GNOME 2.0 Desktop for the Solaris Operating Environment Accessibility Guide

Chapter 3 Using the Keyboard to Navigate the Desktop

This chapter describes how to navigate the desktop from the keyboard only. Users who have difficulty using a mouse or other pointing device can navigate and use the desktop from the keyboard.

Introduction to Keyboard Navigation

This section describes the essential keyboard shortcuts to enable you to navigate the desktop from the keyboard.

You can customize some of the keyboard shortcuts that are described in this chapter. The text indicates the shortcuts that you can customize. See Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts for information about how to customize keyboard shortcuts.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the desktop. The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate specific desktop elements and controls are described in the appropriate sections of this chapter.

Keys 

Function 

Tab

Give focus to the next desktop element or control. 

Shift+Tab

Reverse the navigation direction and give focus to the previous desktop element or control. In general, the Shift key reverses the navigation direction.

Ctrl+Tab

If the Tab key has a specific purpose in a control, press Ctrl+Tab to give focus to the next element or control. For example, if you press Tab in a text box, the system inserts a tab space.

To give focus to the previous element or control, press Shift+Ctrl+Tab.

arrow keys 

Navigate within a desktop element or control. 

spacebar

Activate the element or control that has focus. For example, if the current control is a button, this action is the equivalent of clicking on the button with a mouse. 

Esc

Close a window, menu, or drawer. 

Global Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use from any part of the desktop.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+F1

Open the Main Menu at the location of your mouse pointer.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Alt+F2

Open the Run Program dialog.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Print Screen

Take a screenshot of the entire screen.  

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Alt+Print Screen

Take a screenshot of the window that currently has focus. 

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

F1

If the focused desktop element is an application window or dialog, this keyboard shortcut opens the online help for the application. 

Ctrl+ F1

If the focused desktop element is a panel or application window, this keyboard shortcut switches the display of tooltips for the window or panel objects on and off. 

Shift+ F10

Open a popup menu for the desktop element that has focus, if a popup menu exists. 

Navigating the Desktop Background

The desktop background is the part of the desktop where there are no interface items or applications, such as panels and windows. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the desktop background and the desktop background objects. A desktop background object is an icon on the desktop background that you can use to open files, folders, or applications.

Keys 

Function 

Ctrl+Alt+D

Temporarily hide all windows and give focus to the desktop background. 

To restore the windows, press Ctrl+Alt+D again.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Ctrl+ Alt+Tab

Display a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background and the panels. Press-and-hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background and the panels.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Tab

When the desktop background or a desktop background object has focus, give focus to the next desktop background object in alphabetical order. 

arrow keys 

When the desktop background or a desktop background object has focus, give focus to a neighboring desktop background object. 

A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a desktop background object name. 

When the desktop background has focus, give focus to the desktop background object whose name starts with the specified sequence of characters. 

F2

Rename the desktop background object that has focus. 

Shift+F10

Open the popup menu for the desktop background object that has focus. 

Ctrl+F10

Open the Desktop Background menu.

Navigating Panels

A panel is an area on the desktop from which you can run special programs, applications, and applets. The most common panel is the Menu Panel, which stretches the full width of the top edge of the desktop. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panels and panel objects.

Keys 

Function 

Ctrl+ Alt+Tab

Give focus to a panel. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background, panels, and drawers. Press-and-hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background, panels, and drawers.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Tab

Give focus to the next object on the panel. 


Note –

When you navigate the Menu Panel, the Tab key skips the Applications and Actions menus and the Window List icon.


F10

Open the Applications menu when the Menu Panel has focus. Continue to press F10 to switch focus between the Applications menu and the window list.

spacebar

Activate a panel object, for example, open a menu or start a launcher. 

Shift+ F10

Open the panel object popup menu. 

Ctrl+F10

Open the panel popup menu. 

To Move a Panel Object

You can move a focused panel object to a different location on a panel or drawer, or you can move the object to the next panel. To move a panel object, perform the following steps:

  1. Press Tab to give focus to the object.

  2. Press Shift+F10 to open the panel object popup menu.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select the Move menu item.

