Document revision date: 10 November 2000
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Using DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS


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Part IV
Appendixes

Part 4 contains the following appendixes:


Appendix A
Using DECwindows with a Keyboard

This appendix contains tables and procedures that describe how to use a keyboard to work with menus, windows, and dialog boxes.

A.1 Traversing Menu Bars and Pull-Down Menus

Table A-1 describes how to traverse menu bars and pull-down menus.

Table A-1 Traversing the Menu Bar and Pull-Down Menus
To Press Example or Explanation
Move to first menu in menu bar F10  
Pull down a menu from the menu bar Alt+ mnemonic Pulls down the menu from the menu bar that is associated with that mnemonic.
Move to next menu item in a pull-down menu <uparrow symbol> or <downarrow symbol> Moves the location cursor up or down; it cycles (wraps) at the top and bottom.
Move to another pull-down menu in the menu bar <- or -> Moves the location cursor left or right; it cycles (wraps) at each end
Activate menu item Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter Activates the highlighted menu item.
Remove menu from screen and move cursor to button used to pull down the menu F11 (ESC) When a menu is pulled down.
Move location cursor from menu bar to where it was before you started using the menu bar F11 (ESC) Works only with an explicit focus policy. With an implicit focus policy, the location cursor moves from the menu bar to wherever the pointer is located.
Dismiss all menus F10 If you are using an explicit focus policy, the cursor goes to where it was before you started using the menus. With an implicit focus policy, the focus moves to wherever the pointer is situated.

Table A-2 describes how to traverse pop-up menus.

Table A-2 Traversing Pop-Up Menus
To Press Example or Explanation
Display the pop-up menu F4 When the location cursor is on a control that has a pop-up menu associated with it.
Move to next menu item in a pop-up menu <uparrow symbol> or <downarrow symbol> A menu item should be highlighted as you move up or down the menu.
Display a submenu from a pop-up menu item -> Moves you to a submenu if there is one (in left-to-right environments).
Activate menu item Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter Activates the highlighted menu item.
Remove menu from screen F11 (ESC) With explicit focus, makes a pop-up menu disappear and moves the location cursor to the control from which the menu popped up. With implicit (pointer) focus, the focus returns to wherever the pointer is situated on the screen.
Dismiss the menu F4 When you are using an explicit focus policy, the cursor goes back to where it was before the menu popped up. In implicit focus, the focus returns to wherever the pointer is located.

Table A-3 describes how to traverse submenus.

Table A-3 Traversing Submenus
To Press Example or Explanation
Display a submenu
  • Arrow key in the direction the menu goes
  • Ctrl+Arrow key
  • Return
  • Ctrl+Return
  • Enter
Pressing any of the keys listed makes the menu appear.
Activate a menu item in a submenu Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter  
Move to another menu item in a submenu <uparrow symbol> or <downarrow symbol> These keys move up and down within the submenu; they cycle at the top or bottom.
Move to the pull-down menu item from which the submenu came <- Makes the submenu menu disappear and highlights the menu item from which the submenu menu came.
Select the default entry in a submenu menu Alt+ mnemonic of the submenu item The mnemonic you press is the one associated with the parent menu.

Table A-4 describes how to move to a previous menu.

Table A-4 Moving to a Previous Menu
To Press Example or Explanation
Move the location cursor from any submenu item to the parent menu
  • <-
  • Ctrl+ <-
  • Ctrl+<uparrow symbol>
See Figure A-1.
Move the location cursor from a menu item to the default menu item in the menu just to the left of the current cursor location
  • <-
  • Ctrl+ <-
  • Ctrl+<uparrow symbol>
See Figure A-1.

Figure A-1 Moving to a Previous Menu


Table A-5 describes how to move to the next menu.

Table A-5 Moving to the Next Menu
To Press Example or Explanation
Move the location cursor from a menu item in a pull-down menu to the default menu item in the associated submenu
  • ->
  • Ctrl+->
  • Ctrl+<downarrow symbol>
See Figure A-2.
Move the location cursor from a menu item in a pull-down menu to the default menu item in the pull-down menu just to the right of the current location cursor
  • Press ->
  • Ctrl+->
  • Ctrl+<downarrow symbol>
See Figure A-2.

Figure A-2 Moving to the Next Menu


A.2 Traversing Windows

The following sections describe how to use your keyboard to move between and within windows.

