TECCS Computer Repairs & IT Services

Transcription

1 TECCS Computer Repairs & IT Services Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts

2 Contents Document Information...1 Author...1 Acknowledgements...1 Publication Date...1 Category and Level...1 Getting Started...2 Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts Explained...2 Tutorial Outline and Outcome...2 Tutorial Requirements...2 Additional Requirements...2 The Keyboard...3 Character, Number and Symbol Keys.4 Enter and Editing Keys...4 Backspace...4 Delete...5 Enter...5 Insert...6 Return...6 Function Keys...6 Function Keys (F1 F12)...6 Lock Keys...7 Caps Lock Light & Key...7 Alt...8 AltGr...8 Ctrl...9 Shift...9 Navigation Keys...9 Arrow Keys...9 End...9 Home...9 Navigation Keys...10 Page Down...10 Page Up...10 Tab...10 System and GUI Keys...10 Esc...10 Pause/Break...10 PrtScn/SysRq...11 Windows Logo Key...11 Windows Menu Key...11 Keyboard Shortcuts...12 Windows System Shortcuts...12 Microsoft Word 2010 Shortcuts...13 Excel 2010 shortcuts...15 Control-Alt-Delete...15 Conclusion...16 Num Lock Light & Key...7 Scroll Lock Light & Key...7 Modifier Keys...8

3 Document Information Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts This document is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Unported license. Author George W. Jopling Web: george@georgejopling.com Acknowledgements Mysid, Ymulleneers and Azaghal of Belegost, for the keyboard image used in this tutorial. Publication Date Published on 14 September 2014, version 2.3 Category and Level Computer basics. Beginner. This training will take approximately 40 minutes to complete. 1

4 Getting Started Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts Explained There are many different styles of keyboard available in the UK. Apart from the main character keys, there may be slight differences in the layout of the keys and some could have extra keys. This is especially the case for laptop computer keyboards which can vary significantly. This tutorial is based on the International Organisation for Standards (ISO ) keyboard layout (105 keys) with UK engravings. Individual keyboard keys can be combined to access commonly used program features such as making text bold or saving a document. These key combinations are called keyboard shortcuts. Some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for the Microsoft Windows operating system, Word 2010 and Excel 2010 are shown in this tutorial. A number of keyboard shortcuts are common to all Microsoft Windows based programs. Tutorial Outline and Outcome This tutorial provides a basic understanding of all the keys on a standard UK keyboard and how keyboard shortcuts can be used to save time and work more efficiently. The keyboard is the main interface tool a user has with a computer. Although written with comments and examples for Microsoft Word 2010, the user will be able to apply the techniques learnt to many other Windows based programs. I now offer students an explanation of the keyboard keys and an introduction to keyboard shortcuts following an observation during a word processing class that I taught a few years ago to experienced computer users. I noticed that one lady had rebooted the computer to resolve an apparent problem of text being overtyped. I pointed out that this was because she had accidentally pressed the Insert key and demonstrated its use. Other members of the class had stopped to listen and I quickly discovered no one had received instruction on the keyboard. Tutorial Requirements There are no specific requirements for the explanation of the computer keyboard keys. A computer with Microsoft Word 2010 installed would be helpful in order to follow the explanation of the keyboard shortcuts, but not essential. WordPad, the basic word processor program included with the Windows operating system, will suffice for most of the tutorial. Additional Requirements None. 2

5 The Keyboard This tutorial covers a commonly used keyboard layout. It is possible for computer program developers to change key functions. Check the Help or documentation of your program for details of any specific changes. This tutorial is based on a standard keyboard for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Apple s keyboard layout for the OS X operating system is slightly different. The Caps Lock, Num Lock & Scroll Lock LED lights may not be present on all keyboards. The above image is a typical example of a standard computer keyboard. The tutorial is arranged alphabetically in the key groupings shown above. Many keyboard keys, including all the character keys, have a repeat action to them. ing and holding a key down will repeat the action until the key is released. A few keyboard keys, for example the Caps Lock key, have what is known as a toggle action to them. If the Caps Lock is on, pressing the Caps Lock button will turn it off. ing the same button again will turn the Caps Lock back on. It is possible to control a computer using only the keyboard. GUI (Graphical User Interface). Most computer users now use a graphical user interface to interact with the computer; the Windows desktop with the icons and buttons being a typical example. Text commands were used in the early days of computing. 3

