Some tips for using the keyboard were given in the article. Let's consider the meaning of some keys on the keyboard. In the upper right corner of the 101-key keyboard, there are three indicator lights (in other words, light bulbs):
- Caps Lock - capital letters mode,
- Num Lock - number lock mode,
- Scroll Lock - scroll lock mode.
Enabling and disabling the above modes occurs by pressing the keys of the same name: Caps Lock, Num Lock (Num Lk), Scroll Lock (Scr Lk).
In laptops, where the number of keys is smaller, the Caps Lock key is located in the same place as in the 101-key keyboard. The Num Lock key is usually found with F11, and the Scroll Lock key is with F12. To switch to 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.
1) Key Caps lock(translated as "fixing uppercase letters") is located on the left of the keyboard. 
If you do not click on Caps Lock (that is, the light is off) 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.
If you press the Caps Lock (the light, more precisely, the indicator light is on), then when entering text, the letters will be displayed in uppercase (large). In this mode, pressing the Shift key will display lowercase (small) letters (the exact opposite of what is done in normal mode when the Caps Lock light is off).
Caps Lock mode (or capital letter mode) is useful when entering text with these letters. To enter one large letter is more convenient, of course, 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 by a specified number of positions. In other programs, its functionality can change, for example, Tab can switch between query fields, etc.
Key Esc(Escape - "to run away, to save") is located above the Tab key and is mainly used to cancel an action.
2) Num Lock key(translated as "fixing numbers") on the keyboard is on the right. It is responsible for the operation of the small numeric keypad in two modes: if the Num Lock indicator is on (i.e., you pressed the Num Lock key), then the small numeric keypad works in the mode of entering numbers from 0 to 9 and a period.
If the Num Lock indicator is off, then the small numeric keypad is operating in cursor control mode (up, down, right, left, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown arrows). More about the Num Lock key
Key Delete("Delete") or Del is commonly used to delete characters to the right of the cursor. Key Backspace("Step back") or the 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 about habit.
Key Insert("Insert") or Ins is commonly used to switch between two character entry modes:
- spread character input (insert mode) and
- input with replacement of previously typed characters, that is, a new text is entered, while the "old" text is automatically erased (replacement mode).
In MS Word 2007, the insert / replace mode is disabled by default. Apparently, this was done on purpose, since an accidental press of the Insert key led in earlier versions of Word to the fact that the replacement mode was turned on, when the old text was deleted, and a new one was entered instead.
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 the “Use INS key to switch between insert and replace modes”.
As noted above, the Home, End, PageUp, PageDown keys, up, down, left and right arrows are called cursor keys... Clicking on them, as a rule, leads to moving the cursor in the required direction or to "scrolling" of what is on the screen.
Pressing the keys Home and End usually moves the cursor to the beginning and end of the line, respectively.
Pressing the keys PageUp("Page up") and PageDown("Page down") results in scrolling through the contents of the screen, for example, when editing a document one page up or down.
3) Scroll Lock(on the keyboard, top right) - was widely used in the early 80s, when there was no mouse manipulator. 
When the “Scroll Lock” mode is on, 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 position of the cursor (up, down, left, right). Now the action of this button can be viewed, for example, in Excel spreadsheets. If you start Excel and press Scroll Lock, then the arrow keys will move the table, and not a single selected cell.
In general, the Scroll Lock key in different programs can work as it will be programmed.
Computer literacy exercises:
- Enter Russian and English letters in the text editor with the Caps Lock indicator on. Repeat the same while holding down the Shift key. Pay attention to what letters are displayed: lowercase or uppercase.
- Now we print with the Caps Lock indicator off. Then we print while holding Shift. When are lowercase and when uppercase letters entered?
- We look at the Num Lock mode. When is the numeric keypad in numeric 0, 1, ..., 9, and dot mode, and when in cursor mode?
- Copy the text of this task into a text editor on your PC, place the cursor in the middle of the text and check how the characters are deleted using the Delete and Backspase keys. When are characters removed to the left of the cursor, and when are characters to the right of it?
- Try 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, press Insert and enter the text. What happens in this case: insertion of characters or their replacement (deleting old ones and entering new characters in their place)?