  4. Use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to perform the move operation.

    Keys 

    Function 

    arrow keys 

    Move the object left and right on a horizontal panel or up and down on a vertical panel. 

    Shift+ arrow keys

    Move the object and push any objects that you encounter in front of the object. 

    Ctrl+ arrow keys

    Move the object and swap position with any objects that you encounter in the move. 

    Tab

    Move the object to the next panel. 

    spacebar

    Complete the move operation. 

The following examples demonstrate the effect of different move operations on the objects in a panel.

The following illustration shows a panel with three panel objects before a move operation takes place.

Graphic

The following illustration shows the effect of using the arrow keys to move the Geyes applet on the panel. You can use the arrow keys to move the applet left or right until you meet the next panel object.

Graphic

The following illustration shows the effect of using the Shift + arrow keys to move the Geyes applet on the panel. You can use the Shift+ arrow keys to push the Volume Control and Help panel objects ahead of the object that you are moving.

Graphic

The following illustration shows the effect of using the Ctrl + arrow keys to move the Geyes applet on the panel. You can use the Ctrl + arrow keys to swap position with the Volume Control and Help panel objects as you meet the objects.

Graphic

To Navigate Drawers

A drawer is a collapsible extension of a panel. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate into and out of drawers. When you open a drawer, you can navigate the contents of the drawer in the same way as you navigate a panel. See Navigating Panels for information about how to navigate a panel.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

Open or close the drawer that has focus. 

arrow keys 

Navigate into the drawer that has focus. 

Esc

Close the drawer and give focus to the drawer object on the panel. 

Shift+Esc

Give focus to the drawer object on the panel and leave the drawer open. 

To Navigate Menus on Panels

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate menus on panels.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

Open the menu that has focus. 

arrow keys 

Navigate the menu. 

spacebar

Select a menu item. 

Shift+F10

Open the popup menu associated with a menu item, if one exists. 

Esc

Close a menu. 

To Navigate Applets

An applet is a small application that resides on a panel. You can navigate to all applets and open the applet popup menu from the keyboard. However, if the applet does not contain controls that you can give focus to, you cannot navigate the controls in the applet. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate applets.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

Activate the applet control that has focus, if applicable. Not all applets contain controls that you can activate. If the applet does not contain a control that you can activate, the spacebar does nothing.

arrow keys 

Navigate the controls on the applet. 

Shift+F10

Open the applet popup menu. To navigate the menu, use the standard keyboard shortcuts for navigating menus. See To Navigate Menus for information about how to navigate menus.

Navigating Your Workspaces

A workspace is a discrete area in which you can work. You can have many workspaces on your desktop and you can switch from one workspace to another. Each workspace can contain different windows and processes. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate workspaces.

Keys 

Function 

Ctrl+ Alt + arrow keys

Give focus to the next or previous workspace. This keyboard shortcut displays a popup window with icons that represent the workspaces. Press and hold Ctrl+Alt and continue to press the arrow keys to switch the focus between the workspaces.

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Shift+ Alt + arrow keys

Move the window that has focus to the next or previous workspace. 

You can customize this keyboard shortcut. 

Navigating Windows

The following sections describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate windows. A window is a rectangular frame on your screen that displays an application.


Note –

You can customize all of the keyboard shortcuts that are associated with navigating windows. See Navigating Your Workspaces for more information.


To Give Focus to a Window

Before you can use or modify a window, you must give focus to the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to give focus to a window.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+ Tab

Display a popup window with icons that represent each window. Press-and-hold Alt and continue to press Tab to move through the windows until you reach the window to which you want to give focus.

Alt+Esc

Raise each window in turn until you reach the window to which you want to give focus. 

To Control a Window

When a window has focus, you can perform various actions on the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to control the window that has focus.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+ spacebar

Open the Window Menu.

Alt+F4

Close the window. 

Alt+F9

Minimize the window. 

Alt+F10

Maximize the window. 

Alt+F5

Restore a maximized window to the original size of the window. 

To Move a Window

When a window has focus, you can move the window around the screen. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to move a window.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+F7

Start the move operation. 

arrow keys 

Move the window 10 pixels at a time in the direction of the arrow key. 

