F keys cross-platform?

[Richmond Mathewson]

Jim Bufalini wrote:
> 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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>>
>>>       
Thanks everybody.

I have set the HELP palette to open with F1 (regardless of platform)
and am leveraging F2, F3, F4 for my own nefarious purposes.

The real reason I am having to use the F keys is because modifier
keys (Ctrl, Alt/Opt, Command, Shift) don't produce rawKeyDown
signals on Mac. This is actually a bl**dy nuisance as it seems
more naturalistic for my end-users to be able to switch from
Sanskrit consonants to vowels with the Shift key than an F key:
but, short of having a punch-up with Steve Jobs, that is the way
things will have to be.