Let's look at the meaning of some keys on the keyboard: Caps Lock, Tab, Esc (Escape), Num Lock, Del (Delete), Ins (Insert), Scroll Lock, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, up, down, left and to the right.
In the upper right corner of the keyboard with the 101st key there are three indicator lights (in other words, three lights):
- Caps Lock – capital letter mode,
- Num Lock – number locking mode,
- Scroll Lock – scroll lock mode.
The above modes are turned on and off by pressing the keys of the same name: Caps Lock, Num Lock (abbreviated as Num Lk), Scroll Lock (abbreviated as Scr Lk).
On laptops with fewer keys, the Caps Lock key is located in the same place as on a 101-key keyboard. The Num Lock key is usually located with F11, and the Scroll Lock key is usually located with F12.
To enter Num Lock or Scroll Lock mode, press the Fn key, which is located in the lower left corner, and, without releasing it, press the Num Lock or Scroll Lock key, depending on which mode is required.
Let's take a closer look at these three modes.
Caps Lock, Tab, Esc
1) Key Caps Lock(translated as “fixation of capital letters”) on the left. 
If you do not press Caps Lock (i.e. the light is not on) and go into a text editor (for example, Word or Notepad), then when entering text, all letters (both English and Russian) will be displayed in small letters.
If you press Caps Lock (the light, or rather, the indicator light is on), then when entering text, the letters will be displayed in capitals (capital). In this mode, when you press the Shift key, lowercase (small) letters will be displayed (the exact opposite action of what is done in normal mode, when the Caps Lock light is not lit).
Caps Lock mode (or capital letter mode) is convenient when entering text consisting of such letters. To enter one large letter, it is more convenient, of course, to press the Shift key and, without releasing it, press the key with the image of the corresponding letter.
Key Tab(tab) is located above the Caps Lock key. When editing texts, Tab is usually used to move to the next tab stop, that is, after pressing Tab, the cursor moves immediately to a specified number of positions. In other programs, its functionality may change, for example, Tab can switch between query fields, etc.
Key Esc(Escape – “to run away, escape”) is located above the Tab key and is used mainly to cancel an action.
Num Lock, Del (Delete) and Backspace
2) Key Num Lock(translated as “fixing numbers”) is located on the right side of the keyboard.
It is responsible for the operation of the small numeric keypad in two modes: if the Num Lock indicator is on (i.e., pressed the Num Lock key), then the small numeric keypad operates in the mode of entering numbers from 0 to 9 and periods.
If the Num Lock indicator is not lit, then the small numeric keypad operates in cursor control mode (up, down, right, left arrows, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown). More about the Num Lock key
Key Delete("delete") or Del is usually used to delete characters to the right of the cursor. Key Backspace("step back") or a long left arrow above the Enter key usually deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
I know that some users prefer the Delete key when deleting characters, and some prefer the Backspace key. It's all a matter of habit.
Key Insert("insert") or Ins is typically used to switch between two character input modes:
- input with character expansion (insert mode) and
- input with the replacement of previously typed characters, that is, new text is entered, while the “old” text is automatically erased (replacement mode).
In MS Word 2007, insert/replace mode is disabled by default. Apparently, this was done on purpose, since accidentally pressing the Insert key led in earlier versions of Word to turn on the overwrite mode, when the old text was deleted and new text was entered in its place.
To enable insert/replace mode in MS Word 2007, click the Office button (round in the upper left corner). In the window that opens, click the “Word Options” button. Then select the “Advanced” tab, in the “Editing Options” section, check the box next to “Use the INS key to switch insert and replace modes.”
Home, End, PageUp, PageDown and arrow keys
As noted above, the Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, up, down, left and right arrow keys are called cursor keys. Clicking on them, as a rule, leads to moving the cursor in the desired direction or to “flipping through” what is on the screen.
If you press the key Home, the cursor moves to the beginning of the line. Pressing a key End, the user will move the mouse cursor to the end of the line.
Keystroke PageUp(“page up”) causes the contents of the screen to scroll, for example, when editing a document to page up. If you click on PageDown(“page down”), you can move the mouse cursor down an entire page.
Scroll Lock
3) Scroll Lock(top right on the keyboard) - widely used in the early 80s, when there was no mouse manipulator.
When the “Scroll Lock” mode was enabled, the cursor keys performed the function of moving the screen (up, down, left, right).
When the Scroll Lock mode is disabled, then the cursor keys work in the usual mode for us - changing the cursor position (up, down, left, right). Now you can see the action of this button, for example, . If you start Excel and press Scroll Lock, then the cursor keys will move the table, not the individual selected cell.
In general, the Scroll Lock key in different programs can work the way it is programmed.
Computer Literacy Exercises
1) Enter Russian and English letters in a text editor with the Caps Lock indicator on. Repeat the same while holding down the Shift key. Pay attention to which letters are displayed: lowercase or uppercase.
2) Now print with the Caps Lock indicator turned off. Then we type while holding Shift. When are lowercase and when are uppercase letters entered?
