
16-1
Section
16
Navigation Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcuts give you the power to maneuver through
Caterpillar applications solely using the keyboard. The shortcuts
include using Alt, Tab, Shift, Ctrl (Control), Enter, the space bar,
multiple letters and arrow keys (separately and combined with each
other) to accomplish an action.
Alt Key + Letter
Holding down the Alt key and pressing a letter allows you to navigate
drop-down menus. For example, pressing “F,” while holding down
the Alt key, opens the File Menu. While this menu is open, pressing
the underlined letters in that menu performs the related tasks. In this
case, pressing “N” would prompt the New File box (see Letters).
Tab Key
The Tab key moves the cursor between option pushbuttons (“OK,”
“Cancel,” “Print,” etc.). A pushbutton that can be activated by
pressing enter is highlighted (marked with black dashes around the
border). Using the Tab and Shift Keys at the same time reverses the
tab order. On different screens, you can use the Tab button to move
from one area to another. This is called “tab ability.”
Arrow Keys
The arrow keys have many uses. The first function of the keys is to
move between and through the menus after holding down the Alt key
and pressing a letter (see the example given under Alt Key + Letter).
The arrow keys and Enter key can be used instead of pressing the
letter of the corresponding function.
The second use of the arrow keys is similar to that of the Tab key
because the arrows can be used to move between option
pushbuttons. The up and right arrows move the cursor down the
option pushbuttons, and the down and left arrows move the cursor
up the option pushbuttons.
The third function of the arrow keys is to scroll through lists. In some
screens, you must highlight the “OK” pushbutton with the Tab key
before using the arrows to scroll the list. In others, you must use the
tab key to get into the box with the list before using the arrows.