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If I wish to look through a long documentation page (e.g., that for Integrate or Plot), I find it helpful to first expand all the cells. I can then search for what I seek with either a visual scan or a word search. However, expanding all the cells manually is tedious—I have to individually click on each of the separate down-arrows, sub-down-arrows, and sub-sub-down-arrows (the page for Plot has a total of 50 of these!).

Is there a way to do this complete (i.e., recursive) expansion with a single command? On a Mac, in a notebook, you can highlight all the cells with Cmd+A and then toggle back and forth between open and closed with Cmd+'. But this doesn't work in the help docs.

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    $\begingroup$ I should probably note that I had modified the stylesheet for doc pages using this answer; I don't actually know if the "Details and Options" in the default stylesheet will expand in the manner I described. $\endgroup$
    – J. M.'s eventual burnout ♦
    Mar 29, 2018 at 3:56
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    $\begingroup$ Yes, it all gets expanded on Linux. And, having tried now, it works on Windows too. $\endgroup$
    – J. M.'s eventual burnout ♦
    Mar 29, 2018 at 4:24
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    $\begingroup$ Cmd+A followed by Cmd+Shift+[ works on OSX for me. $\endgroup$
    – Carl Woll
    Mar 29, 2018 at 4:33
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks for all your help! I figured out the problem. I've long used cmd + ' to toggle back and forth between expanded and collapsed cells in notebooks (less typing than cmd + shift + [ and cmd + shift + ], plus I don't need to remember that you use a L bracket to open and a R bracket to close). The problem is that cmd + ' doesn't work in the help docs; you have to use cmd + shift + [ . Sorry to take up your time! Should I put the correction in the original question, add it as an answer, or delete the question? [I'll do the first in the meantime.] $\endgroup$
    – theorist
    Mar 29, 2018 at 5:01
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    $\begingroup$ @theorist just self-answer. Better than having it in the question. $\endgroup$
    – b3m2a1
    Mar 29, 2018 at 5:02

2 Answers 2

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While (on a Mac) Cmd+' works to toggle cell groups open and closed in notebooks, it doesn't work in the help documentation. There you have to instead use Cmd+Shift+[ (or, in Windows or Linux, Ctrl+Shift+[ ).

So to get it to work on all of the groups use Cmd/Ctrl+A then Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+[

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  • $\begingroup$ This should be the accepted answer. It's superior to mine and more direct. If you mark it as such it'll percolate up higher and people won't see mine first. $\endgroup$
    – b3m2a1
    Mar 29, 2018 at 5:49
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks; since it's a self-answer, the system won't allow me to accept it for two days. $\endgroup$
    – theorist
    Mar 29, 2018 at 5:56
  • $\begingroup$ @b3m2a1 Also, as it's a self-answer, it won't be sent to the top if accepted. $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    Mar 29, 2018 at 12:56
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Here's a way to do it programmatically in case that's ever useful:

FrontEndExecute@{FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectAll"],
  FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectionOpenAllGroups"]}

Or you can bind it to a button:

Button["Open Groups", 
 FrontEndExecute@{FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectAll"], 
   FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectionOpenAllGroups"]}
 ]

You could also bind it to the basic Cmd+' event:

{
 {"MenuCommand", 
   "OpenCloseGroup"} :> {FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectAll"], 
   FrontEndToken[InputNotebook[], "SelectionOpenAllGroups"]}
 }

Attach that to the NotebookEventActions at the stylesheet level for the "Wolfram/Reference.nb" stylesheet (making sure to make a copy in your $UserBaseDirectory to edit).

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