- You can check the little-used Scroll Lock key. You won't need a mouse here. We go into Excel spreadsheets, in the middle we enter into a cell, for example, the number 100. Press the Scroll Lock key, while you can use the arrows (up, down, left, right) to move through the table. It turns out the keyboard analogue of the mouse when moving inside the Excel window.
- Look in a text editor for the action of the Home, End keys, the up, down, left, and right arrows within two or three lines, and the PageUp, PageDown action within two or more screen pages.
- Copy a few lines into a text editor. Place the cursor at the beginning of the text, press the Tab key. If everything is done correctly, then the text should begin with a "red line".
P.S. The article is over, but you can still read it.
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12. Troubleshoot keyboard problems
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19. The onscreen keyboard on your computer
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What do the computer keys mean, the assignment of keys on the keyboard
By their purpose, the keys
on the keyboard are divided into six groups:
what groups of keys the keyboard is divided into functional;
alphanumeric;
cursor control;
digital panel;
specialized;
modifiers.
function keys F1 - F12 on a computer keyboard Function keys F1 - F12
on a computer keyboard
Functional row of the F1 - F12 key.
Twelve function keys are located
in the topmost row of the keyboard.
Assigning the f1 - f12 keys on a computer keyboard
Function keys also have their own functions on a computer, you can see this in the “User's Guide” attached to each computer.
But besides this - these keys are involved in, or they are also called - this is when, by pressing one, two or three keys, certain commands for the computer are executed.
For instance:
by pressing the F1 key - we call the help for that
the program that you have, at this moment, is open.
About "hot keys" below.
Alphanumeric keys on the keyboard
Alphanumeric keys
Include
keys for entering letters, numbers, punctuation marks
and arithmetic operations, special characters.
The keyboard is originally capitalized. To print a capital letter,
you must first press the Shift key and hold it down to press the desired letter.
The Shift key can be pressed both to the right and to the left, as you like
more convenient (although for the ten-finger typing method it is
it is important which side of Shift to press).
If you want to print all the text in capital letters, then press the key
Caps Lock, you don't need to hold it, all the text will be in capital letters. Return
to normal typing - press the Caps Lock key again.
Switch from Cyrillic to Latin and vice versa - press the Alt key and hold
her, Shift. Or you can simply - by clicking on the button with the language designation at the bottom of the screen -
RU, EN and choose.
Number pad keys
Number pad keys
The main purpose of the keys is
duplication of alphanumeric key functions
block in terms of entering numbers and arithmetic operators.
Using the keys on this panel is more convenient for entering numbers and arithmetic operators than entering these characters with the keys of the alphanumeric block.
On some computers, the numeric keypad is located in a separate unit,
right, (top image). Sometimes, most often on laptops, the numeric panel is located on the keys of the alphanumeric block, (bottom image).
In my opinion - not very convenient, but probably you need to get used to it,
if the need arises.
Keyboard modifier keys
Modifier keys
Shift, Ctrl, Caps Lock, Alt and AltGr keys (right Alt)
are among the.
They are intended to change (modify) the actions of other keys.
Modifier keys are the most commonly used, so they have
increased size. In addition, the Shift and Ctrl keys are duplicated.
on both sides of the alphanumeric keypad.
assignment of each of the keys on the computer keyboard
Assigning each of the keys
on a computer keyboard
And now - in more detail about the assignment of each of the keys on the keyboard.
computer. It is possible that not all of them will be useful to you, but you should know
what each of them is responsible for, probably!
The space bar - in addition to its main function, to do
space between words also removes the "selected" object.
Esc - cancel the last action (closes unnecessary windows).
Print Screen - prints the contents of the screen -
"Photographs" the screen. Then we can insert this screenshot
in Word or Paint. This screen shot is called a "screenshot".
Scroll Lock - in theory, it should serve, in order to
scroll information up and down, that is, duplicate the wheel
scrolling on a computer mouse, but not on all computers this
the button works.
Pause / Break - designed to pause an active
computer process, but also - does not work on all computers.
Insert - Insert button in order to print text over already
printed. If you press this key, the new text will be
printing erasing old. To cancel it, you need to press again
on the Insert key.
Delete - delete. Removes characters on the right side
blinking cursor. Removes "selected" objects (lines of text,
folders, files).
