Navigating with the Keyboard

This section provides an overview of keyboard shortcuts and describes how to navigate using the keyboard.

Working in a browser-based environment can often be mouse intensive. However, PeopleSoft applications offer keyboard navigation alternatives to using a mouse. These shortcuts are classified into two categories: hot keys and access keys. Hot keys perform immediate actions. Access keys move your cursor to a particular location.

To view a printable list of all shortcuts while on a search or transaction page, press Shift+Ctrl+K.

Note: Certain browsers may treat access keys and hot keys differently.

See “Troubleshooting Browser Limitations” on My Oracle Support for specific information about browser differences.

Hot keys perform immediate actions. When you press one, the designated action occurs. Note that several hot keys perform different functions, depending on the page that you are on, such as a transaction page or a search page.

Note: Certain PeopleSoft hot keys do not work as expected on alternate, non-U.S. keyboard layouts. For example, Alt + ', Alt + \, and Alt + / do not produce the expected results on the AZERTY keyboard. This occurs because some keys on non-U.S. keyboards produce different key codes than the same key on a U.S. keyboard (also known as a QWERTY keyboard).

You can find a solution to this problem in Global Technology.

See Understanding Troubleshooting.

Key or Key Combination	Result
Alt + 1	Saves a page in a transaction. Moves to the Search or Add button on a search or lookup page. Moves to the OK button on a secondary page.
Alt + 2	Returns to the search page from a transaction page.
Alt + 3	Views the next row in the list when the button is active.
Alt + 4	Views the previous row in the list when the button is active.
Alt + 5	Accesses the Look Up page that lists the valid values for a field. Opens the calendar prompt.
Alt + 6	Opens the pop-up window on a page.
Alt + 7	Inserts a row in a grid or scroll area.
Alt + 8	Deletes a row in a grid or scroll area.
Alt + 0	In Expert Entry mode, activates the Refresh button, which validates the data that you enter on a page.
Alt + 0	Views the next set of rows in a grid or scroll area.
Alt+ ,	Views a previous set of rows in a grid or scroll area.
Alt+ /	Finds data in a grid or scroll area.
Alt + ‘	Views all rows of data in a grid, scroll area, or search page results list.
Alt + \	Toggles between the Add a New Value and Find an Existing Value fields on a search page.
Alt + ;	Displays the context menu.
Alt + J	Displays the system information page if it is configured by an administrator to appear.
Ctrl + K	On a search or transaction page, displays a list of keyboard navigation hot keys and access keys.
Ctrl + M	Activates drag mode for the selected object.
Ctrl + Alt + M	Places (drops) an object that was moved in drag mode.
Ctrl + Y	Toggles the Main Menu drop-down menu between expand and collapse. Toggles the Menu pagelet between minimize and maximize.
Ctrl + Alt + P	When Screen Reader Mode is not enabled, opens mouse over pop-up pages. Hit the Esc key to close these page. When Screen Reader Mode is enabled, you can continue to use the (i) button to open the pop-up page.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves the focus through the frame set.
Enter	Activates the OK button, where appropriate. On a search page, activates the Search button. On a lookup page, activates the Lookup button.
Esc	Activates the Cancel button, where appropriate.

Access keys move your cursor to a particular place on a page (such as a button or link), to another page in a component, or to another tab in a grid.

Note: Some access keys have multiple actions assigned to them, and their usage depends on the currently active page.

To identify the access key that you use to move to another page tab in a component or to another tab in a grid, look for the underlined letter in the tab name. To access the page, press Alt plus the underlined letter, and then press Enter.

In addition, you can use the following general access keys:

Key or Key Combination	Result
Alt + 9	Accesses page bar elements, such as Help.
Alt + \	Toggles between Update/Display, Include History, and Correct History action modes on the toolbar on a transaction page.
Ctrl + Alt + S	Moves focus to the Skip to Main Content link. Note: The Tab Over Header Icons option must be enabled. See Defining User Preferences.
Alt + Z	Accesses the menu search field if it is enabled.

Skip to Main Content Link

The Tab Over Header Icons user preference setting, when enabled, activates a Skip to Main Content link at the top of transaction pages. This option provides a convenient way for keyboard users to quickly navigate to the main content and skip repetitive navigation.

The link can be activated when you initially access a page, and focus is set on the link. To skip repetitive navigation in a Classic environment, press Enter. To access the Skip to Main Content link in a Fluid environment, press Ctrl + Alt + S. Press Enter and then Tab to jump to the main content.

Note: This does not apply to homepages.

Menu Pagelet Access Keys

Navigate between menus by pressing Alt + Z, which moves the focus of your cursor to the menu pagelet. From the menu, press Tab (or Shift + Tab for reverse direction) to navigate through the menu.

