Chapter 3 Using the Keyboard to Navigate the Desktop
This chapter describes how to navigate the desktop from the keyboard
only. Users who have difficulty using a mouse or other pointing device can
navigate and use the desktop from the keyboard.
Introduction to Keyboard Navigation
This section describes the essential keyboard shortcuts to enable you
to navigate the desktop from the keyboard.
You can customize some of the keyboard shortcuts that are described
in this chapter. The text indicates the shortcuts that you can customize.
See Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts for information about how to customize keyboard
shortcuts.
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you
can use to navigate the desktop. The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate
specific desktop elements and controls are described in the appropriate sections
of this chapter.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Tab
|
Give focus to the next desktop element or control.
|
|
Shift+Tab
|
Reverse
the navigation direction and give focus to the previous desktop element or
control. In general, the Shift key reverses the navigation
direction.
|
|
Ctrl+Tab
|
If
the Tab key has a specific purpose in a control, press Ctrl+Tab to give focus to the next element or control.
For example, if you press Tab in a text box, the system inserts
a tab space.
To give focus to the previous element or control,
press Shift+Ctrl+Tab.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Navigate within a desktop element
or control.
|
|
spacebar
|
Activate the element or control
that has focus. For example, if the current control is a button, this action
is the equivalent of clicking on the button with a mouse.
|
|
Esc
|
Close a window, menu, or drawer.
|
Global Keyboard Shortcuts
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use from
any part of the desktop.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+F1
|
Open the Main Menu at the location
of your mouse pointer.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Alt+F2
|
Open
the Run Program dialog.
You can customize
this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Print Screen
|
Start the screenshot application
and take a screenshot of the entire screen.
You can customize
this keyboard shortcut.
This shortcut only works on Solaris systems.
|
|
Alt+Print Screen
|
Start the screenshot application and take a screenshot of the window that
currently has focus.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
F1
|
If the focused desktop element
is an application window or dialog, this keyboard shortcut opens the online
help for the application.
|
|
Ctrl+ F1
|
If
the focused desktop element is a panel or application window, this keyboard
shortcut switches the display of tooltips for the window or panel objects
on and off.
|
|
Shift+ F10
|
Open
a popup menu for the desktop element that has focus, if a popup menu exists.
|
Navigating the Desktop Background
The desktop background is the part of the desktop where there are no
interface items or applications, such as panels and windows. The following
table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the desktop
background and the desktop background objects. A desktop background object
is an icon on the desktop background that you can use to open files, folders,
or applications.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Ctrl+Alt+D
|
Temporarily hide all windows
and give focus to the desktop background.
To restore the windows,
press Ctrl+Alt+D again.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Ctrl+ Alt+Tab
|
Display a popup window with icons that represent the desktop
background and the panels. Press-and-hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between
the desktop background and the panels.
You can customize this
keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Tab
|
When the desktop background or
a desktop background object has focus, give focus to the next desktop background
object in alphabetical order.
|
|
arrow keys
|
When the desktop background or
a desktop background object has focus, give focus to a neighboring desktop
background object.
|
|
A sequence of characters
that matches the first n characters of a desktop background object name.
|
When the desktop background has
focus, give focus to the desktop background object whose name starts with
the specified sequence of characters.
|
|
F2
|
Rename the desktop background
object that has focus.
|
|
Shift+F10
|
Open
the popup menu for the desktop background object that has focus.
|
|
Ctrl+F10
|
Open
the Desktop Background menu.
|
Navigating Panels
A panel is an area on the desktop from which you can run special programs,
applications, and applets. The most common panel is the Menu Panel, which
stretches the full width of the top edge of the desktop. The following table
lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panels and panel
objects.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Ctrl+ Alt+Tab
|
Give focus to a panel.
This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the
desktop background, panels, and drawers. Press-and-hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus
between the desktop background, panels, and drawers.
You can
customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Tab
|
Give focus to the next object
on the panel.
Note –
When you navigate the Menu Panel, the Tab key skips the Applications and Actions menus and the Window List icon.
|
|
F10
|
Open the Applications menu when the Menu Panel has focus. Continue to press F10 to switch focus between the Applications menu
and the window list.
|
|
spacebar
|
Activate a panel object, for
example, open a menu or start a launcher.
|
|
Shift+ F10
|
Open
the panel object popup menu.
|
|
Ctrl+F10
|
Open
the panel popup menu.
|
To Move a Panel Object
You can move a focused panel object to a different location on a panel
or drawer, or you can move the object to the next panel. To move a panel object,
perform the following steps:
-
Press Tab to give focus to the object.