Ctrl+ arrow keys

Move the window one pixel at a time in the direction of the arrow key. 

Shift + arrow keys

Move the window in the direction of the arrow key to align it with the edge of the nearest window, panel, or screen edge. 

spacebar

Complete the move operation and leave the window in the current position. 

Esc

Cancel the move operation and restore the window to the original position. 

To Resize a Window

When a window has focus, you can increase or decrease the size of the window. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to resize the window that has focus.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+F8

Start the resize operation. 

arrow keys 

Resize the window in the direction of the arrow keys. 

spacebar

Complete the resize operation and leave the window at the current size. 

Esc

Cancel the resize operation and restore the window to the original size. 

To Navigate Paned Windows

A paned window is a window that is split into two or more panes. The Help browser and the Nautilus file manager are examples of applications that use paned windows.

Figure 3–1 Example of a Paned Window

Graphic

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate windows with panes.

Keys 

Function 

F6

Give focus to the next pane. The system gives focus to the control that last had focus in the pane.  

F8

Give focus to the first resize handle in the window. The resize handle is displayed between the panes and enables you to resize the panes. Press F8 again to give focus to the next resize handle.

When the resize handle has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to modify the paned window.

Keys 

Function 

arrow keys 

Move the resize handle by a small amount. 

Ctrl + arrow keys

Move the resize handle by a large amount. 

Home

Reduce the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle for horizontal panes, to the minimum size allowed.  

End

Increase the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle for vertical panes, or above the resize handle for horizontal panes,to the maximum size allowed.  

spacebar

Set the position of the resize handle and return the focus to the last control that had focus. 

Esc

Reset the position of the resize handle to the original position and return the focus to the last control that had focus. 

Navigating Applications

An application is any program, utility, or other software package that you run on your desktop. Applications comprise the following standard user interface components:

Windows

A window is a rectangular frame on your screen that displays an application. See Navigating Windows for information about how to navigate windows.

Dialogs

A dialog is a popup window in which you enter information or commands. See Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Dialogs for information about how to navigate dialogs.

Controls

A control is an instrument that you use to operate or guide the user interface. For example, buttons, check boxes, menus, and text boxes are controls. See Navigating Standard Elements and Controls for detailed information about how to navigate the different types of controls that are available.

This section of the manual describes the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to start using applications and dialogs.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Applications

Since there are many applications that you can use in the desktop, this manual does not describe the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate all of the different applications. However, the basic keyboard shortcuts are common to all applications. Access keys also provide an efficient way to navigate an application from the keyboard. An access key is identified by an underlined letter on a menu or control. In some cases, you must press Alt in combination with the access key to perform an action.

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate applications.

Keys 

Function 

F10

Open the first menu on the application menubar. 

Alt + access key

Open the menu that is associated with the access key.  

access keys 

Select the menu item that is associated with the access key. 

left arrow and right arrow

Switch focus between the menus on the menubar. 

up arrow and down arrow

Move focus into a menu. 

Esc

Close the open menus and give focus to the control that had focus before the menubar. 

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Dialogs

The following table lists the essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate dialogs.

Keys 

Function 

Alt+access key

Activate or select a control. 

Tab

Give focus to the next control. 

Ctrl+ Page Up

Move to the next tabbed section of the dialog, if the dialog contains tabbed sections. 

Ctrl+Page Down

Move to the previous tabbed section of the dialog, if the dialog contains tabbed sections. 

Esc

Close the dialog. 

Return

Perform the default action for the dialog. The default action is usually to apply the changes and close the dialog. 

Navigating Nautilus File Manager

The Nautilus file manager window contains several components and there are different keyboard shortcuts defined to navigate each component. The following graphic illustrates the name and location of each component.

Figure 3–2 Nautilus File Manager Window Components

Graphic

To Navigate the View Pane

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate the list and icon views of the file manager view pane. To navigate the music view of the file manager view pane, see Navigating Standard Elements and Controls for information about how to navigate standard user interface controls.

Keys 

Function 

F6

Switch focus between the side pane and the view pane. 

arrow keys 

Select the next or previous file or folder in the direction of the arrow key. 