6 Character, Number and Symbol Keys These keys are likely to be the most familiar to keyboard users and usually require little further explanation. The keys do however combine with other keys such as the Modifier keys the tutorial refers to in more detail later. Enter and Editing Keys Backspace The Backspace key (top right, marked by an extended left pointing arrow) was originally used to push a typewriter carriage one position backwards. I learnt to type on a manual typewriter and remember this key well as it usually required a firmer press. On a modern computer system it is typically used to delete one character to the left of the text cursor position. It can also be used to delete tab stop positions or a highlighted block of text. A tab stop is an adjustable point available on many programs such as a Microsoft Word to assist the layout and positioning of text. Start Microsoft Word 2010 and type in a line of text. Position the text cursor in the middle of the line of text. Now press the Backspace key and it will delete one character to the left of the text cursor position. On a blank line in a Word 2010 document, press the Tab key (left hand side next to the letter Q) a few times in order to create some tab stop positions. Now press the Backspace key and this will delete the newly created tab stop positions. Be careful when using the Backspace key if you have a highlighted a block of text within a document, it will behave in the same way as pressing the Delete key. 4

7 Delete The Delete key does exactly what it says on it, it deletes things. This can be a single character of text, a selection of files or a whole page of text within a large document. What it actually deletes though depends on the context in which it is being used and what is selected. Start Microsoft Word 2010 and type in a line of text. Position the text cursor in the middle of the line of text. Now press the Delete key and it will delete one character to the right of the text cursor position. Highlight the rest of the line of text given in the above example and now press the Delete key. This time it will delete all of the remaining line of text. The Delete key can also be used to delete a file or folder from your computer that you no longer need. Start Windows Explorer (file manager program), select the file you wish to delete and then press the Delete key. You will be prompted to confirm the file deletion to the recycle bin. Be careful when using the Delete key, especially when deleting files and folders. Enter The Enter key is also commonly referred to as the Return key. There are two Enter keys on a standard keyboard. The main one is the larger key spanning two rows at the right hand side of the character keys block. It is marked with a left pointing arrow with a tiny up angled line. It can be used, for example, to create blank lines in Word 2010 document, cause a dialog box to perform its default action or submit data entered on a web page. It can be used as an alternative to clicking a button with the mouse. The second Enter key is available on the numeric keypad to the right of the keyboard. The next time you have a dialog box open, take a close look at the button options available to you. For example, start Microsoft Word 2010 and from the File menu, select Save As. This brings up the Save As dialog box. Look at the two option buttons available to you at the bottom right hand side of the dialog box, Save and Cancel. Note that the Save button has a thicker coloured border around it. This indicates that the button is highlighted and it is the default selected option. ing the Enter key at this point will cause the file to be saved with the given file name and the dialog box to close. This is the equivalent of moving the mouse cursor over the Save button and clicking on it. This can save time by not having to reach for the mouse every time you need to complete an action. Use the Tab key to switch between the buttons. Note that this will also tab through other fields such as the file name. The default option is usually chosen with care by the program developer. Look out for default button actions in future to save you time. 5

