2017.06.19 FwdMan2.8.17.docx 9-65
Each control in a window has been assigned a tab order, so that when the user presses the
TAB key the focus rectangle is moved to the next control in the tab order, and when TAB is
pressed while simultaneously holding down the Shift key the focus rectangle is moved to the
previous control in the TAB order.
When a control has focus the user can manipulate it using the keyboard. Here is a quick
overview of how to manipulate the most common of windows controls using the keyboard:
Command Buttons:
To activate a command button simply press the Enter key on the keyboard.
Drop-down lists:
To make a drop-down list drop down or retract simply press the
up- or down arrow while at the same time holding down the Alt
key. To navigate in the drop-down list simply use the up- and
down-arrows WITHOUT pressing the Alt key. When an item in
the drop-down list is highlighted the user can select it by pressing
the Enter key on the keyboard.
Combo Boxes:
A combo box is a combination of a textbox and a drop-down
list. The text portion of a drop-down list can only display
items from the list, whereas a combo box allows the user to
directly enter an input into the text portion as if it was a plain
textbox as well.
In the combo box shown above the user has been allowed to enter the word
“Concrete” into the text portion of the combo box although “Concrete” doesn’t appear
in the list of pavement types to choose from.
Check Boxes:
The checkmark in a checkbox can be toggled ON and OFF by pressing
the Enter key.
The menu bar (along the top of the main window) is accessed in a rather special way.
Actually there is two ways a user can access the menu bar using the keyboard:
The user can shift the focus between the menu bar and the rest of the window by
pressing the Alt key. When the menu bar has the focus one of the headline items is
“depressed” as shown below (the View headline item is highlighted):
Use the left- and right arrows to highlight the desired headline item. Each headline
item conceals a list that the user can drop-down by pressing the down-arrow. To
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