The toolbar

Controls & modes

The floating bar is how you switch between editing and using the app, batch changes, and undo mistakes. Everything below is local to your browser — nothing is sent to a remote service.

Master on / off

The switch next to the brand turns the whole tool on or off. When off:

  • No outlines, chips, panels, or edit handlers
  • The toolbar collapses to brand + switch
  • The page behaves like a normal next dev session

Preference is stored in localStorage as nextcanvas:enabled (defaults on).

Buttons — edit mode vs live mode

The Buttons toggle is separate from the master switch. It only gates whether the page is interactive while nextcanvas stays active.

ButtonsWhat happens
Off (default)Edit mode. Clicks and pointer-downs don't navigate or fire app / Motion handlers — including Next Links like a CTA to another page. Single-click selects for styles; double-click edits text. A small blocker installs as soon as the overlay component mounts, so a fast click can't race the overlay script download.
OnLive mode. Links, buttons, and onClick handlers work normally. Single-click does not select. Hover outlines, the attribute chip, and double-click editing still work.
Why this exists. Without it, a stamped <a href="#section"> would scroll the page out from under you while you try to select or edit. Flip Buttons on when you need to click through the real UI.

Autosave vs Manual

  • Autosave — text and attribute commits write to source immediately.
  • Manual — those commits stage locally. The Save button shows a badge for dirty staged edits; click Save to flush them all. Switching back to Autosave also flushes.

Style panel changes always write immediately today, even in Manual mode.

Undo / redo

Use the toolbar buttons or:

  • ⌘Z / Ctrl+Z — undo
  • ⌘⇧Z / Ctrl+⇧Z — redo

Undo re-applies the reverse write (including bound-text value matching against the current source).

Hide & dismiss

  • collapses the bar to a small FAB. Click the FAB to bring it back.
  • dismisses the toolbar for this page load and turns Buttons on so the page is fully interactive again. Reload to restore the toolbar.

Committing text edits

  • Enter — commit
  • Escape — cancel and revert
  • Click outside the field — commit