3) Look at the Num Lock operating mode. When the small numeric keypad operates in the mode of entering numbers 0, 1, ..., 9 and dots. And when does it operate in cursor control mode?
4) Copy the text of this assignment into a text editor on your computer. Place the cursor in the middle of the text. And check how characters are deleted using the Delete and Backspace keys. When are characters deleted to the left of the cursor, and when to the right of it?
5) Test the Insert key. If you have Word 2007, then you may need to first make the necessary settings to enable this mode. Place the cursor in the middle of the text. Click Insert and enter text. What happens in this case: inserting characters or replacing them (deleting old ones and entering new characters in their place)?
6) You can check the little-used Scroll Lock key. You won't need a mouse here. We go into Excel spreadsheets, enter, for example, the number 100 into the cell in the middle. Press the Scroll Lock key. In this case, you can use the arrows (up, down, left, right) to move around the table. It turns out to be a keyboard analogue of how a mouse works when moving inside an Excel window.
7) Look in a text editor at the action of the Home, End, up, down, left, right arrow keys within two or three lines. Also check the action of PageUp, PageDown - within two or more screen pages.
8) Copy a few lines into a text editor. Place the cursor at the beginning of the text and press the Tab key. If everything was done correctly, then the text should start with the “red line”.
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The keyboard with which we type text has quite a few keys. And each of them is needed for something. In this lesson we will talk about their purpose and learn how to use them correctly.
Here is a photo of a regular computer keyboard:
Keyboard button meanings
Esc. The full name of this key is Escape (pronounced "Escape") and it means "Exit". Using it we can close some programs. This applies to a greater extent to computer games.
F1-F12. In the same row as Esc there are several buttons whose names begin with the Latin letter F. They are designed to control the computer without the help of a mouse - only with the keyboard. Thanks to them, you can open and close folders and files, change their names, copy and much more.
But knowing the meaning of each of these buttons is completely unnecessary - most people have been using computers for decades and have no idea about any of them.
Immediately below the F1-F12 keys there is a row of buttons with numbers and signs (! " " No.; % : ? *, etc.).
If you simply click on one of them, the drawn number will be printed. But to print a sign, press the Shift button along with it (bottom left or right).
If the character printed is not the one you need, try changing the language (bottom right of the screen) -
By the way, on many keyboards the numbers are also on the right side. The photo shows this part separately.
They are laid out exactly like on a calculator and are more convenient for many people.
But sometimes these numbers don’t work. You press the desired key, but nothing is printed. This means that the numeric portion of the keyboard is turned off. To turn it on, simply press the Num Lock button once.
The most important part of the keyboard is the keys that are used to type text. They are located in the center.
As a rule, each button has two letters - one foreign, the other Russian. To type a letter in the desired language, make sure it is selected correctly (at the bottom of the computer screen).
You can also change the language in another way - by clicking on two buttons at once: Shift And Alt or Shift And Ctrl
Win. The key that opens the Start button. Most often, it is not signed, but simply has a Windows icon on it. Located between the Ctrl and Alt buttons.
Fn. The laptop has this key - as a rule, it is not found on regular keyboards. It is designed to work with special functions - increasing/decreasing brightness, volume and others.
To turn them on, you need to press the Fn key and, while holding it, press the button with the required function. These buttons are usually located at the top - at F1-F10.
Let's say I need to increase the brightness of my laptop screen. To do this, I look for a button on the keyboard with the corresponding picture. For example, I have F6 - there is a sun drawn on it. So, I hold down the Fn key and then press F6. The screen becomes a little brighter. To increase the brightness even more, I press F6 again along with Fn.
How to print a capital letter
To print one large letter (capital), you need to hold down the Shift key and click on the desired letter together.
How to type a period and a comma
If the Russian alphabet is installed, then in order to print point, you need to press the last key in the bottom letter row (on the right). It is located in front of the Shift button.
To print comma, press the same button while holding Shift.
When the English alphabet is selected, to print a dot you need to press the key that is located before the Russian dot. The letter "Y" is usually written on it. And the comma in the English alphabet is where the Russian letter “B” is (before the English dot).
Text decoration buttons
Tab - creates an indent at the beginning of a sentence. In other words, you can use it to make a paragraph (red line).
To do this, click the mouse at the beginning of the text and press the Tab key once. If the red line is adjusted correctly, the text will move slightly to the right.
Used for printing large letters. Located under the Tab key.
Press Caps Lock once and release it. Try typing a word. All letters will be printed in capitals. To cancel this feature, press the Caps Lock key once again and release it. Letters, as before, will be printed small.
(space) - makes spaces between words. The longest button on the keyboard is located under the letter keys.
According to the design rules, there should be only one space between words (not three or even two). It is not correct to align or shift text using this key. Also, a space is placed only after a punctuation mark - there should be no space before a space sign (with the exception of a dash).
Delete button. It erases those letters that are printed in front of the flashing stick (cursor). It is located on the right side, immediately after the numbers/signs. Often there is no inscription on it at all, but simply an arrow drawn to the left.