-
Press Shift+F10 to open
the panel object popup menu.
-
Use the arrow keys to select the Move
menu item.
-
Use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following
table to perform the move operation.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
arrow keys
|
Move the object left and right on a horizontal panel or up and down on a vertical
panel.
|
|
Shift+
arrow keys
|
Move
the object and push any objects that you encounter in front of the object.
|
|
Ctrl+ arrow
keys
|
Move the object
and swap position with any objects that you encounter in the move.
|
|
Tab
|
Move the object to the next panel.
|
|
spacebar
|
Complete the move operation.
|
The following examples demonstrate the effect of different move operations
on the objects in a panel.
The following illustration shows a panel with three panel objects before
a move operation takes place.
The following illustration shows the effect of using the arrow keys
to move the Geyes applet on the panel. You can
use the arrow keys to move the applet left or right until you meet the next
panel object.
The following illustration shows the effect of using the Shift + arrow keys to move the Geyes applet
on the panel. You can use the Shift+ arrow keys to push the Volume Control and Help panel objects
ahead of the object that you are moving.
The following illustration shows the effect of using the Ctrl + arrow keys to move the Geyes applet
on the panel. You can use the Ctrl + arrow keys to swap position
with the Volume Control and Help
panel objects as you meet the objects.
To Navigate Drawers
A drawer is a collapsible extension of a panel. The following table
lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate into and out of
drawers. When you open a drawer, you can navigate the contents of the drawer
in the same way as you navigate a panel. See Navigating Panels for
information about how to navigate a panel.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
Open or close the drawer that has focus.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Navigate into the drawer that
has focus.
|
|
Esc
|
Close the drawer and give focus
to the drawer object on the panel.
|
|
Shift+Esc
|
Give
focus to the drawer object on the panel and leave the drawer open.
|
To Navigate Menus on Panels
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate menus on panels.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
Open the menu that has focus.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Navigate the menu.
|
|
spacebar
|
Select a menu item.
|
|
Shift+F10
|
Open
the popup menu associated with a menu item, if one exists.
|
|
Esc
|
Close a menu.
|
To Navigate Applets
An applet is a small application that resides on a panel. You can navigate
to all applets and open the applet popup menu from the keyboard. However,
if the applet does not contain controls that you can give focus to, you cannot
navigate the controls in the applet. The following table lists the keyboard
shortcuts that you can use to navigate applets.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
Activate the applet control that has focus, if applicable.
Not all applets contain controls that you can activate. If the applet does
not contain a control that you can activate, the spacebar
does nothing.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Navigate the controls on the
applet.
|
|
Shift+F10
|
Open
the applet popup menu. To navigate the menu, use the standard keyboard shortcuts
for navigating menus. See To Navigate Menus for information about
how to navigate menus.
|
Navigating Your Workspaces
A workspace is a discrete area in which you can work. You can have many
workspaces on your desktop and you can switch from one workspace to another.
Each workspace can contain different windows and processes. The following
table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate workspaces.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Ctrl+ Alt
+ arrow keys
|
Give focus to the next
or previous workspace. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with
icons that represent the workspaces. Press and hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press the arrow keys to switch the focus between
the workspaces.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
|
Shift+ Alt + arrow keys
|
Move the window that has focus to the next or previous workspace.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
|
Navigating Windows
The following sections describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can
use to navigate windows. A window is a rectangular frame on your screen that
displays an application.
Note –
You can customize all of the keyboard shortcuts that are associated
with navigating windows. See Navigating Your Workspaces for more information.
To Give Focus to a Window
Before you can use or modify a window, you must give focus to the window.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to give
focus to a window.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+ Tab
|
Display a popup window with icons that represent
each window. Press-and-hold Alt and continue to press Tab to move through the windows until you reach the window to which
you want to give focus.
|
|
Alt+Esc
|
Raise
each window in turn until you reach the window to which you want to give focus.
|
To Control a Window
When a window has focus, you can perform various actions on the window.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to control
the window that has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+ spacebar
|
Open the Window Menu.
|
|
Alt+F4
|
Close
the window.
|
|
Solaris: Open
Linux: Alt+F9
|
Minimize
the window.
|
|
Alt+F10
|
Maximize
the window.