This table lists the key or key combinations that you use to navigate the drop-down menu structure and the results of using those keys:

Key or Key Combination	Result
Ctrl + Y	Expands the Main Menu.
Alt + Z	If the search field is configured to appear in the Main Menu, expands the Main Menu and moves the cursor to a search field.
Tab	If the search field is configured to appear in the Main Menu, press Tab to move past the search field and sort icons to access the menu items.
Up Arrow	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, moves one item upward through a list of folders and content references. When moving through the navigation path, collapses a drop-down menu item.
Down Arrow	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, moves one item downward through a list of folders and content references. When moving through the navigation path, expands a drop-down menu item.
Right Arrow Note: This functionality applies only to languages read from left to right.	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, opens a folder to the right so that subfolders or content references appear. When moving through the navigation path, accesses the next menu item to the right.
Right Arrow Note: This functionality applies only to languages read from right to left.	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, closes the current folder and sets the focus on its parent folder. When moving through the navigation path, accesses the next menu item to the right.
Left Arrow Note: This functionality applies only to languages read from left to right.	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, closes the current folder and sets the focus on its parent folder. When moving through the navigation path, accesses the next menu item to the left.
Left Arrow Note: This functionality applies only to languages read from right to left.	Varies based on context: In an expanded menu, opens a folder to the right so that subfolders or content references appear. When moving through the navigation path, accesses the next menu item to the left.
Esc	Closes all open menu items. Collapses all expanded menus.

The navigation bar (NavBar) is a control that provides quick access to pages and folders in your PeopleSoft system. The NavBar contains buttons on the left that, when activated, display a list of associated items to the right. The list items can be links, folders, or other objects. Users can use the list items to access a page or folder, without having to navigate through the main menu.

You can use the following keys within the NavBar:

Key or Key Combination	Result
Tab Shift + Tab	Moves the focus through the NavBar buttons and list items.
Enter	When focus is on a NavBar button: activates the selected button, displaying the associated list items. When focus is on a NavBar list item: activates the selected item, accessing the associated page or folder.

Key or Key Combination

Result

Tab

Shift + Tab

Moves the focus through the NavBar buttons and list items.

Enter

When focus is on a NavBar button: activates the selected button, displaying the associated list items.

When focus is on a NavBar list item: activates the selected item, accessing the associated page or folder.

This table lists the key or key combinations that you use to navigate through charts and the results of using those keys:

Note: These keyboard shortcuts apply to charts beginning with PeopleTools release 8.55. Charts from previous releases, and some specific charts do not support these keyboard shortcuts.

Key or Key Combination	Result
Tab	Moves focus to next component.
Shift + Tab	Moves focus to the previous component.
Up Arrow	Moves focus and selection to previous data item.
Down Arrow	Moves focus and selection to next data item.
Left Arrow	Moves focus and selection to previous data item (on left).
Right Arrow	Moves focus and selection to next data item (on right).
Shift + Up Arrow	Moves focus and multi-selects previous data item.
Shift + Down Arrow	Moves focus and multi-selects next data item.
Shift + Left Arrow	Moves focus and multi-selects previous data item (on left).
Shift + Right Arrow	Moves focus and multi-selects next data item (on right).
Ctrl + Up Arrow	Moves focus to previous data item, without changing the current selection.
Ctrl + Down Arrow	Moves focus to next data item, without changing the current selection.
Ctrl + Left Arrow	Moves focus to previous data item (on left), without changing the current selection.
Ctrl + Right Arrow	Moves focus to next data item (on right), without changing the current selection.
Ctrl + Spacebar	Multi-selects data item with focus.
= or +	Zooms in one level if zooming is enabled.
- or _	Zooms out one level if zooming is enabled.
Page Up	Pans up if scrolling is enabled.
Page Down	Pans down if scrolling is enabled.
Shift + Page Up	Pans left in left-to-right locales. Pans right in right-to-left locales.
Shift + Page Down	Pans right in left-to-right locales. Pans left in right-to-left locales.

This table lists the key or key combinations that you use to navigate through calendar controls and the results of using those keys:

Note: Screen reader users, use the table command to change the date.

Key or Key Combination	Result
Tab	Moves focus to the next object within the calendar control. When you initially open a calendar control, the focus is on the Close button. Press tab to navigate through the controls in this order: Month combobox, Year combobox, Date table, Previous Month button, Current Date link, Next Month button.
Enter	Selects the current item. In the Date table, pressing Enter on a date selects that date and closes the calendar control. On the Current Date link, pressing Enterselects the current date and closes the calendar control.
Esc	Closes the calendar without any action.
Up Arrow	Moves to the same day of the week in the previous week.
Down Arrow	Moves to the same day of the week in the next week.
Left Arrow	Moves to the previous day.
Right Arrow	Moves to the next day.

If you frequently use the tab key to navigate, you can skip page elements that you know you will not need to access. For example, if you always type the date into a date field and then press Tab to move quickly to the next field rather than opening the calendar prompt, selecting the date, and then closing the prompt, then you can set your navigation personalizations to always tab over the calendar prompt. To do this:

Select My Preferences from the Actions List.
The My Preferences page appears.
The appearance of this page may differ depending on the application that you are using. If multiple preference categories appear, select General Settings.
Expand the Navigation Personalizations section.
Configure the navigation options as you prefer.
Save your changes; your selections will be active the next time you log on to the system..

Navigating with the Keyboard

Understanding Keyboard Shortcuts

Using Hot Keys

Using Access Keys

Skip to Main Content Link

Menu Pagelet Access Keys

Navigating Drop-Down Menus Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Using the Keyboard with the NavBar

Navigating Charts Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigating Calendar Controls Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Setting Navigation Personalizations