Post by philranger on Apr 25, 2021 15:38:27 GMT
Hello,
There are often items that can't easily be clicked or selected, for example if their position or size (length) change. This makes writing a macro based on clicking only impossible. In these cases, knowing keyboard shortcuts is a life saver. Using keyboard shortcuts also allows not losing your actual mouse position, which is sometimes useful, for example if you want to go to another software to copy from stuff and then come back to the exact position you were at.
Here's a list of a few of them, with the ones I use the most first. Please add yours, so we have even more capabilities!
1- Switch between open windows or documents:
- Alt+ | Tab
- Alt+ | Shift+ | Tab
- Ctrl+ | Alt+ | Tab then arrows
- Replacing Alt by Ctrl allows switching between documents inside the same program.
- Other option: Alt+ | escape
2- Copy selected Item: Ctrl+ | c
Paste selected Item: Ctrl+ | v
Cut selected Item: Ctrl+ | x
3- Selection:
- Ctrl+ | A = select all
- Shift+ | left or right = select 1 character
- Shift+ | Ctrl+ | left or right = Select words
- Shift+ | up or down = select line
- Ctrl+ | up or down = move to next (or previous) paragraph
- Home = go to the beginning of this line. Can be combined with shift to select from home to actual position. Combining with CTRL will go to the beginning of the document.
- End = go to the end of this line. Can be combined with shift. Combining with CTRL will go to the end of the document.
- Ctrl+ | arrow then spacebar = Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop.
- Be creative. Combine them!
- To select a full line, it is often safer to first go to home, then shift-end (or the opposite).
- I often copy a big list into the notepad for example, and then cut lines one by one to paste them (with additional stuff around it) in another software where button clicking is required between each item.
4- Ctrl + F = find (in many software)
Ctrl + H = replace (in many software)
- Typical use: find a specific name, escape, then select everything on that line and deleting it. Or cut everything from the beginning to that name, etc.
5- Undo an action: Ctrl+ | Z
Redo: Ctrl+ | shift+ | z or Ctrl+ | y
6- Windows manipulation:
lwin+ | d = Minimize everything and show desktop
lwin+ | down = Minimize window
lwin+ | up = Maximize window
lwin+ | left or right = Semi-maximize window as left half screen. Can be done several times to move the current window to another screen.
7- Navigate through the software menus:
- Hitting the Alt key will, in many newer software, show you what is the next key to press to activate that item.
- Most software have a letter underlined in each menu. Example: alt+f = file menu. Once that menu is open, there will be letters underlined for the submenus. They may even list direct shortcuts after their names.
- If there are no underlined letters, hitting alt and releasing it will most of the time switch you to menu navigation option. Navigate then with the arrow keys, space bar, enter, etc.
- An additional shortcut to open the menus is F10, or alt+ | space
8- Navigate through buttons in windows and browsers:
- tab or Shift+ | tab
- spacebar to select
- Alt+ | Whatever letter is underlined in that window
- Some software will allow navigation with F6 or F7
9- A clipboard with more features: lwin+ | v
10- Style manipulation:
- Bold: Ctrl+ | b
- Underline: Ctrl+ | u
- Italicize: Ctrl+ | i
11- Random additional shortcuts:
- Rename selected file in Windows Explorer: F2 This can be useful to copy the name of the file into the clipboard: F2, ctrl-c, escape
- Open: Ctrl+ | o
- Close: Ctrl+ | w or ctrl+ | F4
- Save: Ctrl+ | s
- Delete permanently: Shift+ | delete
- Open properties for selected item: Alt+ | Enter
- Close current window: Alt+ | F4
- Open the Start Menu: Ctrl+ | Esc
- Lock your PC or switch users: Windows Key+ | l (this is a lowercase L)
- Zoom in and out: Windows Key and plus or minus sign
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
it.nmu.edu/docs/useful-keyboard-shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts in Windows: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-windows-dcc61a57-8ff0-cffe-9796-cb9706c75eec#keyboard-shortcuts=windows-7
Keyboard shortcuts in apps: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-apps-139014e7-177b-d1f3-eb2e-7298b2599a34
There are often items that can't easily be clicked or selected, for example if their position or size (length) change. This makes writing a macro based on clicking only impossible. In these cases, knowing keyboard shortcuts is a life saver. Using keyboard shortcuts also allows not losing your actual mouse position, which is sometimes useful, for example if you want to go to another software to copy from stuff and then come back to the exact position you were at.