Home - go to the beginning of the filled line.
End - go to the end of the filled line.
Page Up - turns the page forward.
Page Down - turns the page back.
Home, End, Page Up, Page Down keys are mainly needed by those who are professional and types a lot. But also navigate with these
keys on a website page on the Internet - you can too.
Backspase - removes characters to the left of the blinking
cursor while typing text. And returns to the previous
page in browsers and in windows "Explorer", replacing the arrow
"Back", in the upper left corner.
Tab - tab stops the cursor at a specific position in the line.
Required to work in Word, Excel, Access programs. And in the usual
typing - quickly skips to the end of a blank line.
Caps Lock - caps and caps lock. If you need all
type the text in capital letters - press the Caps Lock key.
Return to normal position - press again.
Shift - short pressing of this key - gives the uppercase
letter. In order to print the capital letter, you must first press
Shift key and holding it press the desired letter. Shift key
you can click both on the right and left, as you like.
Alt - to switch to the opposite language (from English to
Russian and vice versa) - you need to press the Alt key and without releasing it
Shift key. Press and hold the AltGr key (right Alt)
used to go to the second level of the keyboard.
Ctrl - right and left. Opens up additional opportunities
programs.
Nut Look - when the Nut Look indicator is on, it works
numeric (numeric) keyboard, which is located on the keyboard
either as a separate block, on the right, or in the center, on the keys -
alphanumeric.
Enter - the key for entering information, confirms the "yes" command.
For example: you enter any address into the address bar of the browser,
but there is no "find" button there, so press the key
Enter, thereby giving a command to the browser - find. In search
lines also can not press "find", and press Enter.
And when moving to the next line when typing - also,
press Enter.
Cursor keys - (up), (down), (right),
(to the left). Move only along filled lines. Via
these arrows can be moved not only in the text that you are typing,
but also on open pages of sites and programs. Except for those sites
where there is a search bar. There it is possible to move only along the
search bar.
What are hotkeys or keyboard shortcuts
What are hotkeys
(or "keyboard shortcuts")
(or "keyboard shortcuts")
"Hot keys" or "keyboard shortcuts" refer to a way that
when, by pressing one, two or three keys, certain
commands for the computer or for the currently open program.
First, you should know that the combination "key" + "key" means
that you first need to press the first key, and then, while holding it, the second. Keyboard
when pressing "hot keys" - in Latin (in Cyrillic, some commands call other programs).
The "hotkeys" sometimes use the Win and Menu keys, and since
on the keyboard, they only have icons, then the Win key is between
with the Ctrl and Alt keys on the left side (the Windows logo is drawn on it).
The Menu key is to the left of the right Ctrl.
Since my site is prepared to help an inexperienced user,
then I will not "load" you with many existing "hot keys"
I will tell you only a few that are easier to work with and with which
I work myself.
General purpose hotkeys
"Hotkeys"
general purpose
Win - Open the Start menu.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc - Call the "Task Manager".
Win + E - Launch the "Explorer" program (short press,
because a long press opens multiple windows).
Win + D - Minimize all windows.
Win + F1 - Open Windows Help.
Win + F - Open the file search window.
Win + Pause - Displays the System Properties window.
F4 - Go to the address bar of the explorer.
F1 - Call the help of the currently open application.
Backspace - Go up one level in the explorer window.
Ctrl + F - Launches the search utility.
Alt + Printscreen - Take a screenshot of the currently active window.
Ctrl + A - Select all (objects, text).
Ctrl + Inser t - Copy to clipboard (objects, text) -
but first "select" the object, the text.
Ctrl + P - Print the current document.
Ctrl + Z - Undo the last action.
Keyboard shortcuts for working with text
"Hotkeys"
in working with text
Ctrl + A - Select All.
Ctrl + Insert - Copy.
Shift + Delete - Cut.
Shift + Insert - Paste.
Ctrl + → - Jump by words in the text. Works not only
in text editors.
Ctrl + Shift + → - Select text by words.
Ctrl + End - Move to the beginning / end of a line of text, document.
Of course, not all of these "hot keys" are convenient to use.
It is more convenient for me to "copy", "paste", "cut" - with the right mouse button.
