F keys cross-platform?

[Jim Bufalini]

Bill Vlahos wrote:

> Jim,
> 
> Is there a list of common keyboard assignments like this?
> 
> Bill Vlahos

With the single exception of F1, which is always Help, there really isn't.
And, most PC keyboards have a special key called Fnc or F-Lock or just F for
Function, which when you hold it down will change what happens when you
press one of the 12 function keys to a machine brand or keyboard specific
assigned function such as opening up your email client, or browser, or
search, or print, or whatever. Even here I looked at 5-keyboards I have here
that have pictures of what these do (a Microsoft keyboard, an IBM ThinkPad,
a Toshiba laptop, an HP and an Acer Aspire) and in every case they are all
totally different.

At one point, a very long time ago, IBM tried to suggest some common
guidelines (along the lines of Apple's HIG), but nobody ever followed them
and today, even though IBM still makes PCs under subcontract, they sold out
their PC line to Lenovo a couple years ago. 

So, as far as F2 to F12 as well as Ctrl-, Shift- and Alt- combinations of
these (meaning holding down, for example, the Ctrl key and pressing F2)
there is no suggested or pre-assigned functions. You application is free to
use these in any way you wish, which is probably why it's important you use
the F1 key for Help, so users can depend on what to press to figure out what
you've assigned the other keys to do. ;-)

Aloha from Hawaii,

Jim Bufalini



> 
> On Sep 19, 2009, at 10:15 AM, Jim Bufalini wrote:
> 
> > Richmond Mathewson:
> >
> >> As rawKeyDown doesn't pick up
> >> keydowns such as SHIFT on Macintosh
> >> I am thinking of using F keys (specifically F1 and F2)
> >> to state-change in the Beta 2 version of my
> >> Sanskrit typewriter and wonder if using these
> >> 2 keys will "make things go all wobbly" on
> >> Windows?
> >
> >
> > F1 is universally used by all programs on PC as the Help key, so I
> > wouldn't
> > use it for any other purpose than to launch your help, as a typical
> > Windows
> > user would expect this. Other raw function keys have different
> > meanings
> > depending on keyboard or program. However, to the best of my
> > knowledge,
> > keystrokes are only sent to the top window. So if your application
> > is the
> > top window, you can interpret the key any way you want. If your app
> > is not
> > on top, it won't receive the keystroke.
> >
> > Aloha from Hawaii,
> >
> > Jim Bufalini
> >
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