![]() ![]() Intuitively, it will act as a standard Space when you want a whitespace, and a Shift when you want it to act as a shift. It is possible to use (with some utility software) one key both as a normal key and as a modifier.įor example, you can use the space bar both as a normal Space bar and as a Shift. By pressing Compose, and then two other keys, something similar to a combination of the glyphs of the two previous keys will appear on the screen. Some keyboards also have a Compose key for typing accented and other special characters. Keyboards of some languages simply include the accented characters on their own keys. The AltGr modifier produces the áéíóú sequence, or in conjunction with the Shift key, ÁÉÍÓÚ. These kinds of keys are called dead keys. In fact, the standard British keyboard layout includes an accent key on the top-left corner to produce àèìòù, although this is a two step procedure, with the user pressing the accent key, releasing, then pressing the letter key. Some non-English language keyboards have special keys to produce accented modifications of the standard Latin-letter keys. Combined with standard modifiers, it could enter as many as 8,000 different characters. The MIT space-cadet keyboard had additional Top, Front, Super and Hyper modifier keys. Keyboards that lack a dedicated numeric keypad may mimic its functionality by combining the Fn key with other keys. On laptops, pressing Fn plus one of the function keys, e.g., F2, often control hardware functions. Likewise, the Commodore 64 and other Commodore computers had the Commodore key at the bottom left of the keyboard.Ĭompact keyboards, such as those used in laptops, often have a Fn key to save space by combining two functions that are normally on separate keys. They are used to select special graphic symbols and extended characters. In some models, as in the Brazilian Gradiente Expert, the Code and Graph keys are labelled " L Gra" and " R Gra" (Left and Right Graphics). The MSX computer keyboard, besides Shift and Control, also included two special modifier keys, Code and Graph. This was used to access additional punctuation and keywords. The ZX Spectrum has a Symbol Shift key in addition to Caps Shift. (This is a bit confusing, since the original space-cadet keyboard and the X Window System recognize a " Meta" modifier distinct from " Super".) ![]() Under the Linux operating system, the desktop environment KDE calls this key Meta, while GNOME calls this key, neutrally, Super. The (Sun) Meta key, Windows key, (Apple) Cmd key, and the analogous "Amiga key"( A) on Amiga computers, are usually handled equivalently. Fn ( Functio n) – often present on small-layout keyboards, or keyboard where the top row of function keys have multimedia functions like controlling volume attached.On older keyboards labelled ⌘ (Apple logo). ⌘ Cmd – Command key, found on Apple keyboards.⊞ Win (Windows logo) – found on Windows keyboards.❖ Super – Super key, found on MIT, Symbolics, Linux, and BSD keyboards.◆ Meta – Meta key, found on MIT, Symbolics, and Sun Microsystems keyboards.⎇ Alt ( Alternate) – also labelled ⌥ Option on Apple keyboards.User interface expert Jef Raskin coined the term " quasimode" to describe the state a computer enters into when a modifier key is pressed. In contrast, pressing just ⇧ Shift or Alt will probably do nothing unless assigned a specific function in a particular program (for example, activating input aids or the toolbar of the active window in Windows). A combination of Alt+ F4 in Microsoft Windows will close the active window in this instance, Alt is the modifier key. By themselves, modifier keys usually do nothing that is, pressing any of the ⇧ Shift, Alt, or Ctrl keys alone does not (generally) trigger any action from the computer.įor example, in most keyboard layouts the Shift key combination ⇧ Shift+ A will produce a capital letter "A" instead of the default lower-case letter "a" (unless in Caps lock or Shift lock mode). In computing, a modifier key is a special key (or combination) on a computer keyboard that temporarily modifies the normal action of another key when pressed together. ![]()
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