Alt Underlined Character

Alt key and an underlined character takes you directly to that part of a dialogue box.

Use Alt-N, Alt-T, Alt-D and Alt-V to move to specific parts of the File Open dialogue box.

Use Alt-T to move to the file Type box.

Letter

Use Alt-F to enter the File menu.

Note that within that menu, the word "Properties" has the letter "P" underlined.

Tap, by itself, without the Alt key, just the letter "P".

This brings into view a Window titled "Program Group Properties".

Tap the escape key once to remove the Properties box.

You are no longer in the File menu.

The Escape, Alt and letter keys are useful.

Alt-letter

Locate and tap the Alt key, then tap the letter "F".

A pull-down menu appears under the word "File". Note that in the menu word "File", the letter "F" is underlined.

Tap the Escape key once, to remove the menu.

Tap the Escape key a second time to remove the highlighting from the word "File".

Locate and hold down the Alt key. While holding down the Alt-key, tap the letter "F".

The pull-down menu appears.

Tap the Escape key twice to remove the menu and the highlighting.

Alt-arrow key

With the mouse, click on a "click-me" box. (In the File, open dialogue box, it is the little triangular button to the right hand end of the Files Of Type box).

Use Alt-Down-arrow to open up the window of file types.

Use the up-arrow and down-arrow keys to move amongst the file types.

The F2 function key

The F2 function key places you in edit mode.

It works in Excel, Access and Explorer to name a few places.

- Try it wherever you happen to be.

Alt-tab into Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) and select a file name. Tap the F2 key and you'’ll be able to edit that filename. Be careful not to change the name or extent of a critical file!

In Excel, Lotus or QuattroPro spreadsheets, tap the F2 function key to begin editing a cell.

In Access database tables, tap the F2 function key to begin editing a field within a data table.

Once you are in editing mode, you can use all the usual editing keys (Ctrl-C, Ctrl-Right-Arrow etc) to navigate and manage the data.

Ctrl-Click

You are using the mouse to click, just one click, in Windows Explorer to select a file, or in your spreadsheet to select a cell.

Try holding down the Ctrl key while you click on different files or cells.

The Ctrl-Click method allows you to select a non-contiguous collection of items.

It works in some drop-down list boxes and combo boxes, too.

If you want to be really powerful, try using Ctrl-A to select all the files in a folder, and then Ctrl-Click to take a few out of the set. That’s an easy way of selecting all-but a few files.

Right-Click

You are using the mouse to click, just one click, in Windows Explorer to select a file, or in your spreadsheet to select a cell.

Try clicking with the right-hand button. The right-hand button will pop-up a context-sensitive menu, that is, a menu crafted to meet the situation in which you are.

If you have just left-clicked on a file in Windows Explorer, right-click will throw up a menu that includes Copy, Send To, Delete and Rename, for those are actions you can take on a file.

If you have just left-clicked on a cell in your spreadsheet, right-click will throw up a menu that includes Copy, Paste and Format Cells, for those are actions you can take on a spreadsheet cell.

If you have just left-clicked on a shortcut on your desktop, right-click will throw up a menu that includes Open, Send To, Copy, Rename and Properties, for those are actions you can take on a desktop shortcut.

· Right-click delivers highly relevant information.

Properties?

Sure! If you are really into power and speed, right-click on your desktop shortcut to Windows Explorer, choose the Shortcut tab, and in the Shortcut Key box, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys while you tap the letter "E". Confirm out of there and see what Ctrl-Shift-E (E for Explorer) does for your productivity.