Keyboard Basics—and How to Enhance Your Keyboard

Understanding the Standard Keys

A standard PC keyboard contains 101 or 104 keys that break down as follows:

• Twenty-six letter keys for the letters a through z.
• A [Spacebar] to put spaces between characters.
• Two sets of keys for the single-digit numbers (0 through 9), one set appearing as a row above the letter keys and one set on the numeric keypad. The row of number keys double as symbol keys, and the numeric keypad keys double as navigation keys.
• Fifteen to 18 keys for mainstream punctuation symbols (for example, comma, period, and semicolon) and other symbols (for example, + and ~). The numeric keypad typically includes symbols used for basic mathematical operations (+ for addition, – for subtraction, / for division, and * for multiplication) and a period for a decimal place.
• A [Tab] key for entering tabs and for navigating from one interface element to another.
• Two [Enter] keys for entering carriage returns and “clicking” the selected button in dialog boxes.
• Two [Shift] keys to change the case of the key pressed, and a [CapsLock] key to lock the letter keys in the capital position.
• Six other modifier keys: two [Ctrl] keys, two [Alt] keys, and two ÿ buttons.
• An [Insert] key for toggling Insert mode.
• A [Delete] key for deleting the selection or the character after the insertion point, and a [Backspace] key for deleting the character before the insertion point.
• Eight or more navigation keys: four arrow keys (←,→,↑, and ↓), a [Home] key for moving to the beginning of an item, an [End] key for moving to the end of an item, a [PageUp] key for moving up by a “page” of information, and a [PageDown] key for moving down by a page.
• Twelve function keys, numbered [F1] to [F12], for invoking functionality built into the operating system and into applications.
• A [ScrollLock] key that toggles the locking on the scrolling function.
• A [NumLock] key for locking on the numeric keypad.
• A [PrintScreen] (or [PrtScr] ) key for capturing what appears on screen.
• A [Pause/Break] key for special functions.
• An [Esc] key for canceling an action or “clicking” the Cancel button in a dialog box.
• A context menu key (or shortcut menu key) for displaying the context menu or shortcut menu.