|
|
Alt+F5
|
Restore
a maximized window to the original size of the window.
|
To Move a Window
When a window has focus, you can move the window around the screen.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to move
a window.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+F7
|
Start the move operation. The mouse pointer changes
to a cross.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Move the window 10 pixels at
a time in the direction of the arrow key.
|
|
Ctrl+ arrow
keys
|
Move the window
one pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow key.
|
|
Shift +
arrow keys
|
Move
the window in the direction of the arrow key to align it with the edge of
the nearest window, panel, or screen edge.
|
|
spacebar
|
Complete the move operation and
leave the window in the current position.
|
|
Esc
|
Cancel the move operation and
restore the window to the original position.
|
To Resize a Window
When a window has focus, you can increase or decrease the size of the
window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use
to resize the window that has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+F8
|
Start the resize operation.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Resize the window in the direction
of the arrow keys.
|
|
spacebar
|
Complete the resize operation
and leave the window at the current size.
|
|
Esc
|
Cancel the resize operation and
restore the window to the original size.
|
To Navigate Paned Windows
A paned window is a window that is split into two or more panes. The
Help browser and the Nautilus file manager are
examples of applications that use paned windows.
Figure 3–1 Example of a Paned Window
The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use
to navigate windows with panes.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
F6
|
Give focus to the next pane. The system gives focus to the control that last
had focus in the pane.
|
|
F8
|
Give focus to the first resize
handle in the window. The resize handle is displayed between the panes and
enables you to resize the panes. Press F8 again to give focus
to the next resize handle.
|
When the resize handle has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts
that are listed in the following table to modify the paned window.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
arrow keys
|
Move the resize handle by a small
amount.
|
|
Ctrl +
arrow keys
|
Move
the resize handle by a large amount.
|
|
Home
|
Reduce the size of the pane to
the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle
for horizontal panes, to the minimum size allowed.
|
|
End
|
Increase the size of the pane
to the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle
for horizontal panes,to the maximum size allowed.
|
|
spacebar
|
Set the position of the resize
handle and return the focus to the last control that had focus.
|
|
Esc
|
Reset the position of the resize
handle to the original position and return the focus to the last control that
had focus.
|
Navigating Applications
An application is any program, utility, or other software package that
you run on your desktop. Applications comprise the following standard user
interface components:
- Windows
-
A window is a rectangular
frame on your screen that displays an application. See Navigating Windows
for information about how to navigate windows.
- Dialogs
-
A dialog is a popup window
in which you enter information or commands. See Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Dialogs
for information about how to navigate dialogs.
- Controls
-
A control is an instrument
that you use to operate or guide the user interface. For example, buttons,
check boxes, menus, and text boxes are controls. See Navigating Standard Elements and Controls
for detailed information about how to navigate the different types of controls
that are available.
This section of the manual describes the essential keyboard
shortcuts that you can use to start using applications and dialogs.
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Applications
Since there are many applications that you can use in the desktop, this
manual does not describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate
all of the different applications. However, the basic keyboard shortcuts are
common to all applications. Access keys also provide an efficient way to navigate
an application from the keyboard. An access key is identified by an underlined
letter on a menu or control. In some cases, you must press Alt
in combination with the access key to perform an action.
The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you
can use to navigate applications.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
F10
|
Open the first menu on the application menubar.
|
|
Alt + access
key
|
Open the menu
that is associated with the access key.
|
|
access keys
|
Select the menu item that is
associated with the access key.
|
|
left arrow
and right arrow
|
Switch focus between the menus on the menubar.
|
|
up arrow
and down arrow
|
Move focus into a menu.
|
|
Esc
|
Close the open menus and give
focus to the control that had focus before the menubar.
|
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Dialogs
The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you
can use to navigate dialogs.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Alt+access key
|
Activate or select a control.
|
|
Tab
|
Give focus to the next control.
|
|
Ctrl+ Page Up
|
If a tab name has focus, move to the next tabbed section of the dialog.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Down
|
When a tab name has focus, move to the previous tabbed section of the dialog.
|
|
Esc
|
Close the dialog.
|
|
Return
|
Perform the default action for
the dialog. The default action is usually to apply the changes and close the
dialog.
|
Navigating Nautilus File Manager
The Nautilus file manager window contains
several components and there are different keyboard shortcuts defined to navigate
each component. The following graphic illustrates the name and location of
each component.
