Laptop keyboard: the purpose of the keys. Hotkeys

The traditional keyboard is a laptop, or a desktop, despite the dominance and general prevalence of "sensors" on smartphones and tablets - when using which people, at times, begin to forget what keys are - an object that is in high demand. A stylish and ergonomic keyboard is a welcome detail of the computer interior of any IT enthusiast.

The convenience of using the appropriate hardware component of the PC, and not just its appearance - is also an important criterion for the comfort of the computer owner. The keyboard is, historically, the first control element of the PC, the mouse was invented later. And because the device keys - especially, in combination with others - by default, a very effective and functional tool in the hands of the user. There is a version that the technological features of "desktops" and laptops predetermine some difference between the capabilities of keyboards, through which the appropriate types of devices are controlled.

Does the type of computer's keyboard matter in terms of the function of the keys? Is there a difference between the standardization policies in this aspect, carried out by different notebook manufacturers? What key combinations can we single out as the most useful?

Keys on the laptop and desktop: comparison

The principal difference between the way the laptop keyboard and the desktop are structured, as a rule, is not observed. This is understandable - computer manufacturers are trying to produce the appropriate controls, adhering to standards so that people are more willing to buy equipment, without fear that they will have to adapt their skills to a new key layout. It should be noted, however, that this thesis is valid if the computer is taken into consideration in the most popular architecture today - IBM PC. There are other standards of hardware-software layout of PCs - such as, for example, Macintosh.

Standardization of functions

Therefore, it does not matter, provided that we are talking about the same platform that we have at our disposal - the buttons in the "desktop" version or the laptop keyboard - the key assignment will be almost the same in all cases. However, there are some nuances. In many respects they are caused, first of all, by the difference in the dimensions of the desktop and laptop. At the disposal of the user of an ordinary PC, usually a whole table. It can accommodate a very large keyboard. In the most daring design formats. Another thing - the keyboard of the laptop. The purpose of the keys on it, albeit practically the same as on the desktop, is to position the buttons extremely compactly. As a result, the manufacturer of the laptop can decide to, in principle, remove some groups of keys.

Is the keyboard designation different on the laptop keyboard depending on the particular brand? For the most part, no. And this is also largely due to the marketing factor: the brand manufacturer wants the user, conditionally speaking, accustomed to the fact that at his disposal - the laptop keyboard Lenovo, could easily adapt to a similar hardware component from ASUS, and vice versa. Differences, if they are, they, as a rule, consist in the design of buttons, their height, shape, color, material of manufacture. The keyboard for the Acer laptop is thus almost identical to the analogs from ASUS, HP, Dell and other brands, based on the purpose of the buttons.

Nevertheless, it will be useful to know the key features of the distribution of functions that are tied to specific keys. It does not matter - it's about buttons that are adapted for the desktop, or the laptop's keyboard is being studied. Assigning the keys of functional groups, especially in combination with others, is a very interesting area for studying the capabilities of a computer. So let's start by examining the corresponding button types.

Function keys

Functional keys on the laptop keyboard are almost always present - if we talk about the technology produced by well-known brands-manufacturers - Acer, Lenovo, ASUS. Consider what everyone is responsible for. Total function keys 12. They are located above all others. We will study what they are responsible for.

The F1 key is almost always programmed to call help - in the operating system or in a separate program. This function, it can be said, is unchanged for all PC models - the keyboard is used for a laptop HP, Lenovo, or ASUS - no difference. In some cases, if the built-in help file is not provided for by the program, pressing F1 can instruct the computer to load the manufacturer's website with the necessary information.

The traditional purpose of F2 - the keyboard keys of the laptop or desktop - is to rename the selected file or folder.

The F3 button in most cases is responsible for calling the Windows search engine - downloading its common interface, using which you can search for files on the entire computer, or local - in a separate window. If the folder is opened, then the search will be performed on the objects located in it, if the browser window or, say, Word is active, then the text on the page.

The F4 key is mainly adapted to the use of third-party file shells - such as, for example, Total Commander. Its usefulness in Windows is estimated by many experts as not so obvious. But you can argue with this opinion: by pressing F4, say in the browser, you can open the address bar - it's faster than a similar action with the mouse.

The F5 key is designed to quickly update the contents of the application window, the Desktop or Windows Explorer. In this case, in third-party file shells, its operation, as a rule, is quite different. For example, in Total Commander, this button on the laptop keyboard or "desktop" moves files and folders.

The F6 key has approximately the same functionality as F4. However, in this case, as a rule, the list with the history of sites in the address bar of the browser is not activated.