The Backspace button is also used to raise text higher.
Enter - is intended to go to the next line.
Thanks to her, you can omit the text below. Enter is located under the delete text button.
Additional keys
These are keys such as Insert, Home, Page Up and Page Down, arrow buttons and others. They are located between the alphabetic and numeric keyboards. Used to work with text without using the mouse.
You can use the arrows to move the blinking cursor (flashing stick) across the text.
Delete is used to delete. True, unlike the Backspace key, it deletes letters not before, but after the blinking cursor.
The Home button moves the blinking cursor to the beginning of the line, and the End button moves it to the end.
Page Up moves the blinking cursor to the beginning of the page, and Page Down (Pg Dn) moves the blinking cursor to the end of the page.
The Insert button is needed to print text over existing text. If you click on it, new text will be printed, erasing the old one. To cancel this, you need to press the Insert key again.
The Scroll Lock key is almost always completely useless - it simply doesn't work. And in theory it should serve to scroll text up and down - just like the wheel on a computer mouse does.
Pause/Break almost never works either. In general, it is designed to suspend an ongoing computer process.
All of these buttons are optional and are rarely or never used by people.
But the button can be very useful.
She takes a photo of the screen. Then this picture can be inserted into Word or Paint. In computer language, such a photograph of the screen is called a screenshot.
Keyboard buttons to remember
— if you press this button and, without releasing it, press another key with a letter, the letter will be printed in capital. In the same way, you can print a symbol instead of a number: No! () * ? « + etc.
— after pressing this button once, all letters will be printed in capital letters. You don't need to hold it for this. To return to printing in small letters, press Caps Lock again.
— indents (red line).
- space. Using this button you can add space between words.
- drops to a line below. To do this, you need to place a flashing stick (blinking cursor) at the beginning of the part of the text that you want to move down, and press the Enter button.
— deletes the character before the blinking cursor. In other words, it erases text. This button also moves the text up a line. To do this, you need to place a flashing stick (blinking cursor) at the beginning of the part of the text that you want to move to the top, and press Backspace.
All other keyboard buttons, except letters, numbers and symbols, are used extremely rarely or not at all.
With the advent of the first computers, the keyboard changed its appearance and functionality. New keys have also been added that are unknown to users, not to mention keys that allow, with a certain combination, to perform various functions. About 20-30 years ago, almost no one had the usual mouse, which allowed us to simplify our work with the computer. But if you are a pro in one of the areas of it, you probably don’t use a mouse, because the keyboard allows you to carry out almost all operations without a mouse and much faster. Moreover, this topic is relevant for laptops and netbooks that have built-in touchpads, and their users practically do not use a mouse. Many, if necessary, simply do not know where this or that key is located. Many people have a question about how to copy, delete or paste text or files, but it’s very simple, but let’s start in order.
Where is the key (Fn button), what is it for and its hot keys Fn+:
Fn is an abbreviation for Function. The Fn key is located on laptops and netbooks at the bottom left side next to the Ctrl key. Figure 1.
rice. 1
- Fn+F1 - Activates sleep mode on the laptop.
- Fn+F2 - Turns the screen on or off. /turns wifi on or off
- Fn+F3 - switches the screen to projector mode.
- Fn+F4 - Additional monitor capabilities.
- Fn+F5 - Turns Bluetooth and other network modules on or off./Decreases the screen brightness level.
- Fn+F6 - Deactivate touch input on the laptop. /Increases the screen brightness level.
- Fn+F7 - Turns off the screen to save energy.
- Fn+F8 -Switch the screen to TV or projector.
- Fn+F9, Fn+F10, Fn+F11, Fn+F12 - Video player control/speaker sound control.
- Fn+Home - Pause the music player.
- Fn+Insert - Activate or deactivate Scroll Lock.
- Fn+up/down - Adjusts monitor brightness.
- Fn+left/right - adjust the overall volume of the laptop.
Also, in some laptops, to enter the bios you need to hold down the Fn+F2 key, for example, but you can read about this.
This button can be turned off or on; to do this, you need to press two keys Fn + NumLock. There is another way to enable or disable the Fn button through bios; for this you need to go there, go to the Setup Utility tab and select System Configuration, go to the Action Keys Mode tab and disable or enable the Fn button.
To work with this key, you must have original drivers from the manufacturer; you can download them from their website.
Where is the key (Num Lock button), what is it for and its Num Lock+ hotkeys:
Num Lock- number lock - numeric lock. In general, the names of this button vary between keyboard manufacturers, and there may be various alternatives to the abbreviation Num, Num LK. Judging by the translation, this button and its direct purpose is to turn on an additional section on the keyboard, which contains numbers and arithmetic operations, a kind of alternative to a calculator. You can see where the Num Lock key is located in Fig. 2
Fig 2.
Where is the key (Tab button), what is it for and its hot keys Alt+:
Tab- translated as tabulation. Intended for indentation at the beginning of a sentence, for the period specified for the red line. This key also has combinations, for example, by simultaneously pressing TAB+Alt you can switch between windows (running applications). It is located as shown in Fig. 3.
rice. 3
Where is the key (Win button), what is it for and the win+ hotkeys:
Win- abbreviation for the word window. In relatively new keyboards it is indicated by the windows icon.