Hotkeys for working with files
"Hotkeys"
in working with files
Shift + F10 - Display the context menu of the current object
(similar to right-clicking).
Menu - Same as Shift + F10.
Enter - Same as double clicking on the selected object.
Delete - Delete an object.
Shift + Delete - Permanently deleting an object,
without placing it in the basket.
What is virtual keyboard
What is "Virtual Keyboard"
"Virtual keyboard" is a program that is installed either on a PC,
or there are online services. With this program you can type
letters, numbers, punctuation marks and more - without using your keyboard on your
using only the mouse.
That is, you do not type text with your fingers, but click on the letters with the mouse.
on the "virtual keyboard" and the text is typed in the same way as on your native keyboard.
Free online virtual keyboard on Yandex
Keypad buttons meaning
On the keyboard, with which we type the text, there are quite a few buttons. Each of these buttons is needed for something. In this lesson, we will look at the keyboard buttons and remember those that will be useful to us for working with text.
Keyboard keys
Key Esc... Its full name is Escape (pronounced "Eskipe") and it means "Exit". With this button we can close some programs. To a greater extent, this applies to computer games..gif "alt =" (! LANG: Function keys (F1-F12)" width="350" height="87">!}
Slightly below there is a row of buttons with numbers and signs (! "" #;%:? *, Etc.).
To print a character instead of a number, press the key with the desired character while holding down the Shift key.
If the character printed is not the one you want, try changing the alphabet (bottom right) .. gif "alt =" (! LANG: English" width="19" height="22 src=">!}
On many keyboards, the numbers are also on the right side.
DIV_ADBLOCK59 ">
It so happens that these numbers do not work. You press the key with the desired number, but it is not printed. This means that the numeric keypad is turned off. In order to turn it on, you need to press the Num Lock button once..jpg "alt =" (! LANG: Letters" width="326" height="78">!}
As a rule, each button has two letters - one foreign, the other Russian. In order to print the letter of the desired language, it must be selected at the bottom of the screen..gif "alt =" (! LANG: English" width="19" height="22 src=">!}
The computer "selects" the letters of the alphabet that is installed on it.
Also, the alphabet can be changed by clicking on two buttons at once:
Shift and Alt
Shift and Ctrl
How to type a capital (capital) letter
In order to type a capital letter, you need to hold down the Shift key and press the desired letter with it.
How to print period and comma
If the Russian alphabet is installed, then in order to print a point, you need to press the last key in the lower letter row. It's in front of the Shift button.
To print a comma, press the same button while holding Shift.
When the English alphabet is selected, to print a point, you need to press the key that is in front of the Russian point. It usually has the letter "U" written on it.
And the comma in the English alphabet is located where the Russian letter "B" is written (before the English dot).
The Tab key is used to indent the beginning of a sentence. This indent is also called a paragraph or red line. Click at the beginning of the text and press the Tab key. If the red line is configured correctly, the text will shift slightly to the right.
Below the key that makes the red line is the Caps Lock key. It is used to type large letters.
Press the Caps Lock once and release it. Try typing a word. All letters will be printed in large. To cancel this feature, press and release the Caps Lock key again. The letters will be printed small as before.
The long bottom button on your keyboard is called the space bar. It is needed in order to make the spaces between words.
On the right side at the top is the Backspace button. Often it just has an arrow pointing to the left.
This button is needed in order to erase letters. It removes those letters that are printed in front of the blinking stick (cursor). Also the Backspace button is used to move the text up.
Below the key for deleting text is the Enter key.
It is designed to omit the text below and go to the next line.
Consider the buttons that are located between the alphabetic and numeric keyboards. These are buttons such as Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down and arrow buttons. They are needed in order to work with text without the aid of a mouse.
https://pandia.ru/text/78/316/images/image020_44.gif "alt =" (! LANG: Print Screen" width="150" height="56 src=">!}
In this article, we covered the keyboard keys. Many of them, most likely, you will never need. But there are those keyboard keys that you will use quite often.
Keyboard buttons to remember
https://pandia.ru/text/78/316/images/image021_45.gif "alt =" (! LANG: Caps Lock" width="78" height="42">- после нажатия этой кнопки все буквы будут печататься большими. Чтобы вернуть печать маленькими буквами, нужно еще раз нажать кнопку Caps Lock.!}
- indents (red line).
