one group at a time. Press Tab to step forward through them and Shift+Tab to step back, or click a chip. Turn Into commands only appear under All.
- Pick a command: use ↑ and ↓ to move, and Enter to run it. You can also click a command.
- Close it: press Esc or click elsewhere. In text, typing a space or something that matches no command also closes it. Closing the menu leaves what you typed in the line.
The / and anything you typed after it are removed when a command runs. If your cursor was on an empty line, most commands replace that line rather than adding a new one below it.
Insert
Adds a new block to the handout. Some show a shortcut on the right. Type it at the very start of a paragraph, followed by a space, to turn that paragraph into the block without opening the menu. Any text after the shortcut is kept.
| Command | What it adds | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Text Block | Plain paragraph text | |
| Heading 1 | Large section title | # |
| Heading 2 | Medium section title | ## |
| Heading 3 | Small section title | ### |
| Ordered List | Numbered list | 1. |
| Unordered List | Bulleted list | * |
| Divider | A horizontal line to separate sections | --- (no space needed; the line goes above your cursor) |
| Table | A 2 × 2 table you can add rows and columns to | |
| Two Columns | Two side-by-side columns | |
| Image | An image you upload | |
| File | A file readers can download. Printed copies can show it as a QR code. | |
| Video | A YouTube, Vimeo, or other video link, or a video file you upload. Printed copies can show a placeholder with a QR code to the video. | |
| Link (QR Code) | A QR code and link for a web address you enter | |
| Guardian Invite Link | A QR code each student’s guardian can scan to create a Forefront account linked to that student | |
| Number line | A number line, with a settings panel for its range, tick marks, points, and jumps | |
| Stack | Layer blocks on top of each other at fixed positions | |
| Page Break (manual) | Force following content onto a new page |
Not every block is offered everywhere:
- Inside a table cell, you can’t add a table, two columns, a stack, a number line, or a page break.
- Inside a column, you can’t add two columns, a stack, or a page break.
- Inside a stack, you can’t add two columns, a stack, a number line, a page break, a file, or a video.
- In a header or footer, there’s no page break.
- In assessment instructions and questions, the menu offers text, headings, lists, dividers, tables, two columns, images, files, and QR codes.
Math and symbols
When your cursor is in text, a heading, or a list, Insert also offers math:
| Command | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Equation | A free-form equation you type into |
| Fraction | Numerator over a denominator |
| Mixed number | A whole number beside a fraction |
| Exponent | A base raised to a power |
| Square root | A square root sign with a box under it |
| Long division | A division bracket with boxes for the divisor, dividend, and answer |
The structures put your cursor in their first empty box, ready to type.
It also offers math symbols, such as /obelus for ÷, /leq for ≤, and /pi for π. For the full list and what to type for each, see Slash Command Symbols.
Build
Build commands are shortcuts for setting up a block that would take many steps by hand. Each opens a window where you make a few choices, then adds an ordinary block built from them. After that, it’s just that block: edit it like any other.
| Command | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Standards table | A proficiency table of standards by due date or by year |
Block
Changes the block your cursor is in. These are the same actions as the block’s right-click menu.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Move Up | Move this block up |
| Move Down | Move this block down |
| Duplicate | Create a copy below |
| Adjust margins | Set this block’s left and right margins, in inches (not for list items or anything in a stack) |
| Set width | Type an exact image width in pixels; the height adjusts to match (images only) |
| Restart numbering | Start this numbered list at a specific number (first item of a numbered list) |
| Continue previous numbering | Pick up the numbering from a numbered list above (first item of a numbered list, when there’s one above to continue) |
| Unwrap stack | Turn a stack’s layers back into ordinary blocks (asks first) |
| Delete | Remove this block |
Move Up and Move Down only appear when the block can move that way.
Turn Into
Changes a block into another kind without retyping it. Text, headings (1–3), and lists (numbered or bulleted) can be turned into one another. Other blocks can’t be turned into anything.
In a table
When your cursor is in a table cell, three more groups appear:
- Row: Insert row above, Insert row below, Move row up, Move row down, Duplicate row, Modify row inclusion, Clear contents, Delete row.
- Column: Insert column left, Insert column right, Move column left, Move column right, Duplicate column, Modify column inclusion, Clear contents, Delete column.
- Table: Resize columns, Evenly distribute columns, Delete (removes the whole table).
In a stack
A new stack starts empty. To fill it, select the stack and press /. The Insert group then lists the layers you can add: a text block, heading, list, divider, image, table, QR code, or guardian invite link.
With your cursor inside a layer, Create Layer adds a new layer, and Insert adds a block to the layer you’re in.
In an empty column
Click an empty column to choose a block for it. You can also move onto it with the arrow keys and press /. The menu then only offers Insert, and the new block goes inside that column.