- It is designed to open the start button in Windows.
- WIN+TAB Enables task view. On windows 8-10 /Switching between open windows.
- WIN+1 (or one of the number keys 1-9) will launch a shortcut that is located in your taskbar according to the location numbering.
- WIN+ “+” or “-” Zooms in or out of images, scales it.
- WIN+Enter turns on, or rather launches the screen reader application.
- WIN+F1 Launches a browser with a search engine that will issue a request for help on Windows.
- WIN+D Minimize/maximize all windows.
- WIN+E Launch the file search program.
- WIN+F Launch the file search program.
- WIN+M Minimize all open windows.
- WIN+R Opens the “Run” window.
- WIN+Break Opens the “System” window.
- WIN+Shift+M Maximize all minimized windows
- WIN+ Pause/Break Quick access to the “System” menu
You can see its location in Fig. 3 between the Ctrl and Alt keys.
Where is the key (Caps Lock button) located, what is it for:
Designate for typing text in upper case, in capital letters, located between the Tab and Shift keys. Fig.3
Where is the key (Ctrl button), what is it for, and the Ctrl+ hotkeys:
- Ctrl+S Applications save documents or settings.
- Ctrl+Esc Opens and navigates to the main Start menu.
- Ctrl+X Delete to buffer.
- Ctrl+C Copy to clipboard.
- Ctrl+V Paste from clipboard.
- Ctrl+Z Undoes the previous action.
The location of the Ctrl key can be seen on rice. 3
Where is the key (Alt button), what is it for and the Alt+ hotkeys:
Its direct purpose consists only of a bunch of hotkey combinations, the main ones are listed below:
- Alt+F4 Close program/Shut down windows
- Alt+TAB Switch between windows.
- Alt+Shift Change keyboard language layout
The location of the Alt key can be seen on rice. 3 at the very bottom on the left, it is also duplicated on the right side of the keyboard.
Where is the key (Shift button), what is it for and the Shift+ hotkeys:
Its direct purpose consists only of a bunch of hotkey combinations, the main ones are listed below:
- Shit+ Change keyboard language layout
- Shit+F10 Open the context menu and go to it
- Shit+Directional arrows allow you to select in blocks or one file at a time
- Shit+LMouse allows you to select one file at a time.
- Shift+1 (before =) The keys have dual properties when you press Shift + a key on which symbols or signs can be located, and with different language layouts, some keys support two different symbols or signs, for example Shift+1 will produce a symbol exclamation point! and Shift+2 may produce @ and » symbols depending on the language layout.
- Shift+key from the alphabet Allows you to raise letters from capitals when pressed.
The location of the Shift key can be seen on rice. 3 at the very bottom on the left, it is also duplicated on the right side of the keyboard.
Where is the key (Esc button) located, what is it for:
The key is intended to cancel an action.
Located at the very top left side rice. 3.
Where is the key (Del button) located, what is it for:
- The key is intended for deleting a folder\file.
- The Del key allows you to delete a letter or symbol in front of the cursor.
rice. 4.
Figure 4.
Where is the key (Insert button) located, what is it for:
- The key is designed to replace existing text with a new one; it allows you to overlay new text on top of the old text, thereby replacing it.
Above the control arrows. rice. 4.
Where is the key located (Home and End button), what are they for:
- The Home key is used to move the blinking cursor to the beginning of the line, and the End button is used to move the blinking cursor to the end of the line.
It is located in a separate key block above the control arrows. rice. 4.
Where is the key located (Page Up and Page Down buttons), what are they for:
The Page Up key is intended to move the blinking cursor to the beginning of the page, and the Page Down (Pg Dn) key is to move the blinking cursor to the end of the page. It also allows you to flip through pages in a text file or browser, which is very convenient.
It is located in a separate key block above the control arrows. rice. 4.
Where is the key (Scroll Lock button) located, what is it for:
- The Scroll Lock key is designed to scroll text up and down, but its operation has been replaced by the wheel on the mouse, and in the latest versions of Windows the key does not work.
Located in a separate key block rice. 4.
Where is the key located (Pause\Break button), what is it for:
- In the latest versions of Windows, the Pause/Break key is disabled and not used; in earlier versions it was intended to stop or terminate a running process.
Located in a separate key block rice. 4.
Where is the key located (Print Screen\PrtScn button), what is it for:
- When you press a key, it takes a snapshot of your screen and places it in the memory buffer; after opening any graphics editor, you can paste it.
Located in a separate key block rice. 4.
Where is the key (Backspace button/<—-), для чего она нужна:
- The key is designed to erase printed text that is located before the blinking cursor. If the text deletion is completed, it will delete the line, then the cursor will be moved to another line above and continue erasing.
<— rice. 5.
