ProtoPie Keyboard Shortcuts
ProtoPie occupies similar territory to Axure RP in offering genuine logic-driven prototyping, but it leans further into device-native interactions — sensor input like device tilt, shake, and even real Bluetooth hardware triggers — which no mainstream design tool's prototyping mode natively supports. Its Interaction panel is the functional equivalent of Axure's Interactions panel, letting you define triggers and responses, but ProtoPie's trigger vocabulary extends meaningfully further into physical device inputs, reflecting its stronger positioning toward mobile and IoT/hardware-adjacent prototyping rather than primarily web and desktop flows. Variables in ProtoPie function similarly to a lightweight programming variable, letting a prototype track and respond to state changes across many screens (like a running cart total or a login state) with a more visual, prototyping-tool-native interface than writing actual code would require, while still enabling behavior meaningfully beyond simple click-to-navigate prototyping. Presentation mode, used to actually run and demo a finished prototype to stakeholders or test users, has its own simplified control set distinct from the editing shortcuts, since a live demo needs quick restart and scene-jump controls rather than object-manipulation tools. ProtoPie Connect, a companion feature that links the prototype to a physical Arduino or other connected hardware device in real time, extends the sensor-trigger concept even further than built-in device tilt/shake, letting design teams prototype genuinely physical product interactions (like a smart device's button press) well before real hardware and firmware exist.
Object Placement
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selection tool | V | V | Switches to the default selection tool, matching the same V-key convention broadly shared across design and prototyping tools. |
| Duplicate selected object | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D | Duplicates the selected object, standard convention shared across most design and prototyping software. |
| Group selected objects | Ctrl+G | Cmd+G | Combines the selected objects into a single group for moving, resizing, or attaching a shared trigger. ProtoPie interactions attached to a Trigger inside a group still target individual layers within it by default rather than the group as a whole, so grouping objects purely for organizational tidiness in the layers panel does not accidentally merge or override interactions already configured on the individual pieces inside. |
Interactions Triggers
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Interaction panel | Interaction tab (no dedicated key) | — | Opens the panel for defining triggers and responses on a selected object, the central place where ProtoPie's logic-driven behavior gets built, similar in role to Axure's Interactions panel. |
| Add device sensor trigger (tilt, shake) | Interaction panel > Trigger > Sensor | — | Adds a trigger based on device sensor input — tilt, shake, or other motion — letting a prototype respond to genuinely physical device interactions, a capability that goes beyond what most mainstream design tools' prototyping modes support natively. |
| Preview the current prototype | Ctrl+P | Cmd+P | Launches an interactive preview of the prototype as it currently stands, letting you test triggers and transitions live without needing to export or share a build first. |
| Restart preview from beginning | Ctrl+R (during preview) | Cmd+R | Resets an active preview session back to its starting scene and variable states, useful when demoing a prototype repeatedly to different stakeholders without manually navigating back each time. |
Variables Logic
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create a new variable | Variables panel > Add Variable | — | Creates a new variable that can track and respond to state across the prototype (like a counter or toggle state), enabling behavior considerably more dynamic than simple screen-to-screen click navigation. |
| Add conditional logic to interaction | Interaction panel > Add Condition | — | Adds an if/then condition to an interaction based on a variable's value, letting a prototype branch its behavior depending on the current state, similar in spirit to Axure's case-based conditional logic. |
| Edit a variable's default value | Variables panel > click value | — | Changes the starting value a variable holds when the prototype first launches, letting you test different initial states (like starting already logged in) without rebuilding the trigger logic itself. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes ProtoPie's sensor-based triggers unusual compared to other prototyping tools?
Most design and prototyping tools focus on click, tap, and hover triggers happening on-screen. ProtoPie extends its trigger vocabulary to genuine device sensor input — tilt, shake, even connected Bluetooth hardware — which is particularly relevant for prototyping mobile apps or hardware-adjacent products where physical device interaction is part of the intended user experience, a capability not natively available in Figma, Sketch, or most competitors.
Is ProtoPie a replacement for Figma, or used alongside it?
Typically alongside — many teams design the visual interface in Figma or Sketch, then import those assets into ProtoPie specifically to build a higher-fidelity, more logic-driven interactive prototype, since ProtoPie isn't primarily a visual design tool itself but focuses specifically on the interaction and prototyping layer.
Do ProtoPie variables function like real programming variables?
Conceptually yes — they store and update values that persist and can be referenced across different screens and interactions within the prototype, enabling logic like tracking a running total or a login/logged-out state, but they're configured through ProtoPie's visual interface rather than written as actual code, making the underlying concept more accessible without a programming background.
What is ProtoPie Connect, and how does it relate to the sensor triggers already discussed?
ProtoPie Connect extends the same sensor/trigger concept to genuine external hardware, linking the prototype to devices like Arduino boards so a physical button press or sensor reading on real hardware can drive the prototype's on-screen behavior in real time, useful for prototyping connected/IoT products before final firmware and hardware exist.
Can stakeholders interact with a ProtoPie prototype without having ProtoPie installed themselves?
Yes — prototypes can be shared as a link or exported build that runs in a browser or via the ProtoPie Player app, so reviewers and testers don't need the full editing application installed to interact with the finished prototype the way the original creator does.
Does restarting the preview reset variables to their original values?
Yes — restarting a preview session resets all variables back to whatever default values were configured in the Variables panel, giving a clean, repeatable starting state each time rather than carrying over state changes accumulated during the previous preview run.
Does ProtoPie support importing designs directly from Figma?
Yes, ProtoPie offers a Figma import/plugin path that brings design frames and assets directly into a ProtoPie project, preserving layout and layer structure so interaction and logic building can begin without manually recreating the visual design from scratch.
Can a finished ProtoPie prototype be handed off to developers as implementation reference?
Yes, while ProtoPie isn't a code-generation tool, its interaction and logic definitions provide a precise, testable reference for how a feature should behave, which many teams use alongside the visual design files to clarify intended behavior for developers building the real product.