Figure 3–2 Nautilus File Manager Window Components
To Navigate the View Pane
The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you
to navigate the list and icon views of the file manager view pane. To navigate
the music view of the file manager view pane, see Navigating Standard Elements and Controls
for information about how to navigate standard user interface controls.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
F6
|
Switch focus between the side
pane and the view pane.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Select the next or previous file or folder in the direction of the arrow key.
|
|
Ctrl+ arrow
keys
|
Give focus
to the next or previous file or folder but do not select the item.
|
|
spacebar
|
Open the focused file or folder.
|
|
A sequence of characters
that matches the first n characters of a filename.
|
In an icon view, select the first file or folder that starts
with the specified sequence of characters.
|
To Navigate the Side Pane
The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you
to navigate the file manager side pane in general.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
F6
|
Switch focus between the side
pane and the view pane.
|
|
Shift+ F10
|
Open the side pane popup menu.
|
|
arrow keys
|
Give focus to the next or previous
tab name.
|
|
spacebar
|
Display or hide the tab that
has focus. The tab name remains in focus.
|
|
Tab
|
Move the focus from the tab name
to the tab contents.
|
The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you
to navigate the History tab in the side pane.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
arrow keys
|
Give focus to the next or previous file or folder in the history list.
|
|
spacebar
|
Open the file or folder that
has focus in the history list.
|
For information about how to navigate the Notes
tab of the file manager side pane, see To Navigate Text Boxes for information
about how to navigate multi-line text boxes.
For information about how to navigate the Tree
tab of the file manager side pane, see To Navigate Trees.
Navigating Standard Elements and Controls
The following sections describe how to navigate and use standard user
interface elements and controls from the keyboard.
To Navigate Menus
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate menus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
up arrow and down
arrow
|
Give focus to the next
or previous menu item on a menu.
|
|
right arrow
|
If the menu item
that has focus is a submenu, open the submenu and give focus to the first
menu item on the submenu.
If the menu item that has focus is not
a submenu, open the next menu on the menubar.
|
|
left arrow
|
If the menu item
that has focus is a submenu item, switch the focus back to the submenu.
If the menu item that has focus is not a submenu item, open the previous menu
on the menubar.
|
|
Return
|
Select the focused menu item
and close the open menus.
|
|
access key
|
Select the menu item that is
associated with the access key and close the open menus.
|
|
spacebar
|
Select the focused menu item
and close the open menus except when the menu item is a check box or radio
button. If the menu item is a check box or radio button, the menu does not
close.
|
|
Esc
|
Close the open menus.
|
To Navigate Buttons
A button is a control that you use to start an action. Most buttons
are rectangular and contain a text label.
Figure 3–3 Sample Button
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate buttons.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
Activate the button that has focus. This is the equivalent
of clicking on the button.
|
|
Return
|
Activate the button that has
focus or, if no button has focus, perform the default action for the dialog.
|
To Navigate Radio Buttons
A radio button is a control that you use to select one of several mutually-exclusive
options.
Figure 3–4 Sample Radio Button
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate a set of radio buttons.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
arrow keys
|
Select the next or previous radio button and deselect the other radio buttons
in the group.
|
To Navigate Check Boxes
A check box is a control that you use to select or deselect an option.
Figure 3–5 Sample Check Box
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate a check box.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
Select or deselect the check box.
|
To Navigate Text Boxes
Text boxes are controls in which you type text.
Figure 3–6 Sample Single Line Text Box
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate a single line text box.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
left arrow
|
Position the cursor one character to the left.
|
|
right arrow
|
Position the cursor one character
to the right.
|
|
Ctrl+left arrow
|
Position the cursor at the start of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press left arrow to position
the cursor at the start of the previous word.
|
|
Ctrl+right arrow
|
Position the cursor at the end of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press right arrow to position
the cursor at the end of the next word.
|
|
Home
|
Position the cursor at the start
of the line.
|
|
End
|
Position the cursor at the end
of the line.
|
|
Shift+ left arrow or right arrow
|
Select one character at a time to the left or right of
the cursor.
|
|
Shift+Ctrl+left arrow or right arrow
|
Select one word at a time to
the left or right of the cursor.
|
|
Shift+ Home
|
Select all text to the left of the cursor.
|
|
Shift+End
|
Select
all text to the right of the cursor.
|
|
Ctrl+A
(Solaris only)
|
Select all text in the text box.