Fig.5
Where is the key (Enter\Enter button), what is it for:
- The Enter key is for launching applications. It also allows you to move the blinking cursor or text to a line below.
Located above the Enter key, in this case on the keyboard the key is depicted as an arrow<— rice. 5.
Where is the key located (a button in the form of a document), what is it for:
- The key in the form of a document is intended to call the context menu of files and folders.
Located at the very bottom between the WIN and Ctrl keys rice. 5.
Where is the key located (buttons F1-F12), what are they for:
- The F1 key is intended to open context-sensitive help.
- The F2 key is used to rename the selected icon, file, or folder.
- The F3 key is designed to open the file search panel.
- Key F5 Refresh content.
- F10 key In programs, activates the text menu line.
Located at the very top of the screen and arranged in a row. rice. 6.
Figure 6.
I would like to summarize everything listed in the article, but unfortunately I physically cannot describe to you all the combinations of hot keys, since in different programs their combinations may be different, sort of, as many programs as there are so many options, but programmers adhere to standards when writing programs, It is the main standards and their combinations that were listed in the article. I would also like to note that multimedia keyboards have long been in fashion, with even more keys, but when installing drivers for the keyboard, a special application is installed that allows you to make your own assignments to non-standard keys, and even hotkey combinations, but who knows? In this case, they will also be able to write a script for such a keyboard, which, for example, will be able to perform several actions at once with one keystroke.
The keyboard is one of the earliest and most important hardware components of a computer. The range of models and design solutions is quite wide. There are completely original products. Here is a very interesting concept on which the computer keyboard is made (photo below).
However, despite the large number of design solutions on the keyboard market, the functions and purpose of the keys on almost all modifications of products of this type are organized according to the same principle. Which one exactly?
Keyboard structure
Modern computer keyboards contain 101 or 102 buttons, which are divided into several groups. These are function keys, alphabetic, numeric, service, control, and so-called modifiers. Let's look at the purpose of each type of keyboard key.
Function keys
There are 12 buttons of this type in total. Computer keyboards have included them for a very long time. The purpose of the keys and their description are found in many textbooks on information technology, published even before the invention of the PC in its current form. Function keys are located in one row (usually) at the very top of the keyboard. Let's study their features.
The purpose of function keys is largely determined by tradition among computer and software manufacturers, rather than by any rigid standards. There are some kind of generally accepted principles for associating the buttons of a given group with certain actions. But it cannot be ruled out that individual software manufacturers will prefer to assign the function keys whatever purpose they want. Let's take a scenario in which we have to press these buttons while working in Windows, say, version 7.
In this case, the F1 key will be responsible for calling the OS help system. Most programs running on Windows also require you to activate help by pressing F1.
The F2 key is usually responsible for renaming files and folders in Windows. A similar function is assigned to it when working in some file managers.
The F3 button in Windows calls up the OS search engine, a separate folder, or a similar interface in most programs. For example, if the text is open in the editor, then by pressing F3, you can search for the desired word or phrase.
The F4 key is usually associated in Windows with two functions: going to the address bar in the integrated OS file manager, as well as displaying history.
The F5 button allows you to refresh the display of objects in a folder, on the desktop, or, for example, a page in a browser window.
The F6 key has some similarities in purpose with F4. It allows you to move the text cursor to the address bar of the built-in Windows file manager, but does not display the history.
The purpose of the computer keyboard keys in the F7-F9 row, as well as the F12 button in Windows, is not strictly defined. It all depends on the specific application in which the user is working. In this case, a specialized program can be used to assign keys.
The F10 button is responsible for calling the leftmost menu item in the program interface. For example, if a Word window is open, the user presses F10 to open the "File" menu.
The F11 key allows you to quickly switch the window to full screen mode (or vice versa).
Control keys
These usually include the arrow keys - right, left, up and down. They are designed to perform operations to move objects on the screen, to control characters in computer games, etc. They can also be used to position the cursor in text.
Letter keys
They occupy the central space of the keyboard. In numerical terms, there are the most such buttons; the typical standard is 47 pieces. An English computer keyboard usually includes pure letter keys. That is, apart from them, nothing is usually depicted on the keys. Russian usually allows the simultaneous use of some letter buttons as “carriers” of punctuation marks. If you press them without combining them with others (for example, modifiers), then the main letters will be entered. With the appropriate combination - punctuation marks.
Also, in some cases, letter keys allow you to control an object on the screen, if this is provided by a program or computer game (the second option is more common). In this sense, letter keys can sometimes be "control" keys.
Number keys
They, depending on the configuration of a particular keyboard model, can be located on top of the letter block, and in some cases they can be supplemented with buttons on the right side of the device (as a rule, they often do not fit on “large” keyboards for PCs and laptops).
In the second case, this key block is especially convenient to use for calculations. There are also various auxiliary buttons for operations of multiplication, division, subtraction, addition, and there is an Enter key.