A.2.1 Moving Between Windows

To move between groups of windows:

A.2.2 Moving Within Windows

To move within windows:

The following table summarizes keyboard accelerators available from the Window menu.
To Press
Move a window Alt+F7
Size a window Alt+F8
Minimize a window Alt+F9
Restore a minimized window Alt+F5
Maximize a window Alt+F10
Lower a window to the bottom of the window stack Alt+F3
Close (not minimize) a window Alt+F4

To move a window around the screen:

  1. Press Alt+F7 or:
  2. Press the arrow keys to move the window in the direction that you want it to go. You can also press Ctrl+arrow keys to move the window several pixels at a time.
  3. Press Return or Ctrl+Return to finish the operation.

To size a window:

  1. Press Alt+F8 or:
  2. Press one arrow key to indicate which side of the window to size. For example, press <uparrow symbol> for the top of the window, <- for the left side, and so on. You can also press two arrow keys, one after the other, to indicate which corner to size. For example, press <uparrow symbol> and then <- to indicate the upper left corner, and so on.
  3. Once you have indicated which side or corner of the window size, press the arrow keys to size the window in the direction that you want the window to be sized. You can also press Ctrl+arrow keys to size the window several pixels at a time.
  4. Press Return or Ctrl+Return to finish the operation.

A.3 Traversing Dialog Boxes

Table A-6 describes how to work with dialog boxes.

Table A-6 Working with Dialog Boxes
To Press
Move forward from tab group to tab group (field to field) Tab or Ctrl+Tab
Move backward from tab group to tab group Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Move from item to item within a tab group (field) Arrow keys
Activate a selection in a group of radio boxes, check boxes, or list boxes, or to pop up an options menu Select, space bar, or Ctrl+space bar
Activate an item in a group of push buttons Select, space bar, Ctrl+space bar, Return
Activate an item in a group of push buttons Ctrl+Return or Enter
Activate an item in an Options menu or the default action of the dialog box Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter
Cancel a dialog box or an Options menu F11 (ESC)

Table A-7 describes how to move within dialog boxes.

Table A-7 Moving Within Dialog Boxes
To Press Example or Explanation
Move cursor from button to button Arrow keys Sets of check buttons, push buttons, or radio buttons are considered one tab group (a single button is not a tab group). Use the arrow keys to move the location cursor from one item to another.
    For example, if the buttons are arranged vertically, you can press <uparrow symbol> or <- to go up, and you can press <downarrow symbol> or -> to move down. If the buttons are arranged horizontally, press <- or <uparrow symbol> to move left, and press -> or <downarrow symbol> to move right.
    In some cases, buttons are not arranged in a primarily vertical or horizontal manner. Rather, they might be arranged in a box format, as the following numbers show:
 1 2

3 4
    Pressing the arrows keys moves through the buttons in the following manner (starting at 1):
  • -> moves: 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, . . .
  • <downarrow symbol> moves: 3, 2, 4, 1, 3, 2, 4, 1, . . .
  • <- moves: 4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, . . .
  • <uparrow symbol> moves: 4, 2, 3, 1, 4, 2, 3, 1, . . .
Insert one space in an entry box Space bar Pressing Ctrl+space bar does nothing.
Move to another options menu item or another list box item <uparrow symbol> or <downarrow symbol>  
Move left or right one character <- or -> Use these arrow keys in list boxes to display more text, for example, to display the end of a long file name.
Move up one screen (page) Prev Screen  
Move down one screen (page) Next Screen  
Move left one screen Ctrl+Prev Screen  
Move right one screen Ctrl+Next Screen  
Go to the top of the list or file Ctrl+Alt+ <-  
Go to the bottom of the list or file Ctrl+Alt+->  
Display leftmost character (go to the beginning of a line) Alt+ <-  
Display rightmost character (go to the end of a line) Alt->  
Cancel F11 (ESC) Pressing F11 (ESC) cancels any action in the entire dialog box and makes the dialog box disappear.

Table A-8 describes how to activate items in a tab group.

Table A-8 Activating Items in a Tab Group
To Press Example or Explanation
Activate check or radio buttons Select, space bar or Ctrl+space bar Radio buttons can be either toggled or set.
Activate an options menu Select, space bar or Ctrl+space bar You do not need to keep the key pressed to keep the menu visible. Press the key once and the menu remains.
Activate an options menu item Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter Once you have chosen a menu item, the Options menu disappears.
Activate push buttons Select, space bar, Ctrl+space bar, Return, Ctrl+Return, or Enter Return or Ctrl+Return activate the default push button. If you have more than one tab group of push buttons, Return and Ctrl+Return activate only the default buttons, and do not activate any buttons in the other tab group.


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