Space. With this button you can make the distance between words.
Drops one line below. To do this, put a blinking 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 in front of the blinking cursor. Simply put, it erases the text. Also, this button raises the text one line higher. To do this, put a blinking stick (blinking cursor) at the beginning of the part of the text that you want to move up, and press the "Backspace" button.
The keyboard is the main tool for managing your computer. Mastering it is a top priority for any user. Having mastered the purpose of special keys and their combinations, you will be able to speed up and facilitate your work.
Basic keyboard key blocks
A typical keyboard consists of 5 key blocks:
- Symbolic (with the image of letters of the Russian and English alphabets, numbers and punctuation marks). To print characters instead of numbers, press and hold the Shift key.
- Additional block of numeric keys (on the right side of the keyboard). Here is the Num Lock button, which turns this block on and off.
- Special keys:
- Caps Lock - Changes the case of the keyboard (uppercase letters to lowercase). By default, most computers are configured to print in lowercase letters, after a single press of the Caps Lock button, uppercase letters are printed;
- Enter - usually used to move the blinking cursor to the line below;
- Tab - indents the "red" line;
- Alt, Ctrl - expand the capabilities of the keyboard, when pressed simultaneously with other characters, they give specific commands to the computer.
- Cursor keys in graphic and text editors with arrows that move the cursor up, down, left, right. And also buttons:
- Insert - allows you to activate the mode of inserting / replacing text on the page;
- Delete - deletes the character to the right of the text cursor or the selected text;
- Backspace - deletes the character in front of the cursor;
- Home - move the blinking cursor to the beginning of the text / paragraph;
- End - move the cursor to the end of the page;
- Page up - turns the page up;
- Page Down - turns the page down.
- In addition, there are more keys:
- Esc - closes some programs (browser windows, computer games and others);
- long empty button - space;
- Print Screen - takes a "photo" of the screen, saves it to the clipboard.
- Function keys (top row, signed with Latin F and numbers from 1 to 12) - together with the previous block, allow you to use the keyboard without a mouse.
- F1 - call Windows help;
- F2 - editing the selected object (renaming files, folders);
- F3 - search activation. Calls up a search box in the system or enables text search in the browser;
- F4 - activates the address bar in Windows Explorer and opens the address bar history in the Internet Explorer browser;
- F5 - executes the "update" command, for example, a page on the Internet or system operation;
- F6 - moves the blinking cursor to the address bar of browsers or is used in computer games to save the achieved level;
- F7 - F9 - do not have standard functions, their purpose varies depending on the application. In games, F9 usually causes the F6 quicksave to load;
- F10 - call the program menu;
- F11 - switches the windowed mode to full-screen and vice versa, this is convenient, for example, when watching movies;
- F12 - in a text editor Microsoft Word allows you to save the current document.
In general, when getting acquainted with any application, it makes sense to figure out what functions the function keys perform. This can help you make your work easier and faster.
"Hotkeys
Pressing some keys at the same time allows the computer to execute more commands quickly. Such keyboard shortcuts are called "hot". The most common ones are:
- Alt + Shift - switch keyboard layout (changes the input language);
- Alt + F4 - close the current window;
- Alt + Ctrl + Del - opens the "Task Manager";
- Ctrl + A - executes the "select all" command;
- Ctrl + X - cut to clipboard;
- Ctrl + C - copy to clipboard;
- Ctrl + V - paste from the clipboard;
- Ctrl + P - print the document;
- Ctrl + S - save the current document.
Features of working with a laptop keyboard
Those who had to work on a laptop keyboard must have noticed that some of the symbols and pictograms differ in color or are framed. Also highlighted is the Fn button in the bottom row to the left of the space bar. When you press Fn and keys of the same color at the same time, special tasks are performed.
Thus, you can change the volume level of the sound and screen backlight, turn on / off the touchpad (touch panel), put the laptop into sleep mode and perform other actions. Which keys are responsible for a particular function depends on the laptop model and the manufacturer's company, this information can be found in the accompanying documents to the computer or by decrypting the pictograms.