Modifiers
The purpose of the keyboard keys classified as “modifiers” is to change the essence of the entered commands using function, alphabetic or numeric buttons by pressing them simultaneously. These are CTRL, ALT, and also SHIFT. Some experts also classify the CAPS LOCK, INSERT, SCROLL LOCK and NUM LOCK buttons as modifiers. Other experts distinguish these four keys into a separate group - the so-called “mode” buttons.
Let's look at the most common actions that you can use these keys to perform. The computer keyboard is designed so that the user can enter data not only using single button presses, but also in combination. The functions of many “modifiers” are performed precisely thanks to this feature.
Users often combine keyboard buttons with the ALT key. For example, if you press ALT and TAB, you can switch windows of different programs - from one to another. Using the combination of ALT and F4, the user will close the active application.
Combinations of keyboard buttons with CTRL are no less popular. For example, the combination of this key and "C" allows you to quickly copy an object or data area - a file, folder, text, picture, etc. to the clipboard. You can quickly paste a “copy” by pressing CTRL+V. If you substitute “X” instead of “C”, then the selected data will be “cut out” from its original location, and after pressing CTRL+V it will be moved to a new one.
One of the most frequently pressed modifier buttons is SHIFT. It is in combination with it that most users type capital letters in the text.
Hotkeys
Some experts call modifier buttons hotkeys. This is because the latter give the user the ability to very quickly perform some action that would take longer if using, say, a mouse. We have already given some examples reflecting the purpose of hot keys: for example, copying text using a combination of CTRL, C, X and V is usually faster than calling the context menu using the mouse.
Combinations of “modifiers” are often used. For example, if the user has the “Russian” computer keyboard enabled, the layout can be changed to “English” by pressing the ALT and SHIFT combination. And vice versa.
Service keys
There are quite a lot of them on keyboards. Experts usually include the buttons ESC, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, PRTSC, PAUSE, DEL, BACKSPACE, HOME, END, WIN, ENTER, TAB, as well as SPACE, or, in Russian, space bar. There is an opinion that, in the broad sense of the word, “service” keys also include control keys and “modifiers”, and therefore it would be more appropriate to classify the buttons differently. But at the same time, there are no uniform standards in this matter.
Most Popular
Perhaps the most frequently used service key is SPACE. It puts a space when typing. In combination with INSERT (when its associated mode is activated), this key erases typed letters.
Probably the second most popular service key is ENTER. It has a lot of functions. It is difficult to single out the main one, we can say that there is a group of key ones: this is opening a file, folder, launching a program (or some action in an already running one), as well as translating text to a new line. Keyboards that have a separate number button area (on the right side) usually have an additional ENTER key.
The ESC button is often used. Usually responsible for canceling an action. For example, if an image viewer is open, you can close it by pressing ESC. Unless, of course, the corresponding button association is built into the application: in many cases, programs do not respond to pressing ESC.
The purpose of the PRTSC key is interesting. Using it, you can take so-called “screenshots” - graphic snapshots of the contents of the screen at a specific point in time. To save an image into a separate file, you need to launch some kind of image processing program, for example, Paint or Photoshop, then “paste” it into the editable area (optionally, using a combination of CTRL and V), and then save it into a file of a convenient format .
Rare but necessary
Let's now study the rarely used, but very necessary in some cases, service buttons. These include SCROLL LOCK and PAUSE. The first key is designed to change the mode of use of the control arrows. So, for example, so that when you press the “right” or “left” buttons, the active window moves to the corresponding side. The PAUSE key can be useful if you are running a program or process on your PC that has a pause function. For example, before Windows loads, various types of system information are displayed on the PC screen. If the user is interested in reading it, but does not have time to do this due to the computer quickly switching to booting Windows, then he can “slow down” the process by pressing the PAUSE key. If, of course, the software interface allows this to be done - its algorithms are laid down by the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard. To continue the execution of the program, it is usually enough to press any button on the keyboard.
New and useful
Over time, with technological progress, the computer keyboard is constantly being improved and modernized. The purpose of the keys and their description may change. But this is not the only aspect of technological evolution. New keys may also be added and subsequently become, de facto, part of generally accepted standards.
Among the newest buttons are WIN, as well as “menu”. They are indicated on keyboards, as a rule, by pictures. WIN - in the form of a proprietary Microsoft flag, the second key - in the form of, in fact, a context menu with items, sometimes with a mouse arrow.
The WIN key contains almost any modern computer keyboard adapted for Windows. Photo is below.
Actually, the appearance of both buttons in question is believed to have been due to the entry of the Windows operating system into the world market.
WIN key
The WIN key, in principle, can be classified as a “hot” key, since in many cases the actions associated with it are carried out, firstly, in combination with other buttons, and secondly, they duplicate (with relatively faster execution) operations performed using the mouse. Note that if you press WIN separately, it usually opens the Start menu.
Let's look at useful hot combinations using the WIN key.
The WIN+D combination allows you to minimize all open application windows (or, conversely, maximize them).
The WIN and R key combination is useful from the point of view of calling the Quick Program Launch window (in which you can enter the name of the main file, after which the application will launch).
The combination of WIN and PAUSE (this, by the way, is another useful property of the second key) opens the My Computer properties menu.