Some buttons on the laptop keyboard and "desktop" - F7, F8, F9, and F12 do not have a strict functional binding. Depending on the specific program, or, model of the device, they can be programmed for different commands. This is just the case when we can observe the dissimilarity of technologies used by brands that produce equipment or programs.

In turn, the value of the keyboard keys of the laptop or desktop F10 and F11 is sufficiently standardized - if it is a question of using them in a Windows system. The F10 button is responsible for opening the application menu. F11, as a rule, is programmed to switch windows from normal mode to fullscreen and vice versa.

The functions of the keyboard keys of the notebook have a distinctive specificity: as a rule, they are programmed actions that imply their combination with a specific Fn button, which on the keyboards of "desktops" is in most cases absent. Now we will look at the specifics of working with them.

The Fn key

The Fn key on the laptop is usually allocated in a separate color - for example, white, or blue - so that the user can easily detect it on the keyboard. Such keys on the device are usually one or two. Pressing Fn in its pure form, as a rule, does not imply the performance of any function. But its combination with function keys is programmed for a large number of useful actions. Their specific content depends on the brand of the laptop. The keyboard for the ASUS laptop, therefore, can differ in the aspect of activating the Fn key from a similar hardware element in Lenovo or Acer devices. However, experts identify several common patterns for all computers regarding the use of Fn capabilities. Consider them.

In combination with the F1 button, the Fn key can, for example, give the computer a command to turn off (turn off the power). This saves time when you compare this operation with a similar procedure carried out with the mouse.

In combination with the F2 button, the Fn key in a number of cases allows you to access the settings window related to power saving. This option can be useful if, for example, it was found that the laptop runs out of battery power, and it urgently needs to be transferred to a different, more economical mode of operation.

The Fn key on the laptop in combination with the F3 button can be responsible for enabling and disabling wireless interfaces - for example, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This is convenient if, for example, there are no hardware switches on the computer case, with which you can perform similar actions.

In combination with the F4 button, the Fn key is usually programmed to transfer the computer to the sleep mode (without turning off). In some brands of laptops, the same combination is also responsible for "waking up" the computer.

Using the combination of Fn and F5 on most models of technology, you can activate or deactivate the video signal output to an external display connected via a wired interface to the video card. At the same time on many laptops this is the only way to implement this kind of action by the hardware method - an alternative can be a sufficiently long procedure for outputting the video signal by software settings.

Disconnect the monitor, as a rule, allows a combination of Fn and F6 or F7. This function is useful if, for example, the user decided to leave the computer for a while - in this case, you can save electricity by turning off the display.

A fairly useful combination is Fn and F8. It allows you to enable or disable the sound on the computer (at the same time, the current sound level is not reset to zero - after the combination is pressed again, the settings are restored). This function of the keys is useful if, for example, someone calls to the phone, you need to respond urgently, and loud music plays on your PC.

On many laptops, a temporary disabling of the Touch Pad is provided - a built-in sensor type device that performs similar mouse functions. This action can be performed by pressing the combination Fn and F9.

If you use the combination of Fn and F10, you can change the keyboard layout. This is useful if, for example, more familiar keys for some reason do not work.

If the laptop has a numeric keypad (usually located on the right), then activate it, or you can deactivate it by using the combination of Fn and F11.

The combination of Fn and F12 can be programmed for a wide range of activities, depending on the particular computer model. The keyboard for the HP laptop can provide one, the same hardware component from Acer - the other. In some cases, this combination implies some software action - for example, activating the screen move function, which works, in particular, in the Excel program.

Also note that the Fn key can be programmed for a function in combination with not only the buttons with index F, but also in combination with the usual ones that are located below on the keyboard. Again, it all depends on the model of the device. The keyboard for the ASUS laptop may have its own rules, for Lenovo they can be completely different. For example, in some models of devices, the combination of Fn and the key on which the figure 1 (and an exclamation point) is displayed, can adjust the brightness level of the display. The combination of Fn and the button on which the figure 2 is drawn (@ icon), in turn, can control the volume of the sound.

So we studied what features are characterized by the keyboard of the laptop, the purpose of the keys of a functional type. Let us now turn to the study of the most interesting category of buttons. They are called "hot keys". What are their features?

"Hotkeys

Virtually all keyboards designed for PCs in the architecture of IBM and running Windows, and hence in laptops, too, there are so-called "hot keys". They are designed to quickly activate some hardware or software OS functions, which are usually longer and more difficult to call by means of mouse actions. Consider the spectrum of the most popular features that give "hot keys" in Windows 7 - one of the most popular operating systems today. Note that the combination of buttons that we will give below work if we have at our disposal any data entry device - "desktop" version, or, the keyboard of the ASUS laptop. The purpose of the "hot type" keys, in general, on all devices is the same. Provided, of course, that they have Windows installed.

