NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Shift key

The shift key is a modifier key on a keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate "upper" characters. There are typically two shift keys, on the left and right sides of the row below the home row. ImageMetadata File history File links Keyboard-left_keys. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Keyboard-left_keys. ... In computing, a modifier key is a special key on a computer keyboard that modifies the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. ... Alphanumeric keyboards include typewriter and computer keyboards. ... Majuscules or capital letters (in the Roman alphabet: A, B, C, ...) are one type of case in a writing system. ... Home row is a term that refers to the center row of alphabetical letters on a typewriter or computer keyboard. ...

On an English keyboard, characters that typically require the use of the shift key include the parentheses, the question mark, the exclamation point, and the colon. Various brackets in Arial // In writing Brackets are punctuation marks, used in pairs to set apart or interject text within other text. ... ? redirects here. ... An exclamation mark (also exclamation point, and (rarely) mark of admiration) is a punctuation mark or, more pedantically, a tone mark. ... The colon (:) is a punctuation mark, visually consisting of two equally sized dots centered on the same vertical line. ...

When the caps lock key is engaged, the shift key can be used to type lowercase letters. The caps lock on a modern Windows keyboard. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Letter case. ...

On computer keyboards, as opposed to typewriter keyboards, the shift key can have many more uses: It has been suggested that IBM PC keyboard be merged into this article or section. ... an index typewriter with a circular keyboard The 1874 Sholes & Glidden typewriters established the QWERTY layout for the letter keys that is used nowadays in Anglophone countries for virtually all computer keyboards and the majority of other keyboards. ...

On some keyboards, if both shift keys are held down simultaneously only some letters can be typed. For example on the Dell keyboard Model RT7D20 the letters A,C,D,E,G,I,J,L,N,R,S,T,U,V,W and Y can be typed. This phenomenon is known as "masking" and is a fundamental limitation of the way keyboards are designed. [1] A 102-key PC US English keyboard layout with the function keys in orange. ... A Control key (marked Ctrl) on a modern Windows keyboard In computing, a Control key is a key, which when pressed in conjunction with another key, will perform a special operation. ... The Alt key on a modern Windows keyboard The Alt key on an IBM PC keyboard is the key located immediately to either side of the Space bar, used to change (alternate) the function of other pressed keys. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... A typical arrow-like mouse cursor. ... A word processor (also more formally known as a document preparation system) is a computer application used for the production (including composition, editing, formatting, and possibly printing) of any sort of viewable or printed material. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... A hyperlink (often referred to as simply a link), is a reference or navigation element in a document to another section of the same document, another document, or a specified section of another document, that automatically brings the referred information to the user when the navigation element is selected by... An example of a web browser (Mozilla Firefox) showing the main Wikipedia web page. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of operating systems by Microsoft. ... Autorun or autoplay (sometimes spelled in CamelCase as AutoRun or AutoPlay) is the ability of many modern computer operating systems to automatically take some action upon the inserting of removable media such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or flash media. ... MediaMax CD-3 is a software package created by SunnComm and sold as a form of copy protection for compact discs. ... Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ... Dell Inc. ...

See also

Category: Computer keys AltGr is a modifier key on PC keyboards used to type many characters, primarily ones that are unusual for the locale of the keyboard layout, such as foreign currency symbols and accented letters. ... The Command key, previously known as the Apple key, is a modifier key present on Apple Macintosh keyboards. ... The Option key, also known as Alt key is a modifier key present on Apple Macintosh keyboards. ... It has been suggested that IBM PC keyboard be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Combining character. ... On some computer systems, a compose key is a key which is designated to signal the software to interpret the next keystrokes as a combination in order to produce a character not found on the keyboard. ... In computing, a modifier key is a special key on a computer keyboard that modifies the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. ... A Control key (marked Ctrl) on a modern Windows keyboard In computing, a Control key is a key, which when pressed in conjunction with another key, will perform a special operation. ... The Alt key on a modern Windows keyboard The Alt key on an IBM PC keyboard is the key located immediately to either side of the Space bar, used to change (alternate) the function of other pressed keys. ... The Option key, also known as Alt key is a modifier key present on Apple Macintosh keyboards. ... An Apple keyboard is a computer keyboard designed for the Mac OS, and usually made by Apple Computer. ... AltGr is a modifier key on PC keyboards used to type many characters, primarily ones that are unusual for the locale of the keyboard layout, such as foreign currency symbols and accented letters. ... The Command key The Command key, known as the open-Apple key in documentation previous to the Apple Macintosh family of computers, is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. ... The Meta key was a special key on old MIT computer keyboards. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a private coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT has five schools and one college, containing 32 academic departments,[2] with a strong emphasis on theoretical, applied, and interdisciplinary scientific and technological research. ... A Windows key on a black laptop keyboard The Windows key or Windows logo key (in short WinKey, or rarely Flag key) is a keyboard key originally introduced for the Windows 95 operating system. ... Fn key can also refer to the function keys on a computer keyboard. ... Computers and other typing devices offer many different keyboard layouts for inputting data in different languages. ... Lock is a function that locks part of the keyboard keys depending on the lock settings selected. ... Scroll Lock is a key (with an associated status light) on most modern desktop computer keyboards. ... Num Lock is a key on the numeric keypad of most keyboards, used to switch that pad between number entry and arrow keys. ... The caps lock on a modern Windows keyboard. ... Arrow keys Arrow keys are buttons on a computer keyboard that move the cursor in a specified direction. ... The page scroll keys among other keys The page scroll keys are two keys commonly found on computer keyboards, the page up key and the page down key. ... The home key among other keys The home key is a key commonly found on computer keyboards. ... The end key among other keys The end key is a key commonly found on computer keyboards. ... Originally, carriage return was the term for the key, lever, or mechanism on a typewriter that would cause the cylinder on which the paper was held (the carriage) to return to the left side of the paper after a line of text had been typed, and would often move it... Originally, carriage return was the term for the key, lever, or mechanism on a typewriter that would cause the cylinder on which the paper was held (the carriage) to return to the left side of the paper after a line of text had been typed, and would often move it... Backspace is the keyboard key that originally pushed the typewriter head one position backwards, and in modern computer displays moves the cursor one position backwards and deletes the preceding character. ... The Insert key (often abbreviated to INS) commonly found on keyboards is mostly used to switch between the two main modes of entering text on a computer. ... The user pressing the delete key on a Macintosh On computer keyboards, the delete key (sometimes shortened Del), should, during normal text editing, discard the character at the cursors position, moving all following characters one position back towards the freed place. ... This article is about the use of the term Tab in computing. ... A computer keyboard Space bar is a key on an alphanumeric keyboard in the form of a horizontal bar in the lowermost row, significantly wider than other keys. ... SysRq or SysReq (short for System Request) is a key on keyboards for PCs that has no standard use. ... A 102-key PC US English keyboard layout with the print screen key marked in red. ... The break key is a special key on computer keyboards that no longer has a well-defined purpose. ... A computer keyboard. ... In computing, the Menu key is a key found on Windows-oriented computer keyboards. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A 102-key PC US English keyboard layout with the function keys in orange. ... The power management keys are three keys on a computer keyboard which control the computers power management status. ...

Encyclopedia > Shift key

See also