What's useful about the Menu key? It is, in principle, associated with the same action that the user performs by pressing the right mouse button while hovering the cursor over a file or folder. That is, a context menu opens, consisting of various options. Many users find it more convenient to use this function using the keyboard rather than the mouse.
Nuances of standardization
The assignment of computer keyboard keys, as we noted above, is rather a set of rules dictated by tradition rather than international standards. However, computer and software manufacturers, one way or another, try not to experiment too much with associating buttons with new functions that are unsuitable for other market solutions.
Many users may not like the unusual computer keyboard, the assignment of the keys, or the description of its functions. Many PC owners prefer the familiar hot buttons, function buttons, or utility buttons to work exactly as they do in most applications. And therefore, the above-described patterns regarding the purpose of various types of keys, in general, are valid for almost all models of keyboards. In turn, software manufacturers try to associate application functions in algorithms that are more or less familiar to the market.
Windows standards on other systems
Moreover, even in operating systems other than Windows (for example, Linux), the range of key assignments is generally very similar to what is described above. In many competing operating systems, the computer keyboard, originally oriented towards Windows - the assignment of the keys, its description - reflects the same capabilities that are present in the OS from Microsoft. This even sometimes applies to the WIN key. Despite the fact that it is typical for Windows, its functions in other operating systems are in some cases very similar to the original range of purposes. Not to mention the “modifiers” that a computer keyboard contains. The layout between languages using the ALT and SHIFT combination changes not only in Windows.
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Keyboard key assignments
You and I have already mastered working with the mouse quite well. It's time to take a closer look at the keyboard. Perhaps the abundance of keys is a little intimidating for a novice user, because in addition to the familiar keys with numbers and letters, there are many additional keys on the keyboard. But there’s nothing scary about them, and we’ll deal with them now.
I think it’s no secret to you that the keyboard is mainly used to enter data into a computer. But besides this, the keyboard is also used to carry out various computer control operations.
Now we will analyze the most common (classic) keyboard and make a list of the most important keys for us. I said “the most common” because you can find keyboards on sale that have additional keys that perform auxiliary functions. Keyboard manufacturers are constantly coming up with new designs, sometimes having a very fancy appearance (Fig. 79).
A regular keyboard can be divided into several areas (Fig. 80).
Let's take a closer look at all these areas and highlight the keys that we will need when working on the computer every day.
The topmost area of the keyboard contains keys that are not used for entering data into the computer. These keys perform auxiliary actions, which are shown in the table below.
There are keys in this area that are called modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys). These keys are so named because they allow you to change the values of the symbol keys. For example, if there are three symbols on a key (Fig. 81), then one of them is entered by simply pressing the key (this is the “3” symbol), the second - by simultaneously pressing the symbol key and the Shift key (this is the “No.” symbol, provided , that the Russian keyboard layout is selected), the third character - when switching the keyboard layout to another language and simultaneously pressing the symbol key with the Shift key (this is the “#” symbol if the English keyboard layout is selected).
Just above the cursor control keys there are usually additional keys that are also related to cursor control. The actions performed by these keys are difficult to describe without giving practical examples. Therefore, in the table below I provide a brief description of these keys, and you can use this table in the future as a reference. Come back to it when we learn how to use text editors.
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As I mentioned earlier, on the right side of the keyboard there is an additional keyboard on which there are number keys and math keys, as well as an additional Enter key. The additional keyboard is activated using the NumLock key. When NumLock mode is disabled, an additional keyboard can be used to control the cursor - the number keys have additional inscriptions indicating the functionality of the key.
Many (but not all) keyboards have an area where mode indicators are located (Fig. 80). These indicators light up when the corresponding key is pressed:
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How to use the keyboard
To acquire a particular skill, a person needs regular training. Keyboard skills are no exception. With constant practice, the necessary skills are achieved quickly enough, and then you just need to maintain your form.
Using the keyboard correctly means saving your time. This is the main reason to learn how to type quickly. Before you start learning, remember that you should never rush. The most important thing is to develop well the muscle memory of your fingers to the point where the typing process is practically uncontrollable.
First, you should evaluate the speed at which you type text. With good typing speed, the number of characters can vary from 200 to 250 per minute. Pair these numbers with your results to see the difference.
In order to effectively use the keyboard, you need to master typing with ten fingers, and it is advisable to do this blindly. You need to start with the correct placement of your fingers on the keyboard: the fingers of your left hand should be on the keys “F”, “Y”, “B” and “A”, and the fingers of your right hand should be placed on “O”, “L”, “D” and "F". There is also a second option for the arrangement of the fingers: the left hand is on “Y”, “B”, “A” and “M”, and the right hand is on “T”, “O”, “L” and “D”. You definitely need to remember the location of the other keys on the keyboard and then start typing. At the initial stage, take your time. The main condition is not to look at the keyboard.
Today there are a large number of special sites with so-called simulators for teaching touch typing skills. You can also find programs on the Internet that you can download and install on your computer. The easiest way to master fast typing is to maintain your own blogs, print a large number of texts, chat with friends, and so on.