|
In addition to the keyboard shortcuts listed in the previous table,
use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate multi-line text
boxes.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Page Up
|
Position the cursor at the top of the current view. Press Page Up again to position the cursor at the top of the previous view.
|
|
Page Down
|
Position the cursor at the end
of the current view. Press Page Down again to position the
cursor at the end of the previous view.
|
|
Ctrl+up arrow
|
Position the cursor at the start of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press up arrow to position
the cursor at the start of the previous paragraph.
|
|
Ctrl+down arrow
|
Position the cursor at the end of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press down arrow to position
the cursor at the end of the next paragraph.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Up
|
Position the cursor one view width to the left.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Down
|
Position the cursor one view width to the right.
|
|
Ctrl+Home
|
Position the cursor at the start of the text box.
|
|
Ctrl+End
|
Position
the cursor at the end of the text box.
|
|
Ctrl+Tab
|
Give
focus to the next control on the dialog.
|
|
Shift+ Page Up
|
Select the text to the start of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Up to extend the
selection to the start of the previous view.
|
|
Shift+Page Down
|
Select the text to the end of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Down to extend the selection
to the end of the next view.
|
|
Shift+Home
|
Select the text to the start of the line.
|
|
Shift+End
|
Select
the text to the end of the line.
|
|
Shift+Ctrl+up arrow
|
Select the text to the start of the paragraph, then to
the start of the previous paragraph.
|
|
Shift+ Ctrl+down arrow
|
Select the text to the end of the paragraph, then to the
end of the next paragraph.
|
|
Shift+ Ctrl+Home
|
Select the text to the start of the text box.
|
|
Shift+ Ctrl+End
|
Select the text to the end of the text box.
|
To Navigate Spin Boxes
A spin box is a control that allows you to type a numeric value or select
a value from a list of all possible values.
Figure 3–7 Sample Spin Box
The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the text box area of
a spin box are listed in To Navigate Text Boxes. The following table lists
the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the up and down arrows
in the spin box.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
up arrow or down arrow
|
Increase or decrease the
value of the spin box by a small amount.
|
|
Page Up
or Page Down
|
Increase or decrease the value of the spin box by a large amount.
|
To Navigate Drop-Down Lists
A drop-down list is a control that you use to select one of several
available items. The drop-down list contains a button that you use to display
the available items.
Figure 3–8 Sample Drop-Down List Box
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate a drop-down list.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
spacebar
|
This key performs one of the following functions:
-
If the drop-down list is not open, this key opens the drop-down
list.
-
If the drop-down list is open, this key accepts the current
selection and closes the list.
|
|
up arrow
|
Select the previous list item.
|
|
down arrow
|
Select the next list item.
|
|
Esc
|
Close the list without changing
the selection.
|
To Navigate Drop-Down Combination Boxes
A drop-down combination box is a text box with a drop-down list attached.
Figure 3–9 Sample Drop-Down Combination Box
When the text box has focus, use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed
in To Navigate Text Boxes to navigate the text box area. When the text
box has focus, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table
to navigate the drop-down list area.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
up arrow
|
Select the previous item from the drop-down list without
displaying the list.
|
|
down arrow
|
Select the next item from the
drop-down list without displaying the list.
|
|
Ctrl+ down arrow
(Solaris only)
|
Open the drop-down list.
|
When the drop-down list has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts
that are listed in the following table to navigate the drop-down list.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
up arrow
|
Select the previous list item.
|
|
down arrow
|
Select the next list item.
|
|
Home
|
Select the first item on the
list.
|
|
End
|
Select the last item on the list.
|
|
Page Up
|
Select the item at the top of
the current list view.
|
|
Page Down
|
Select the item at the bottom
of the current list view.
|
|
spacebar
|
Accept the current selection
and close the drop-down list.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Up
|
Scroll to the left of the list, if required.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Down
|
Scroll to the right of the list, if required.
|
To Navigate Sliders
A slider is a control that you use to set a value in a continuous range
of values.