Tab

Select the next file or folder in the current order. 

Ctrl+ arrow keys

Give focus to the next or previous file or folder but do not select the item. 

Ctrl+ spacebar

Add the focused file or folder to the current selection. 

spacebar

Open the focused file or folder. 

A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a filename. 

In an icon view, select the first file or folder that starts with the specified sequence of characters. 

Ctrl+ F

In a list view, display a popup dialog where you can enter a sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a filename. 

To Navigate the Side Pane

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate the file manager side pane in general.

Keys 

Function 

F6

Switch focus between the side pane and the view pane. 

Shift+ F10

Open the side pane popup menu. 

Shift+Tab

Switch the focus from the tab contents to the tab name. 

arrow keys 

Give focus to the next or previous tab name, when a tab name has focus. 

spacebar

Display or hide the tab that has focus. The tab name remains in focus. 

Tab

Move the focus from the tab name to the tab contents. 

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate the History tab in the side pane.

Keys 

Function 

arrow keys 

Give focus to the next or previous file or folder in the history list. 

spacebar

Open the file or folder that has focus in the history list. 

For information about how to navigate the Notes tab of the file manager side pane, see To Navigate Text Boxes for information about how to navigate multi-line text boxes.

For information about how to navigate the Tree tab of the file manager side pane, see To Navigate Trees.

Navigating Standard Elements and Controls

The following sections describe how to navigate and use standard user interface elements and controls from the keyboard.

To Navigate Menus

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate menus.

Keys 

Function 

up arrow and down arrow

Give focus to the next or previous menu item on a menu. 

right arrow

If the menu item that has focus is a submenu, open the submenu and give focus to the first menu item on the submenu. 

If the menu item that has focus is not a submenu, open the next menu on the menubar. 

left arrow

If the menu item that has focus is a submenu item, switch the focus back to the submenu. 

If the menu item that has focus is not a submenu item, open the previous menu on the menubar. 

Return

Select the focused menu item and close the open menus. 

access key 

Select the menu item that is associated with the access key and close the open menus. 

spacebar

Select the focused menu item and close the open menus except when the menu item is a check box or radio button. If the menu item is a check box or radio button, the menu does not close. 

Esc

Close the open menus. 

To Navigate Buttons

A button is a control that you use to start an action. Most buttons are rectangular and contain a text label.

Figure 3–3 Sample Button

Graphic

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate buttons.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

Activate the button that has focus. This is the equivalent of clicking on the button. 

Return

Activate the button that has focus or, if no button has focus, perform the default action for the dialog. 

To Navigate Radio Buttons

A radio button is a control that you use to select one of several mutually-exclusive options.

Figure 3–4 Sample Radio Button

Graphic

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a set of radio buttons.

Keys 

Function 

arrow keys 

Select the next or previous radio button and deselect the other radio buttons in the group. 

To Navigate Check Boxes

A check box is a control that you use to select or deselect an option.

Figure 3–5 Sample Check Box

Graphic

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a check box.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

Select or deselect the check box. 

To Navigate Text Boxes

Text boxes are controls in which you type text.

Figure 3–6 Sample Single Line Text Box

Graphic

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a single line text box.

Keys 

Function 

left arrow

Position the cursor one character to the left. 

right arrow

Position the cursor one character to the right. 

Ctrl+left arrow

Position the cursor at the start of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press left arrow to position the cursor at the start of the previous word.

Ctrl+right arrow

Position the cursor at the end of the current word. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press right arrow to position the cursor at the end of the next word.

Home

Position the cursor at the start of the line. 

End

Position the cursor at the end of the line. 

Shift+ left arrow or right arrow

Select one character at a time to the left or right of the cursor. 

Shift+Ctrl+left arrow or right arrow

Select one word at a time to the left or right of the cursor. 

Shift+ Home

Select all text to the left of the cursor. 

Shift+End

Select all text to the right of the cursor. 

Ctrl+A

Select all text in the text box. 

In addition to the keyboard shortcuts listed in the previous table, use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate multi-line text boxes.