Also, to use your keyboard effectively, we recommend learning more keyboard shortcuts for the programs you use. This will allow you to put your hand on the mouse as little as possible and search for various functions in the program menu. Keyboard shortcuts can be used to save or print documents and other files, or to copy and paste text and graphics information.
It is definitely worth noting that in addition to the alphanumeric pad, the keyboard also has function keys, a numeric pad (NumLock), and a navigation bar (cursor keys). To use the keyboard, you need to know the purpose of each such panel.
Function keys are necessary for quickly calling various actions in programs, for example, in any Internet browser you can refresh the page by pressing the F5 key. The cursor keys allow you to move the cursor to the beginning or end of a line, and so on, with one press. The digital pad is designed to make typing numbers and performing mathematical operations more convenient.
As you can see, effective use of the keyboard significantly increases the speed of working on the computer. Of course, mastering fast typing and memorizing key combinations takes time, so you will have to put in a lot of effort.
strana-sovetov.com
Hello:) Today I will talk about Windows hotkeys. Windows hotkeys are keyboard shortcuts (i.e., several pressed buttons, such as “Ctrl” and “V”) on the keyboard with which you can easily perform the actions you need. Sometimes they are very convenient to use and take less time than making several mouse clicks, opening the context menu and selecting the desired action. For example, to copy a folder, you would have to right-click on the folder and select Copy. It is not comfortable! Remembering hotkeys, by the way, is very easy :)
How should you enter the Windows hotkeys, which will be discussed below? Everything is very simple! For example, you want to quickly copy something using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + C”. In this case, you need to first hold down the “Ctrl” key, then, without releasing it, also hold down “C”. The result is “Ctrl + C” :) Now that you understand the principle of using hot keys, let's look at the list of Windows hot keys that are the most useful and popular.
Copy selected text/folder/files/shortcuts. The hotkeys to perform this action are “Ctrl+C”. Many people are mistaken that this action can only be done in Word. If you can select the text wherever it is, then you can copy it. You can also copy files, folders and shortcuts.
Paste selected text/folder/files/shortcuts. The Windows hotkey to perform this action is “Ctrl+V”. You can insert not only text, but also a picture or file. But not everywhere, for example, the copied account password cannot be pasted on all sites.
Cancel action. Performed by the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+Z”. You can cancel moving a file and again, the combination of these keys is very helpful when working with text.
Select all. Performed using the “Ctrl+A” keys. Selects all text or all files/folders/shortcuts in the current window.
Seal. The Windows hotkey to perform this action is “Ctrl+P”. You can use this command to open a print window, for example in Word or on the Internet, and then print the open page (or several pages).
Roll out the window. The hotkeys for this action are “Win+Down Arrow”. “Win” is a key with the Windows logo, i.e. her icon (see image below). Using these keys you can minimize any program.
Open window. The Windows hotkey for this action is “Win+Up Arrow”. Opens a minimized window of any program.
Switch between open program windows. Alt+Tab keys. Sometimes it can be useful not to manually use the mouse to search for a minimized program.
Opens a window where you can open the task manager, change the user password, log out, lock the computer and change the password. The hotkeys for this action are “Ctrl+Alt+Del”.
This is what this window looks like:
Magnifier. You can zoom in on the details you need in a photo, in the browser, anywhere. The keys for this action are “Win+ -” or “Win+ +”.
Cut selection. Performed using the “Ctrl+X” keys. By pressing this key combination, you will cut out the selected elements in order to then paste them in another place. Unlike copying, once you paste the cut items, they will be removed from their previous location.
Close a window. The Windows hotkey for performing this action is “Ctrl+F4”. For example, you can quickly close a program window. And if you press these keys in the browser, the current open tab will close.
Open a new browser tab. The hotkeys for this action are “Ctrl+T”.
What if suddenly closed the desired deposit, then open it again This keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+T” will help you:
Saves the document. Using these Windows hotkeys “Ctrl+S”, you can quickly save your work in some program, for example, Notepad, Word. This way you don’t have to go to the menu and look for the save button there.
Also in programs you can save the file under a different name and in a different location, this is called “Save As”. However, each program has different Windows hotkeys for performing this action. For example, to execute the Save As command in a Microsoft Word document, just press the F12 key.
Rename file/folder/shortcut. With just one key "F2", you can quickly rename any file, folder or shortcut. Those. if without using this key, you will have to right-click on the desired file, folder or shortcut and select “Rename”, and only then specify a new name. By pressing F2 on the desired element, you can immediately enter a new name.
Refresh the page. Using this command, you can quickly refresh a page in the browser or the contents of a folder. The Windows hotkey for this action is “F5”. Most often, this button is used to refresh website pages to see some changes, for example. But you can also update the contents of folders in Windows if, for example, you copied something there and it is not displayed.
I hope that these combinations will help you speed up your work on the Internet! If you remind me of any other useful keyboard shortcuts that I forgot to mention, I will add them to the article :) Good luck and success!