Using the Keyboard to Navigate the Desktop
This chapter describes how to navigate the GNOME 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
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 elements and controls are described in the appropriate sections of
this chapter.
Keys
Function
Tab
Give focus to the next element or control.
Shift
Tab
Reverse
the navigation direction and give focus to the previous 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 an 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 GNOME 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
Start the screenshot application
and take a screenshot of the entire screen.
You can customize
this keyboard shortcut.
This shortcut only works on Solaris systems.
Alt
Print Screen
Start the screenshot application and take a screenshot of the window that
currently has focus.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
F1
If the focused element is an
application window or dialog, this keyboard shortcut opens the online help
for the application.
Ctrl
F1
If
the focused 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 element that has focus, if a popup menu exists.
Navigating the Desktop Background
The desktop background is the part of the GNOME 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 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.
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:
Press
Tab
to give focus to the object.
Press
Shift
F10
to open
the panel object popup menu.
Use the arrow keys to select the
Move
menu item.
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.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon.
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.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon.
The following illustration shows the effect of using the
Shift
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.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon.
The following illustration shows the effect of using the
Ctrl
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.
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: Volume Control icon, Help icon, and geyes icon.
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
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
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.
You can customize all of the keyboard shortcuts that are associated
with navigating windows. See
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.
Solaris:
Open
Linux:
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. The mouse pointer changes
to a cross.
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.
Example of a Paned Window
Nautilus File Manager window. Contains a side pane, view pane, and a resize handle between the panes.
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 in your desktop environment. Applications comprise the following standard
user interface components:
Windows
A window is a rectangular
frame on your screen that displays an application. See
for information about how to navigate windows.
Dialogs
A dialog is a popup window
in which you enter information or commands. See
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
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 GNOME 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
If a tab name has focus, move to the next tabbed section of the dialog.
Ctrl
Page Down
When a tab name has focus, move to the previous tabbed section of the dialog.
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 the File Manager
The 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.
File Manager Window Components
File Manager window. Contains menubar, toolbar, location bar, Zoom buttons, side pane with tabs, and view pane.
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
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.
Ctrl
+ arrow
keys
Give focus
to the next or previous file or folder but do not select the item.
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.
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.
arrow keys
Give focus to the next or previous
tab name.
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
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
.
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.
Sample Button
Close button.
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.
Sample Radio Button
Two sample radio buttons.
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.
Sample Check Box
Sample check box.
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.
Sample Single Line Text Box
Sample text box with one input line.
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
(Solaris only)
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.
Sample Spin Box
Sample spin box. Contains a text box and up and down arrows.
The keyboard shortcuts that you use to navigate the text box area of
a spin box are listed in
. 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 Lists
A drop-down list is a control that you use to select one of several
available items. The drop-down list contains a button that you use to display
the available items.
Sample Drop-Down List Box
Sample drop-down list box.
The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to
navigate a drop-down list.
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 attached.
Sample Drop-Down Combination Box
Sample drop-down combination box. Contains a text box and an arrow button that you click to display the drop-down list.
When the text box has focus, use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed
in
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
(Solaris only)
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.
Sample Slider
Sample slider. Displays a slider control that you can move left or right.
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
Sample Dialog with Tabbed Sections
Editing profile dialog from the GNOME Terminal application. Contains six tabbed sections.
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
or
Ctrl
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.
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.
Sample Tree Structure
Categories tree from the gedit Preferences dialog. Contains three subcategories.
To navigate trees, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts that are
listed in
. 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 GNOME 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 Keyboard Shortcuts on a Solaris System
To customize a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted.
Click on the keyboard shortcut in the
Shortcut
column. The text
Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear
is displayed in the Shortcut column.
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:
Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted.
Click on the keyboard shortcut in the
Shortcut
column. The text
Type a new accelerator, or press Backspace to clear
is displayed in the Shortcut column.
Press
Back Space
. The keyboard shortcut is
disabled.
To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts on a Linux System
To customize a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:
Click on the action for which you want to customize the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text
Type a new accelerator,
or press Backspace to clear
is displayed in the Shortcut column.
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:
Click on the action for which you want to disable the keyboard
shortcut. The row is highlighted and the text
Type a new accelerator,
or press Backspace to clear
is displayed in the Shortcut column.
Press
Back Space
. The keyboard shortcut is
disabled.
