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A dead key is a special kind of modifier key on a mechanical typewriter, or computer keyboard, that is typically used to attach a specific diacritic to a base letter. [1] The dead key does not generate a (complete) character by itself, but modifies the character generated by the key struck immediately after. Thus, a dedicated key is not needed ...
Some non-English language keyboards have special keys to produce accented modifications of the standard Latin-letter keys. In fact, the standard British keyboard layout includes an accent key on the top-left corner to produce àèìòù, although this is a two step procedure, with the user pressing the accent key, releasing, then pressing the letter key.
On Sun Microsystems and Lisp machine keyboards, the Meta key is used as a modifier and for Windows keyboards, there is a Windows key. Compact keyboard layouts often use a Fn key. "Dead keys" allow placement of a diacritic mark, such as an accent, on the following letter (e.g., the Compose key).
The Latvian QWERTY keyboard layout is most commonly used; its layout is the same as the United States one, but with a dead key, which allows entering special characters (āčēģīķļņōŗšūž). The most common dead key is the apostrophe ('), which is followed by Alt+Gr (Windows default for Latvian layout). Some prefer using the tick (`).
IBM states that AltGr is an abbreviation for alternate graphic. [3] [4]Sun Microsystems keyboard, which labels the key as Alt Graph. A key labelled with some variation of "Alt Graphic" was on many computer keyboards before the Windows international layouts.
A typical 105-key computer keyboard, consisting of sections with different types of keys. A computer keyboard consists of alphanumeric or character keys for typing, modifier keys for altering the functions of other keys, [1] navigation keys for moving the text cursor on the screen, function keys and system command keys—such as Esc and Break—for special actions, and often a numeric keypad ...
PC keyboards designed for non-English use included other methods of inserting these characters, such as national keyboard layouts, the AltGr key or dead keys, but the Alt key was the only method of inserting some characters, and the only method that was the same on all machines, so it remained very popular.
A key at E00 is not required, but when it is present on the keyboard, the positions E13 and B00 (shown in red) may have no key (e.g. the US layout with the Backspace or Delete key at E14 enlarged to E13 and the left Shift key at B99 enlarged to B00); but most international layouts having a key at E00 also have at least one key on E13 (with a ...