Hot keys with pressing ALT

One of the basic keys of the keyboard used when activating various functions in the hot mode is ALT. What features are opened by pressing it in combination with other keys? Among the most noteworthy functions - activation, or, deactivation of the file panel: for this you need to use the combination of ALT and P.

The combination of ALT and TAB allows you to quickly navigate between the windows of active applications running on Windows. The ALT key in combination with the UP button allows you to go up higher in the structure of open windows with folders. The combination of ALT and F4 closes the window of the active application, or the program or computer game is exited. The combination of ALT and a space allows you to open the context menu of the working window.

Hotkeys with CTRL

Another group of useful combinations is "headed" with the CTRL key. Consider examples of popular combinations. The combination of CTRL and A allows you to select all files and folders in the window, or all the text and other objects located on the document page or, for example, in the browser. The combination of CTRL and C is a convenient and well-known tool for copying text and other objects. If the second letter is replaced by V, then you can insert the selected one. When X is used instead of C, the object is cut out, and after pressing V, it moves to the location specified by the user.

The combination of CTRL and N allows you to create a new file or document in the corresponding editor program, if you replace N with O, open the object. The combination of CTRL and P sends text or other data from the screen to the printer. The combination of CTRL and Z allows you to undo the last action performed by the user. The combination of CTRL and F4 is a bit like pressing ALT and F4 - the active window with the document is closed, while in the second case the exit from the launched program is completely. By pressing CTRL and ESC, you can open the Start menu. By using a combination of three keys - CTRL, SHIFT and N, you can create a new folder. You can call the task manager by pressing CTRL and TAB.

Hotkeys and WIN button

In most cases, the buttons on the laptop keyboard or "desktop" contain the WIN key. This button looks like Microsoft's proprietary flag. It is, in its way, adapted for the Windows operating system. By the way, it was introduced into the structure of keyboards relatively recently (if compared with the evolution of the development of the corresponding hardware component of the PC) - in 1995, after entering the market of Windows 95. In other operating systems, it is usually not functional. Although, this is not always the case - in many modern operating systems on the open code, functions based on the WIN button are implemented quite fully. Still, the trend, reflecting the standardization of technology, is typical not only for the hardware area, but also for the software. Let's consider what opportunities the WIN button activates in combination with other buttons.

If you press WIN and UP, you can expand the active application window to the full screen. In turn, if you replace UP with DOWN in this combination, the box will collapse, or its original size will be restored. When you press WIN and the left arrow, the active window moves to the left of the screen. If you use the "right" button, the window will move in the same direction. The combination of WIN and HOME allows you to simultaneously collapse, or expand all windows, except that it acts as active. With the combination of WIN and E, you can open the Windows Explorer program. Increase or decrease the image on the screen by using the WIN combination and the "+" or "-" buttons. The combination of WIN and F starts the file search system.

Standardization of "software"

Note the most important nuance - all the above-described patterns in the aspect of keyboard shortcuts are fully functional when working in Windows. If the user has another operating system - for example, Linux or Google OS, then there may be differences in the aspect of binding button combinations to those or other functions. At the same time, as many IT experts note, the universalization of technologies is observed not only at the hardware level - with respect to the assignment of keys (we said this at the beginning of the article), but also in the program direction. That is, if we talk about the latest versions of OSes other than Windows, in many of them the algorithms for implementing hot functions or for activating, for example, WIN keys, are similar to those (and even completely identical) that are present in the most popular World operating system.

Let's also note that historically Windows is not the first operating system under which the keys that we studied today were adapted. By the time this OS was released to the keyboard market with the layout of functional and other buttons - identical to how we see them now, or in a very similar way - there have been more than a decade. So, it's more fair to say that the functionality of many keys is dictated not only by the leadership of Windows, but also by historical assumptions.

conclusions

Having studied the design features of keyboards for desktops and laptops, we can draw a number of conclusions.

First, there are groups of keys that have a sufficiently strong binding to some specific functions - and such are the majority. There are, in turn, buttons that allow the computer to send commands, depending on the context of the particular application.

Secondly, we are right to note a fairly large variety of combinations of different keys. In many cases, they can be used as an effective alternative to working with the mouse, and as a result, use the PC more effectively.

Thirdly, we have the right to note a high level of standardization, not only in terms of location and assignment of keys, but also at the level of interpretation of their various combinations by software elements of the PC - the operating system, applications for viewing and editing files, browsers.