The Keyboard

The Keyboard
Like an old typewriter keyboard, the computer's keyboard includes alphabetic, numeric and punctuation keys.
There are, however, a number of additional keys which are discussed below.

Click on the corresponding number to get a description of its use.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

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#	Name	Description- For a better view of location, choose the linked name buttons
1	Escape	Most often used to cancel commands, (menu and dialog box)
2	Tab	Primarily used to insert distance between text. It is also used as a movement key within Tables and Dialog boxes.
3	Cap Locks	When this key is activated (tapped) the "Caps Lock" light goes on (10) and all the alphabet keys are typed in UPPER CASE. When active, if you hold the Shift key and tap a letter, the letter will be typed in lower case.
4	Shift	Modifier keys. 2 keys, one for each hand. Primarily used to Capitalize words.
		Can be used in conjunction with the other modifier keys (Ctrl and Alt) to activate short cut commands or menu bar options in programs.
		When used with arrow keys (11), the selecting feature is activated. Selecting text is necessary prior to making changes (i.e. Bold, Italic, etc.)
5	Control	Modifier keys. 2 keys, one for each hand. Primarily used to activate specific shortcut commands in programs. Shortcut commands are the most efficient method of operating a computer. Shortcut combinations in different programs vary slightly. There are a great many shortcuts that have become universal in most programs. Taking the time to memorize the most common shortcuts can save you a considerable amount of time.
6		Provides access to you start menu, an alternative to mousing.
7	Alt	Modifier keys. 2 keys, one for each hand. Primarily used to access commands listed in the menu bar.
8	Space bar	Used to insert space in between words. A computer knows when a word ends by its space. This key should not be used to insert distances between words. When a large amount of space is need, the Tab key should be used.
9	Pop-up menu key	Keyboard access to pop-up menus. Used when your mouse crashes.
10	Enter	In Windows: Command key, when an icon is selected, instead of double clicking with your mouse, hitting the enter key will open the program . In Word Processors: Forces a new line of text In Spreadsheets: Accepts the information in a cell
11	Arrow keys	Movement keys. Used to move the insertion point (cursor) inside documents. Left - Right - Up - Down
		When used ...
		Alone, the insertion point is moved one character or line.
		With the Ctrl* key*, the insertion point is moved one word or paragraph.
		With the Shift* key*, the selecting tool is activated, selecting characters or lines as you move.
		With both the Ctrl and Shift. You will be selecting words or paragraphs as you move.
12	Numeric Key Pad	There are two modes that this key pad can be set to. Active only if the Num Locks key (11) is tapped. The Num Locks light should be on when active (10). When the light is off, this key pad is a duplicate of the arrow keys and react the same as described in 8 above. Special note should be taken of the * / - + keys as they are mathematical symbols.
12	Numeric Key Pad	* multiplication / division - subtraction + addition
13	Num lock	When tapped the numeric keypad is activated. The keys are numbers. This is designed for easier insertion of numbers.
14	Activity panel	Indicates when different keyboard features are on or off.
15	Insert	When pressed, the computer is placed into TYPEOVER mode. The computer's normal state is in INSERT mode, meaning: if the cursor is placed between two words and a third is typed, the word to the right of the cursor is pushed to the right as the new word is typed. TYPEOVER mode causes existing words to be removed as new words are typed. To return to INSERT mode tap this key a second time.
	Delete	Erases characters to the right of the cursor
	Home	Causes the cursor to move to the left hand margin
	End	Causes the cursor to move to the right hand margin
	Page Up	Causes the cursor to move to the top of the screen
	Page Down	Causes the cursor to move to the bottom of the screen.
16	Backspace	Erases the character to the left of the cursor
17	Function keys	Used to initiate various commands (shortcuts) in programs. The commands vary in programs. They can also be used in conjunction with modifier keys to perform the even more function.
18	F1	Universal Help access key. When this key is pressed in any program, the help screen will open for that program.

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