Keys 

Function 

Page Up

Position the cursor at the top of the current view. Press Page Up again to position the cursor at the top of the previous view.

Page Down

Position the cursor at the end of the current view. Press Page Down again to position the cursor at the end of the previous view.

Ctrl+up arrow

Position the cursor at the start of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press up arrow to position the cursor at the start of the previous paragraph.

Ctrl+down arrow

Position the cursor at the end of the current paragraph. Press-and-hold Ctrl and continue to press down arrow to position the cursor at the end of the next paragraph.

Ctrl+Page Up

Position the cursor one view width to the left. 

Ctrl+Page Down

Position the cursor one view width to the right. 

Ctrl+Home

Position the cursor at the start of the text box. 

Ctrl+End

Position the cursor at the end of the text box. 

Ctrl+Tab

Give focus to the next control on the dialog. 

Shift+ Page Up

Select the text to the start of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Up to extend the selection to the start of the previous view.

Shift+Page Down

Select the text to the end of the current view. Press-and-hold Shift and continue to press Page Down to extend the selection to the end of the next view.

Shift+Home

Select the text to the start of the line. 

Shift+End

Select the text to the end of the line. 

Shift+Ctrl+up arrow

Select the text to the start of the paragraph, then to the start of the previous paragraph. 

Shift+ Ctrl+down arrow

Select the text to the end of the paragraph, then to the end of the next paragraph. 

Shift+ Ctrl+Home

Select the text to the start of the text box. 

Shift+ Ctrl+End

Select the text to the end of the text box. 

To Navigate Spin Boxes

A spin box is a control that allows you to type a numeric value or select a value from a list of all possible values.

Figure 3–7 Sample Spin Box

Graphic

The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the text box area of a spin box are listed in To Navigate Text Boxes. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the up and down arrows in the spin box.

Keys 

Function 

up arrow or down arrow

Increase or decrease the value of the spin box by a small amount. 

Page Up or Page Down

Increase or decrease the value of the spin box by a large amount. 

To Navigate Drop-Down List Boxes

A drop-down list box is a control that you use to select one of several available items. The drop-down list box contains a button that you use to display the available items.

Figure 3–8 Sample Drop-Down List Box

Graphic

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a drop-down list box.

Keys 

Function 

spacebar

This key performs one of the following functions: 

  • If the drop-down list is not open, this key opens the drop-down list.

  • If the drop-down list is open, this key accepts the current selection and closes the list.

up arrow

Select the previous list item. 

down arrow

Select the next list item. 

Esc

Close the list without changing the selection. 

To Navigate Drop-Down Combination Boxes

A drop-down combination box is a text box with a drop-down list box attached.

Figure 3–9 Sample Drop-Down Combination Box

Graphic

When the text box has focus, use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in To Navigate Text Boxes to navigate the text box area. When the text box has focus, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to navigate the drop-down list area.

Keys 

Function 

up arrow

Select the previous item from the drop-down list without displaying the list. 

down arrow

Select the next item from the drop-down list without displaying the list. 

Ctrl+ down arrow

Open the drop-down list. 

When the drop-down list has focus, you can use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to navigate the drop-down list.

Keys 

Function 

up arrow

Select the previous list item. 

down arrow

Select the next list item. 

Home

Select the first item on the list. 

End

Select the last item on the list. 

Page Up

Select the item at the top of the current list view. 

Page Down

Select the item at the bottom of the current list view. 

spacebar

Accept the current selection and close the drop-down list. 

Ctrl+Page Up

Scroll to the left of the list, if required. 

Ctrl+Page Down

Scroll to the right of the list, if required. 

To Navigate Sliders

A slider is a control that you use to set a value in a continuous range of values.

Figure 3–10 Sample Slider

Graphic

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a slider.

Keys 

Function 

left arrow or up arrow

Move the slider left or up by a small amount. 

right arrow or down arrow

Move the slider right or down by a small amount. 

Page Up

Move the slider left or up a large amount. 

Page Down

Move the slider right or down a small amount. 

Home

Move the slider to the maximum value. 

End

Move the slider to the minimum value. 