The keyboard is one of the earliest and most important hardware components in 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, in spite of the large number of design solutions on the keyboard market, the functions and purpose of the keys on almost all modifications of this type of products are organized according to the same principle. Which one?
Keyboard structure
Modern computer keyboards contain 101 or 102 buttons, which are divided into several groups. These are function keys, alphabetic, numeric, service, control, as well as so-called modifiers. Let's consider the purpose of each type.
Function Keys
There are 12 buttons of this type in total. They have long been included in the assignment of keys, their description is found in many textbooks on information technology, published even before the invention of the PC in its present form. Function keys are located in one row (usually), at the very top of the keyboard. Let's study their features.
The assignment of function keys is largely driven by tradition in the environment of computer and software manufacturers, and not by any rigid standards. There is a kind of generally accepted principles for associating buttons of a given group with certain actions. But it cannot be ruled out that individual software vendors will prefer to assign the function keys to whatever they want. Let's take a scenario in which we have to press these buttons while working in Windows, for example, the 7th version.
In this case, the F1 key will be responsible for calling the OS help system. Most of the programs running in Windows also imply the activation of help by pressing F1.
The F2 key is usually responsible for and folders in Windows. A similar function is assigned to it when working in some file managers.
The F3 button in Windows brings 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: switching to the address bar in the integrated file manager of the OS, and displaying history.
The F5 button refreshes 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 function 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 history.
The assignment of the computer keyboard keys in the F7-F9 series, 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 will press F10 to open the File menu.
The F11 key allows you to quickly jump the window to (or vice versa).
Control keys
These, as a rule, include the arrow keys - right, left, up and down. They are designed to perform operations on moving objects on the screen, to control characters in computer games, etc. They can also be used to position the cursor in the text.
Letter keys
Occupies the central space of the keyboard. In the numerical measurement of such buttons, there are most of all, the typical standard is 47 pieces. The English keyboard of a computer, as a rule, includes the letter buttons in their pure form. That is, apart from them, nothing is usually depicted on the keys. Russian usually allows the simultaneous use of some letter buttons and as "carriers" of punctuation marks. If you press them without a combination with others (for example, modifiers), then basic 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 a computer game (the second option is more common). In this sense, letter keys can sometimes be "control".
Numeric keys
They, depending on the configuration of a particular keyboard model, can be located above the letter block, and in some cases, 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 block of keys is especially convenient to use in calculations. There are also various auxiliary buttons for operations of multiplication, division, subtraction, addition, there is an Enter key.
Modifiers
The purpose of the keyboard keys, referred to as "modifiers", is to change the essence of the entered commands using functional, alphabetic or numeric buttons by simultaneously pressing. These are CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT. Some experts also refer to modifiers as INSERT, SCROLL LOCK and NUM LOCK buttons. Other experts distinguish these four keys into a separate group - the so-called "mode" buttons.
Let's take a look at the most common actions that you can use these keys to do. The computer keyboard is designed so that the user can enter data not only with single button presses, but also in combination. The functions of many "modifiers" are performed precisely because of this possibility.
Users often combine keyboard buttons with the ALT key. For example, if you press the combination of ALT and TAB, then you can switch windows of different programs - from one to another. By using the combination of ALT and F4, the user will close the active application.
Keyboard shortcuts 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. into Quickly paste a "copy" by pressing CTRL + V. If instead of "C" you substitute "X", then the selected data will be "cut" from the original place, and after pressing CTRL + V it will be moved to a new one.
One of the most commonly pressed modifier buttons is SHIFT. It is in combination with it that most users type capital letters in the text.
Hotkeys
Some experts call It because the latter give the user the ability to very quickly perform an action that, if applied, say, a mouse would take longer. We have already given some examples that reflect the purpose of hotkeys: for example, copying text using the combination of CTRL, C, X and V, as a rule, is faster than in the option with calling the context menu using the mouse.
Combinations of "modifiers" are often used. For example, if a user has a "Russian" computer keyboard enabled, the layout can be changed to "English" by pressing the combination of ALT and SHIFT. And vice versa.