8 Insert You may recall that this is the key I mentioned in the tutorial outline. This is one of a block of six keys located towards the right hand side of the keyboard between the character keys and numeric keypad. When using a program like Microsoft Word 2010, if the Insert key is on and the cursor positioned at the beginning of a line of text, any character key presses will overtype the existing text. When the key is off (the default setting) and the curser positioned at the beginning of a line of text, any new characters typed will be added and the existing line of text will move to the right to create room for the new characters. The Insert key is disabled by default in Word You can activate it in Word Options. From the File tab, select Options and then Advanced. In the section headed Editing Options, locate the check boxes Use the Insert key to control overtype mode and use overtype mode. Click on the check boxes to select them and then click on the OK button at the bottom of the Options screen. When you now press the insert button, look in the status bar at the bottom of the Word 2010 screen and you will see an Insert or Overtype indication depending on the current status of the Insert key. Return See Enter Function Keys Function Keys (F1 F12) Many of the Function keys can be programmed by a software company to provide features specific to its requirements. ing the F6 key whilst using a program developed by company x may not respond in the same way as one developed by company y. There are, however, some commonly observed Function key conventions for Windows based programs. ing the F1 key will display the Help menu of the program currently active on the screen (the one you are working on). If no programs are currently running and you are on the Windows desktop, pressing F1 will display the Windows operating system help menu. An active program is also referred to as having the Focus. 6

9 Lock Keys Caps Lock Light & Key The Caps Lock key is located at the left hand side of the keyboard next to the letter A. The light indication is typically located at the top right of the keyboard next to the Num Lock and Scroll Lock lights. ing the Num Lock key will turn the light on or off depending on the previous state. If the light is illuminated the Caps Lock is on and all the character keys typed will be in upper case. Even with the Caps Lock key on, you still need to additionally press the shift key to obtain symbols such as the pound and & ampersand. Num Lock Light & Key The Num Lock light indicates the status of the Num Lock key which is usually located underneath the LED light itself. ing the Num Lock key will turn the light on or off depending on the previous state. The Num Lock key controls the numeric keypad located at the right hand side of the keyboard. This keypad is ideal to use for entering a large amount of numeric data into the computer or doing calculations. Note that some of the keys have additional markings on them, for example, the number 8 key also has an upward pointing arrow on it, the number 1 key also has End on it and the number 7 key also has Home on it. This is because these keys have a dual purpose. ing the number 8 key when the Num Lock light is on will type the number 8. If the number 8 key is pressed when the Num Lock light is off the cursor will move up one line. The Navigation keys (Arrow keys) and the Home, PgUp, End, PgDn, Del and Ins keys have the same functionality as the Home, Page Up, End, Page Down, Delete and Insert keys. The default setting is for the Num Lock to be on when the computer starts. This can be changed to suit individual preferences. Check your computer manual. Scroll Lock Light & Key The Scroll Lock LED light is typically at the right hand side of the three LED keyboard lights. It indicates the status of the Scroll Lock key. If the light is illuminated the Scroll Lock is on. ing the Scroll Lock button will turn the light on or off depending on the previous state. This key is rarely used and many keyboards, especially laptops, no longer have a Scroll Lock light or key. It has its origins in the early days of computing and was programmed to lock all scrolling techniques. 7

10 Modifier Keys Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts The Alt, Shift and Ctrl keys are known as modifier keys. Such keys modify the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. Simply put, pressing and holding down the Shift key prior to pressing any letter keys will cause them to be in upper case instead of the normal lower case. Alt The Alt key is situated on the bottom row of the keyboard at the left hand side of the space bar. It is used to change the function of other pressed keys, similar to the Shift and Control keys. The Alt key can also be used to highlight menu selection options and insert the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) codes. Start Word 2010 and then press the Alt key once. Look at the menu bar and the numbers 1, 2 & 3 are displayed along with the letters F, H, N, P, S, M, R, W, X, JT, JL. Now press the F letter key to show the File options of Save, Save As etc. ing the Alt key when using other Windows programs will highlight one of the menu options (most commonly File, or the first menu item in the program.). You can press the right Navigation key to change the highlighting to the next menu option to the right and so on. ing Esc will cancel this action or press Enter to accept it. and hold down the Alt key and then press the number 6 followed by the number 4 key on the numeric keypad. Now release the Alt key to obtain the at The ASCII code for symbol being 64. Additional ASCII codes you may find useful are: 0169 copyright sign, 0174 registered trade mark, 0188 ¼ fraction one quarter, 0189 ½ fraction one half, 0190 ¾ fraction three quarters and 0177 ± plus or minus sign. ing and holding down the Alt key and then the F4 key will cause a program to close. AltGr The AltGr key is mainly used to type characters such as currency symbols or accented letters. The really observant of you will have noticed that there is usually one key on most keyboards that has three markings on it. It is situated at the top left hand side next to the number 1 key and it has the markings ` and on it. and hold down the Alt Gr key and then press this key to type the symbol. and hold down the Alt Gr key and then press the e key to obtain the e-acute letter é. and hold down the Alt Gr key and then press the number 4 key to obtain the Euro symbol. 8