Figure 3–10 Sample Slider
The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use
to navigate a slider.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
left arrow or up arrow
|
Move the slider left or
up by a small amount.
|
|
right arrow
or down arrow
|
Move the slider right or down by a small amount.
|
|
Page Up
|
Move the slider left or up a
large amount.
|
|
Page Down
|
Move the slider right or down
a small amount.
|
|
Home
|
Move the slider to the maximum
value.
|
|
End
|
Move the slider to the minimum
value.
|
To Navigate Tabbed Sections
Figure 3–11 Sample Dialog with Tabbed Sections
Windows and dialogs are sometimes divided into logical sections that
are displayed one section at a time on the window or dialog. The divisions
are called tabbed sections that are identified by a tab with a text label.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a tab name has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
left arrow
|
Give focus to the previous tabbed section.
|
|
right arrow
|
Give focus to the next tabbed
section.
|
|
Tab orCtrl+down arrow
|
Give focus to the first control on the active tabbed section.
|
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a control on a tabbed
section has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
Ctrl+ Page Up
|
Give focus to the previous tabbed section.
This keyboard shortcut does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl+ Page Up for another purpose.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Down
|
Give focus to the next tabbed section.
This keyboard shortcut
does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl+ Page Down for another purpose.
|
|
Ctrl+Tab
|
Give
focus to the next control outside the tabbed sections.
|
To Navigate Lists
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate multi-column lists when a column header has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
left arrow or right
arrow
|
Give focus to the previous
or next column header.
|
|
spacebar
|
Activate the header. This action
usually sorts the list by the column header.
|
|
Tab
|
Give focus to the list contents.
|
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate lists when the contents of the list has focus.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
arrow keys
|
Select the next or previous row or column.
|
|
Page Up
|
Select the top
row of the list contents that are in view. Press Page Up
again to select the top row of the previous view.
|
|
Page Down
|
Select the bottom row of the
list contents that are in view. Press Page Down again to
select the bottom row of the next view.
|
|
Home
|
Select the first row in the list.
|
|
End
|
Select the last row in the list.
|
|
Shift+arrow
keys
|
For lists
that support multiline selections, add the next or previous row or column
to the current selection.
For lists that only allow single line
selections, select the next or previous row or column.
|
|
Shift+Page Up
|
Select all the rows between the current selection and the top row of the view.
|
|
Shift+Page Down
|
Select all the rows between the current selection and the bottom row of the
view.
|
|
Shift+Home
|
Select all the rows between the current selection and the first row in the
list.
|
|
Shift+End
|
Select
all the rows between the current selection and the last row in the list.
|
|
Ctrl+arrow
keys
|
Give focus
to the next row or column but do not extend the selection.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Up
|
Give focus to the top row in the view but do not extend the selection.
|
|
Ctrl+Page Down
|
Give focus to the bottom row in the view but do not extend the selection.
|
|
Ctrl+Home
|
Give focus to the first row in the list but do not extend the selection.
|
|
Ctrl+End
|
Give
focus to the last row in the list but do not extend the selection.
|
|
Return
|
Activate the item.
|
|
Ctrl+A
|
For
lists that support multiline selections, select all rows in the list.
|
|
Shift+ Tab
|
Give
focus to the column header, if applicable.
|
To Navigate Trees
A tree is a user interface control that contains sections that you can
expand and collapse. A tree usually represents a hierarchical structure.
Figure 3–12 Sample Tree Structure
To navigate trees, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts that are
listed in To Navigate Lists. In addition, the following table lists
the keyboard shortcuts you can use for the tree items.
|
Keys
|
Function
|
|
+ (plus)
|
Expand the focused item.
|
|
- (minus)
|
Collapse the focused
item.
|
|
Back Space
|
Select the parent item.
|
Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts
Use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool
to display the default keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the desktop.
You can customize the default keyboard shortcuts to meet your requirements.
You can also create hot keys. Hot keys are keyboard shortcuts that start applications.
To start the Keyboard Shortcuts preference
tool, choose Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts. The Desktop shortcuts table lists the
keyboard shortcut that is associated with each action.
To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts on a Solaris System
To customize a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
-
Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted.
-
Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut
column. The text “Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear” is displayed in the Shortcut column.
-
Press the keys that you want to associate with the action.
The new keyboard shortcut is displayed in the Shortcut
column.
To disable a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
-
Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted.
-
Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut
column. The text “Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear” is displayed in the Shortcut column.
-
Press Back Space. The keyboard shortcut is
disabled.
To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts on a Linux System
To customize a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
-
Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text “Type a new accelerator,
or press Backspace to clear” is displayed in the Shortcut column.
-
Press the keys that you want to associate with the action.
The new keyboard shortcut is displayed in the Shortcut
column.
To disable a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
-
Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text “Type a new accelerator,
or press Backspace to clear” is displayed in the Shortcut column.
-
Press Back Space. The keyboard shortcut is
disabled.
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