Service keys
There are quite a few of them on keyboards. Experts usually refer to them as the ESC, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, PRTSC, PAUSE, DEL, BACKSPACE, HOME, END, WIN, ENTER, TAB buttons, as well as SPACE, or, in Russian, space. There is an opinion that, in the broad sense of the word, control keys and modifiers are also "service", and therefore it would be more expedient to classify buttons in a different way. But at the same time, there are no uniform standards in this matter.
Most Popular
The most frequently used service key is SPACE. She 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 utility 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, a folder, starting a program (or some action in an already running one), as well as translating the text to a new line. Keyboards that have a separate numeric key area (on the right) usually have an additional ENTER key.
The ESC button is often used. Usually responsible for canceling an action. For example, if a picture viewer is open, you can close it by pressing ESC. If, of course, the corresponding button association is embedded in the application: in many cases, programs do not respond to pressing ESC.
The purpose of the PRTSC key is interesting. With it, you can take so-called "screenshots" - graphic screenshots of the contents of the screen at a particular moment in time. To save an image into a separate file, you need to run some program for processing pictures, for example, Paint or Photoshop, then "paste" it into the editable area (as an option, using a combination of CTRL and V), and then save it to a file of a convenient format ...
Rare but needed
Now let's examine the service buttons, rarely used, but very necessary in some cases. These include SCROLL LOCK and PAUSE. The first key is designed to change the mode of using the control arrows. So, for example, so that when the buttons "right" or "left" are pressed, the active window moves to the corresponding side. The PAUSE key can be useful if your PC is running a program or process that has a pause function. For example, before loading Windows, various kinds of system information are displayed on the PC screen. If the user is interested in reading it, but he does not have time to do this because of the fast switching of the computer to Windows startup, then he can "slow down" the process by pressing the PAUSE key. If, of course, the software interface allows it - its algorithms are laid down by the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard. To continue the program, it is usually enough to press any key on the keyboard.
New and useful
Over time, in the course of technical progress, the computer keyboard is constantly being improved and modernized. The purpose of the keys, their descriptions may vary. But this is not the only aspect of technological evolution. New keys can also be added and subsequently become, de facto, part of the generally accepted standards.
Among the newest buttons - WIN, as well as "menu". They are indicated on keyboards, as a rule, by drawings. 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, adapted for Windows, computer keyboard. Photos are below.
Actually, the appearance of both buttons under consideration, as it is believed, was due to the entry into the world market of the Windows operating system.
WIN key
The WIN key, in principle, can be classified as "hot", since in many cases the actions associated with it are carried out, firstly, in combination with other buttons, and secondly, they duplicate (with a relatively faster execution) operations, produced with the mouse. Note that pressing WIN separately will usually open the Start menu.
Let's take a look at some useful shortcuts using the WIN key.
The WIN + D combination allows you to minimize all open application windows (or, conversely, maximize).
WIN and R are useful from the point of view of invoking the Quick Launch window (into which you can enter the name of the main file, after which the application will start).
The combination of WIN and PAUSE (which, by the way, is another useful property of the second key) opens the "My Computer" properties menu.
What's useful in the Menu key? It is, in principle, associated with the same action that the user performs by pressing the right mouse button while the cursor is hovering over a file or folder. That is, it opens consisting of various options. Many users find it more convenient to use this function with the keyboard rather than the mouse.
Nuances of standardization
As we noted above, this is more a set of rules dictated by tradition than by international standards. However, computer and software manufacturers, one way or another, try not to experiment much with the association of buttons with new, unsuitable for other market solutions, functions.
Many users may not like the unusual computer keyboard, the purpose of the keys, the description of its functions. Many PC owners prefer their familiar hot, function, or service buttons to work exactly as they do in most applications. And therefore, the above-described regularities regarding the assignment of various types of keys, in general, are true for almost all keyboard models. In turn, software vendors try to associate application functions in algorithms that are more or less familiar to the market.
Windows standards on other systems
Moreover, even on operating systems other than Windows (such as Linux), the range of key assignments is generally very similar to that described above. In many competing operating systems, the initially Windows-oriented computer keyboard - the purpose of the keys, its description - reflect the same capabilities that are present in the OS from Microsoft. It even sometimes touches 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 the computer keyboard contains. The layout between languages using the combination of ALT and SHIFT changes not only in Windows.