11 Ctrl There are two Control keys on a standard keyboard. Both keys work exactly the same so it generally doesn t matter which one is pressed. The Control key is similar to the Shift key in that it rarely does anything when pressed by itself. It is normally pressed in combination with another key or keys. and hold down the Ctrl key and then press the S key to save a document in Word 2010 and most other programs. and hold down the Ctrl key and then press the F key will bring up the Find menu in Word Shift There are two Shift keys on a standard keyboard. The Shift key is normally used to type one or perhaps up to three characters in upper case. and hold down the Shift key and then press the character key you want to type in upper case. Both keys work exactly the same so it generally doesn t matter which one is pressed if you are a two fingered typist. If more than three upper case characters are required, it is recommended that you use the Caps Lock key. The Shift key rarely does anything when pressed by itself. If the Caps Lock is on, pressing the Shift key and then typing a character will cause it to be in lower case. The row of number keys have symbols above them, examples being: 1 and!, 5 and %. and hold down the Shift key and then press the number 3 key to obtain the sign. Note that it does not matter if the Caps Lock key is on or off when you do this. Navigation Keys Arrow Keys See Navigation Keys. End The End key is most commonly used within a text editing program to move the cursor to the end of a line of text. Home The Home key is most commonly used within a text editing program to return the cursor to the beginning of a line of text. Start Word and type a line of text. Position the text cursor in the middle of the line and press the Home and End keys to move the text cursor to the beginning and end of the line of text. 9

12 Navigation Keys Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts Quite often referred to as the Arrow keys these four keys are situated at the bottom right hand side of the keyboard between the Character keys and block of Numeric keys. The Navigation keys are commonly used to move the cursor within a document in the direction the arrow points. ing one of the Navigation keys in a Word text document for example, will cause the cursor to move one character to the left or right, or one line up or down, depending on which button is pressed. Page Down The Page Down key is mainly used to move down one page within a multiple page document. Sometimes this key is abbreviated to PgDn. Page Up The Page Up key is mainly used to move up one page within a multiple page document. Sometimes this key is abbreviated to PgUp. Tab The Tab (abbreviation of tabulator) key is at the top left hand side of the character block next to the letter Q. It is slightly larger than the letter keys and is marked with a left pointing arrow above a right pointing arrow. The Tab key is commonly used to move the cursor to the next tab stop position in a text document or moving between text entry fields on web page. Microsoft Word 2010 has default tab stops set at 1 cm. If you open a blank document in Word and press the tab key twice, it will move the cursor 2 cm from the left hand margin. This can be handy for aligning text on different rows. System and GUI Keys Esc The Escape key is used to escape from, or in other word cancel, an action currently being undertaken. This can quickly be demonstrated by clicking on the Windows Start button. The Start menu is displayed showing installed programs and other links. Now press the Esc key and this will close the Start menu as it has escaped from the action currently being undertaken (displaying the Start menu). Pause/Break This key has its origins in the earlier days of computing prior to Windows, where typically it was used to interrupt communications and pause scrolling text on the screen. It also acted as a way of breaking out of a currently running program or task. It is rarely used on a modern computer system. The Pause key will halt the start-up process when a computer is first switched on (commonly referred to as booting up). You can then read the system information showing the amount of memory installed etc. any key to resume the boot process. 10