Here's a list of a few of them, with the ones I use the most first. Please add yours, so we have even more capabilities!
1- Switch between open windows or documents:
- Alt+ | Tab
- Alt+ | Shift+ | Tab
- Ctrl+ | Alt+ | Tab then arrows
- Replacing Alt by Ctrl allows switching between documents inside the same program.
- Other option: Alt+ | escape
2- Copy selected Item: Ctrl+ | c
Paste selected Item: Ctrl+ | v
Cut selected Item: Ctrl+ | x
3- Selection:
- Ctrl+ | A = select all
- Shift+ | left or right = select 1 character
- Shift+ | Ctrl+ | left or right = Select words
- Shift+ | up or down = select line
- Ctrl+ | up or down = move to next (or previous) paragraph
- Home = go to the beginning of this line. Can be combined with shift to select from home to actual position. Combining with CTRL will go to the beginning of the document.
- End = go to the end of this line. Can be combined with shift. Combining with CTRL will go to the end of the document.
- Ctrl+ | arrow then spacebar = Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop.
- Be creative. Combine them!
- To select a full line, it is often safer to first go to home, then shift-end (or the opposite).
- I often copy a big list into the notepad for example, and then cut lines one by one to paste them (with additional stuff around it) in another software where button clicking is required between each item.
4- Ctrl + F = find (in many software)
Ctrl + H = replace (in many software)
- Typical use: find a specific name, escape, then select everything on that line and deleting it. Or cut everything from the beginning to that name, etc.
5- Undo an action: Ctrl+ | Z
Redo: Ctrl+ | shift+ | z or Ctrl+ | y
6- Windows manipulation:
lwin+ | d = Minimize everything and show desktop
lwin+ | down = Minimize window
lwin+ | up = Maximize window
lwin+ | left or right = Semi-maximize window as left half screen. Can be done several times to move the current window to another screen.
7- Navigate through the software menus:
- Hitting the Alt key will, in many newer software, show you what is the next key to press to activate that item.
- Most software have a letter underlined in each menu. Example: alt+f = file menu. Once that menu is open, there will be letters underlined for the submenus. They may even list direct shortcuts after their names.
- If there are no underlined letters, hitting alt and releasing it will most of the time switch you to menu navigation option. Navigate then with the arrow keys, space bar, enter, etc.
- An additional shortcut to open the menus is F10, or alt+ | space
8- Navigate through buttons in windows and browsers:
- tab or Shift+ | tab
- spacebar to select
- Alt+ | Whatever letter is underlined in that window
- Some software will allow navigation with F6 or F7
9- A clipboard with more features: lwin+ | v
10- Style manipulation:
- Bold: Ctrl+ | b
- Underline: Ctrl+ | u
- Italicize: Ctrl+ | i
11- Random additional shortcuts:
- Rename selected file in Windows Explorer: F2 This can be useful to copy the name of the file into the clipboard: F2, ctrl-c, escape
- Open: Ctrl+ | o
- Close: Ctrl+ | w or ctrl+ | F4
- Save: Ctrl+ | s
- Delete permanently: Shift+ | delete
- Open properties for selected item: Alt+ | Enter
- Close current window: Alt+ | F4
- Open the Start Menu: Ctrl+ | Esc
- Lock your PC or switch users: Windows Key+ | l (this is a lowercase L)
- Zoom in and out: Windows Key and plus or minus sign
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
it.nmu.edu/docs/useful-keyboard-shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts in Windows: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-windows-dcc61a57-8ff0-cffe-9796-cb9706c75eec#keyboard-shortcuts=windows-7
Keyboard shortcuts in apps: support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-apps-139014e7-177b-d1f3-eb2e-7298b2599a34