Function Keys

I could make that program for you, if you tell me what keys and letter you want. Should take less than 5 minutes.

OK I have done it, if you PM me an email address I can send it over.

F5 is "refresh" in Internet Explorer, which I use often. Especially helpful for websites that open new windows without menus.

Quote: MathExtremist

Another almost-as-tedious option is to copy and paste a list of special characters near whatever you're typing, and then just re-copy the ones you need into your words as you go. I do that with the registered trademark symbol quite a bit.

I use F keys a bunch while at work, as one program requires them to access different menu's. In real life, I never touch them.

For special characters I adopt ME's example. The Seneca language employs a number of these, with accents over many different characters. Leaving them out makes a much bigger difference than, say, leaving out the squiggle over a spanish enyay. And with a simple word like 'red' being spelled tkwëhtä:'ë:', remembering and then typing the atl codes is just too much.

Quote: MathExtremist

Another almost-as-tedious option is to copy and paste a list of special characters near whatever you're typing, and then just re-copy the ones you need into your words as you go. I do that with the registered trademark symbol quite a bit.

I've done that.

One time I was writing a story that required many repetitions of several words. I made up three letter abreveations for each, about six all told, and then did a global search and replace. The trick is to avoid common letter combinations.

for anyone interested,
Download here

Also, Windows computers have a system utility called the Character Map that you can have running next to whatever you're typing. In Windows 7,
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map. It's in a similar location for XP.

Quote: MathExtremist

Also, Windows computers have a system utility called the Character Map that you can have running next to whatever you're typing. In Windows 7,
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map. It's in a similar location for XP.

but my little app is much better ;-)
it can store complete strings too such as "Kind Regards, Some Chap Called Bob" and not just single characters.
I would love some feedback

Quote: Wizard

Does anybody ever use the 12 function keys at the top of the keyboard? What are they there for and how does one make use of them?

Lots of people have answered correctly that they are for different commands in different programs. However, no one mentioned the "why." They decend from terminals and DOS-based computers when a "mouse" was a rodent and GUI was, well make up your own acronym. If you learned to use WordPerfect 5.0 or earlier you probably had a "template" above the functuion keys for the commands they would deploy.

In Excel, F12 is the 'Save As' shortcut key, and F9 is the 'Recalculate' shortcut key.

I use the Function keys frequently in gaming, while playing Diablo or Titan's Quest. They come in handy for those games.