13 PrtScn/SysRq The Print Screen/System Request key is another key with its origins in the early days of computing and is rarely used on Windows computers. It does have an interesting and possibly useful use though on a modern computer. Prior to Windows, computers used to display text to the screen line by line. ing PrtScn sent this screen display to a printer. It also acted as a way of communicating with another computer by sending a System Request to it for attention. You can use PrtScn/SysRq to capture a screen image and then paste this into a Word 2010 document or photo editor program. Start Word 2010 or Windows Paint if you don t have Word installed. the PrtScn/SysRq button. Please note that it is normal that nothing appears to happen when you do this. In Word, right click the mouse button over the blank document and select Paste. Using Paint, click on the Paste icon on the toolbar. The captured screen image is displayed. You can now crop or edit it as required. Windows Logo Key Nearly always referred to as the Windows key, there are two such keys on a modern keyboard. The addition of these two keys and a menu key marked a change from earlier keyboards to the keyboard layout used today. ing the Windows key will display the Windows Start menu. The menu can be cleared by pressing the same key again. You can alternatively use the Esc key to close the menu. Windows Menu Key The Windows Menu key is marked by a menu list and cursor pointer. ing the Menu key is the equivalent of right-clicking the mouse button. The menu options displayed will depend on the program being used and the current cursor position. Start Word On a blank page type a line of text and include some misspelt words. Position the text cursor in one of the misspelt words and then press the Menu key. Note that the options are related to spelling. Now move the text cursor to another correctly spelt word and press the Menu key again. This time the options include changing the font, paragraph, bullet or numbering. 11

14 Keyboard Shortcuts Individual keyboard keys can be combined to access commonly used program features such as making text bold or saving a document. These key combinations are called keyboard shortcuts. Most keyboard shortcuts are shown in an abbreviated form with a plus sign between them, like Ctrl + Shift + F. This indicates that you must press and hold down the Ctrl key, then press and hold down the Shift key, and then finally press the F key. Release all keys after the action has taken place. From now on all shortcuts will be shown in the abbreviated form. Remember, many keyboard shortcuts are common to other Windows based programs. There are many additional keyboard shortcuts available for the Windows operating system, Word, Excel and other Windows programs. Some programs have literally dozens of shortcuts. To find additional shortcuts for Word or Excel, use the program help and type keyboard shortcuts in the search box. Some Windows operating system shortcuts are specific to the version being used (XP, Vista, 7 or 8). Depending on the configuration of your computer, not all shortcut keys described here may work as expected. Windows System Shortcuts To Display the start menu Show the desktop Open Windows Explorer Lock the desktop or switch users Minimize all windows Windows Logo Key Windows Logo Key + D Windows Logo Key + E Windows Logo Key + L Windows Logo Key + M Restore minimized widows to desktop Windows Logo Key + Shift +M Open system properties Windows Logo Key + Pause/Break Minimise the active window Windows Logo Key +h Maximise the active window Windows Logo Key +i Move between open programs Alt + Tab 12

15 Microsoft Word 2010 Shortcuts Highlighting Text To Highlight One character (left or right) One word (left or right) To the beginning or end of a line One line up or down To the beginning or end of a paragraph To the beginning or end of a document The entire document Shift +f org (arrow keys) Ctrl + Shift +f org (arrow keys) Shift + Home or End Shift +hori (arrow keys) Ctrl + Shift +hori (arrow keys) Ctrl + Shift + Home or End Ctrl + A Working With Documents To Create a new document Open a document Close a document Save a document Find text, formatting and special items Replace text, formatting and special items Crtl + N Crtl + O Crtl + W Crtl + S Crtl + F Crtl + H Actions To Cancel an action Undo an action Redo or repeat an action Esc Ctrl + Z Ctrl + Y Moving Within Documents To To the end of a line To the beginning of a line One character (left or right) One word (left or right) One paragraph (up or down) To the beginning of a document To the end of a document End Home f org (arrow keys) Ctrl +f org (arrow keys) Ctrl + hor i (arrow keys) Ctrl + Home Crtl + End 13

