Put Yourself in Control

On a standard keyboard there are some keys you will only press once - accidentally. Then there are others that you will use every time you sit down to do anything on a computer. One of those keys I use all the time is the Ctrl or control key. I use because it has excellent shortcuts. Below documented are some of my most used and useful shortcuts/ key combinations performed by the ctrl key.

1) Ctrl + C + Click + V
This little combo copies your selection, you click where you want it to go, and it is there. You don't have to take your hand off the Ctrl key, and the two keys are located right beside one another. I use it for copying pictures to a new file, and for coping links to fourms.
Extension: If you press Ctrl + A + C... it will select all the text or pictures in the vicinity and then copy it.

2) Ctrl + S
This is very useful if you something long typed, you are editing a picture, or you are fixing a presentation. The odd time you have your hand on the keyboard, just move it over and initiate this shortcut That is all the effort you will require to do this. It will save you if you accidentally close or ruin your project. It will save you a lot of work and stress.

This could have been avoided with two keys.
Pic Source

3) Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y

These are the shortcut commands for undo and redo respectively. These are a real timesaver for undoing or redoing recently made changes. Useful for photo editing, to change it back if you don't like the last edit. Using them is faster than fiddling in the menus they are hidden in and picking them out from there.

4) Ctrl + Tab/ Ctrl + 1/2/3/4...
Suppose you have a browser window open and you are typing into it. Next suppose in the next tab you have the information you are referring to. With this you can switch tabs faster than by clicking on them, and switch back rapidly to continue with your essay on world domination and similar projects.

5) Ctrl + W / Ctrl + Shift + T
Ctrl and W will close the tab you are currently in, or the window at the fore if you only have one open tab. This is quite useful for closing any annoying pop-ups you may encounter or getting off a site just before your boss walks in. Ctrl, Shift and T will do nearly the opposite, as it opens the last closed tab. The only drawback is the it will only work in the current window, so that if you close a window, you will have to open it again by yourself. (In firefox this is under History - recently closed windows. In IE it is under Tools - restore last session)


There you have it, some fairly productive and time saving shortcuts and combos for you to try out and use daily.
Feel free to contact me or post any other shortcuts you think are handy or useful. I may get around to compiling them into another entry.

Modifier Keys - Breakdown

On a standard QWERTY keyboard, there are 105 keys. Not all of the keys are alphabet or numerical keys, some provide other functions. A group of these keys, referred to as the Modifier Keys are an example of this.
They enhance the use of a keyboard, making life easier for the user. Elements of this set are:

• Shift
• Ctrl
• Alt
• Alt Gr
• Win Key

 I shall explain each of them in greater detail.

Shift
Location: The key is found twice on the keyboard, once on the left, above Ctrl, and the other on the opposite side of the alpha keys. (Coloured red on the image above)
Use: like second function on a calculator, it produces a different symbol than if it wasn't pressed. For example:

• Shift + 1 = !
• Shift + ' =@
• Shift + 5 = %

It is also used to capitalize letters, while it is held down. It is faster to use than Caps Lock, because you only need to hold it, rather than press it, the press it again to remove ALL CAPS
It can be used in conjunction with other keys, like Delete, to Delete straight away, instead of pushing the unwanted file to the recycle bin.

Ctrl (Control)
Location: At the bottom left of the keyboard, and at the bottom right, under the right shift.(Coloured yellow)
Use: It is used in conjunction with alpha keys, to do some very useful jobs.
For example, Ctrl + A selects all the available text and|or images. Ctrl + X will cut the current selection.

Alt
Location: It is just to the left of the big space bar. (Coloured green)
Use: Used similarly to an alternative of Ctrl. It deals more with menus. Eg. Alt + F opens the file menu. Alt + F4 closes the current window open.

Alt Gr
Location: It is just to the right of the big space bar. Exactly opposite the Alt key.(Also coloured green)
Use: For foreign symbols, not native to an English keyboard. Example, í, é or á.

Win Key
Location: Between the Ctrl and Alt keys on either side of the space bar. (This one is blue)
Use: For windows operating shortcuts, like win + e, which open the My Computer window, or win + r, which opens run.

I will be updating this post frequently, so come back later to see how it has progressed.