To Navigate Tabbed Sections

Figure 3–11 Sample Dialog with Tabbed Sections

Graphic

Windows and dialogs are sometimes divided into logical sections that are displayed one section at a time on the window or dialog. The divisions are called tabbed sections that are identified by a tab with a text label.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a tab name has focus.

Keys 

Function 

left arrow

Give focus to the previous tabbed section. 

right arrow

Give focus to the next tabbed section. 

Tab orCtrl+down arrow

Give focus to the first control on the active tabbed section. 

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate the tabbed sections of a window or dialog when a control on a tabbed section has focus.

Keys 

Function 

Ctrl+ Page Up

Give focus to the previous tabbed section.  

This keyboard shortcut does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl+ Page Up for another purpose.

Ctrl+Page Down

Give focus to the next tabbed section. 

This keyboard shortcut does not work if the focused control uses Ctrl+ Page Down for another purpose.

Ctrl+Tab

Give focus to the next control outside the tabbed sections. 

To Navigate Lists

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate multi-column lists when a column header has focus.

Keys 

Function 

left arrow or right arrow

Give focus to the previous or next column header. 

spacebar

Activate the header. This action usually sorts the list by the column header. 

Tab

Give focus to the list contents. 

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate lists when the contents of the list has focus.

Keys 

Function 

arrow keys 

Select the next or previous row or column. 

Page Up

Select the top row of the list contents that are in view. Press Page Up again to select the top row of the previous view.

Page Down

Select the bottom row of the list contents that are in view. Press Page Down again to select the bottom row of the next view.

Home

Select the first row in the list. 

End

Select the last row in the list. 

Shift+arrow keys

For lists that support multiline selections, add the next or previous row or column to the current selection. 

For lists that only allow single line selections, select the next or previous row or column. 

Shift+Page Up

Select all the rows between the current selection and the top row of the view.  

Shift+Page Down

Select all the rows between the current selection and the bottom row of the view.  

Shift+Home

Select all the rows between the current selection and the first row in the list.  

Shift+End

Select all the rows between the current selection and the last row in the list.  

Ctrl+arrow keys

Give focus to the next row or column but do not extend the selection. 

Ctrl+Page Up

Give focus to the top row in the view but do not extend the selection. 

Ctrl+Page Down

Give focus to the bottom row in the view but do not extend the selection. 

Ctrl+Home

Give focus to the first row in the list but do not extend the selection. 

Ctrl+End

Give focus to the last row in the list but do not extend the selection. 

Ctrl+spacebar

Add the focused row to the selection or remove the focused row from the selection. 

spacebar

If the selected item is a text box, this key enables you to edit the item. 

If the selected item is a check box, this key enables you to select or deselect the check box. 

Return

Activate the item. 

Ctrl+A

For lists that support multiline selections, select all rows in the list. 

Shift+ Tab

Give focus to the column header, if applicable. 

To Navigate Trees

A tree is a user interface control that contains sections that you can expand and collapse. A tree usually represents a hierarchical structure.

Figure 3–12 Sample Tree Structure

Graphic

To navigate trees, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts that are listed in To Navigate Lists. In addition, the following table lists the keyboard shortcuts you can use for the tree items.

Keys 

Function 

+ (plus)

Expand the focused item. 

- (minus)

Collapse the focused item. 

Back Space

Select the parent item. 

Customizing Your Keyboard Shortcuts

Use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool to display the default keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the desktop. You can customize the default keyboard shortcuts to meet your requirements. You can also create hot keys. Hot keys are keyboard shortcuts that start applications.

To start the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool, choose Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts. The Desktop shortcuts table lists the keyboard shortcut that is associated with each action.

To customize a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:

  1. Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted.

  2. Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut column. The following text is displayed in the Shortcut column:

    Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear

  3. Press the keys that you want to associate with the action. The new keyboard shortcut is displayed in the Shortcut column.

To disable a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:

  1. Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard shortcut. The row is highlighted.

  2. Click on the keyboard shortcut in the Shortcut column. The following text is displayed in the Shortcut column:

    Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear

  3. Press Back Space. The keyboard shortcut is disabled.