16 Function Keys To Get help from the Office Assistant F1 Formatting Characters and Paragraphs To Apply an underline Ctrl + U Apply Italicised formatting Ctrl + I Apply bold formatting Ctrl + B Centre a paragraph Ctrl + E Justify a paragraph Ctrl + J Left align a paragraph Ctrl + L Right align a paragraph Ctrl + R Change the font Ctrl + Shift + F Increase the font size Ctrl + Shift + > Decrease the font size Ctrl + Shift + < Editing Text To Cut selected text to the clipboard Copy selected text or graphics Paste the clipboard contents Delete one character to the left Delete one word to the left Delete one character to the right Delete one word to the right Ctrl + X Ctrl + C Ctrl + V! (backspace key) Ctrl +! (backspace key) Delete Ctrl + Delete Printing and Previewing Documents To Print a document Switch to a print preview Ctrl + P Alt + Ctrl + I Special Characters and Actions To Insert A page break A non-breaking space The copyright symbol The registered trademark symbol Ctrl + 8 (Enter key) Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar Alt + Ctrl + C Alt + Ctrl + R 14

17 Non-breaking spaces are used to keep names, dates and other text together that should not be broken onto different lines. Use a non-breaking space between the words, letters or numbers. Excel 2010 shortcuts To Cut selected text to the clipboard Copy selected text or graphics Paste the clipboard contents Display the print dialog box Open a document Close a document Save a document Find text or numbers Ctrl + X Ctrl + C Ctrl + V Crtl + P Crtl + O Crtl + W Crtl + S Crtl + F Enter contents of the active cell 8 (Enter key) Insert the current date into the active cell Ctrl + ; Enter the data from the clipboard Edit the active cell Shift + Insert Display the formatting dialog box Ctrl + 1 Toggle between hiding, displaying Ctrl + 6 Toggle between cell value and entered formula Ctrl + ` (top left of the keyboard) Start a formula Ctrl + 1 F2 Control-Alt-Delete No keyboard tutorial would be complete without mentioning the computer keyboard command of Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This can be used to log out, switch users, or start the task manager program. Task manager displays the current processor and memory usage and a list of running programs. This keyboard command is most likely to behave differently on a workplace computer. Typically it will bring up a login dialog box where a user name and password have to be entered in order to gain access to the computer. 15

18 Conclusion Keyboard Keys & Keyboard Shortcuts I hope this tutorial has been useful to you. It has grown to be much larger than I ever intended it to be and I know there is much more I could write about this subject. I feel this is a good point to conclude and encourage you to progress further by discovering for yourself the many additional keyboard shortcuts that will assist you. I enjoyed writing this tutorial and I have tried to make it as interesting and useful as possible. I welcome your comments and feedback along with suggestions for improving it. My address and website details are on page 1. Best wishes in computing. Tom & George 16

19 Index M Microsoft Word 2010 Shortcuts A Alt... 8 AltGr... 8 Arrow Keys... 9 Author... 1 B Backspace... 4 C Caps Lock Light & Key... 7 Character, Number and Symbol Keys... 4 Computer keyboard... 3 Ctrl... 9 D Delete... 5 E End... 9 Enter... 5 Esc Excel 2010 shortcuts F Function Keys (F1 F12)... 6 N Navigation Keys Num Lock Light & Key... 7 P Page Down Page Up Pause/Break PrtScn/SysRq R Return... 6 S Scroll Lock Light & Key... 7 Shift... 9 T Tab W Windows Logo Key Windows Menu Key Windows System Shortcuts H Home... 9 I Insert... 6 K Keyboard Shortcuts... 12