# General Accessibility Tips

A number of technologies can be of assistance to people with different types of disabilities. These are covered in this section. In particular:

- Essential Keyboard Commands - covers some basic keyboard commands.

- Keyboard Desktop Navigation - allows users to navigate the desktop without using a mouse or pointer device.

- Accessible Login - users can configure the login screen to be more accessible.

## Essential Keyboard Commands

Before moving forward, be sure you are familiar with these essential GNOME commands:

AltF1 [Debian] - display and activate the GNOME Desktop menu bar. This grants access to the Applications, Places and System menu bar items.

For Solaris and Windows systems, this key is CtrlEsc.

AltF2 or MetaR - summons the Run dialog, where you can issue terminal commands with or without parameters. If a file needs to be passed as one of these parameters, use the Run With File button to easily locate the file needed. This dialog also presents an alternate list of known applications which may be easier to navigate than the Debian system desktop menu (AltF1) approach.

For Solaris systems, this key is MetaR (as with Microsoft Windows). A meta- or super-key is an OS-logo shift key.

Tab and ShiftTab - move focus within an application between controls; use Tab to cycle forward through controls and ShiftTab to cycle backwards. Controls are any user-interactive element that you can manipulate, such as buttons, drop-down lists, text fields, etc. CtrlTab and ShiftCtrlTab are used instead where Tab and ShiftTab are reserved for use by the focused control.

AltTab and ShiftAltTab - switches between currently running applications. If you have multiple programs running, use AltTab to cycle forward through the applications and ShiftAltTab to cycle backwards. AltEsc and ShiftAltEsc also cycle between applications, but without an application preview window.

## Accessible Login

The GNOME Desktop includes an Accessible Login feature, enabling users to:

- Log in to the desktop even if the user cannot easily use the screen, mouse, or keyboard in the usual way.

- Launch assistive technologies at login time by associating a user action with an assistive technology application. The user can perform the user action from the standard keyboard, or from a keyboard, pointing device, or switch device that is attached to the USB or PS/2 mouse port. These user actions are called gestures.

- Change the visual appearance of the login dialog before the user logs in; for example, using a high-contrast theme for better visibility.

Accessible login features are presently 100% functioning for Solaris only.

### Enabling Accessible Login

In order to use the accessibility support for GNOME, the accessibility infrastructure must be enabled. To enable GNOME accessibility features from the command line, type the following command and then log out:

`gconftool-2 --set "/desktop/gnome/interface/accessibility" --type boolean "True"`

To enable GNOME accessibility features from a GUI, run the System Preferences Assistive Technology command from the top level menu. Select the "Enable assistive technologies" checkbox and then press the "Close and Log Out" button.

The next time you log in, assistive technology support will be enabled for the desktop.

To configure GDM by using the GUI (the preferred method), perform the following steps:

1. Log in as the `root` user.

2. Run gdmsetup from a terminal; you may be advised to reboot after exiting the application.

To configure GDM if you cannot access the GUI environment, you will need to navigate the file system and modify files:

1. Log in as the `root` user.

2. Open the file `/etc/X11/gdm/custom.conf`

3. Search the file for the following line:

   `#AddGtkModules=false`

   and replace the line with the following:

   `AddGtkModules=true`

   This step enables the GtkModules.

4. Search the file for the following line:

   `#GtkModulesList=gail:atk-bridge:dwellmouselistener:keymouselistener`

   and delete the `#` from the start of the line so that the line reads:

   `GtkModulesList=gail:atk-bridge:dwellmouselistener:keymouselistener`

   The above lines must be displayed as single lines in the `custom.conf` file without line breaks. The formatting of this guide may display the lines as being longer than two lines.

   This step loads all of the GtkModules to enable assistive technologies such as On-Screen Keyboard and Screen Reader and Magnifier . You can edit the line above further to load only the GtkModules that you require to support the user base. For example:

   - If you need to use the Screen Reader and Magnifier, include `gail` and `atk-bridge`.

   - If you need to use a pointing device without buttons or switches, include `gail`, `atk-bridge` and `dwellmouselistener`.

   - If you use pointing devices with switches, alternative physical keyboards, or switch and button devices, include `keymouselistener`.

   - On-Screen Keyboard can operate without `gail` and `atk-bridge`, but with a reduced feature set.

   For optimum accessibility, include `gail` and `atk-bridge`.

5. Save the `/etc/X11/gdm/custom.conf` file.

   If you make any changes to the `/etc/X11/gdm/custom.conf` file after you enable GDM, you can execute the following command to restart GDM and activate the changes:

   `gdm-restart`

6. Edit the file `/etc/group` and append the following to the `audio` line:

   `,gdm`

   This step ensures that speech works with GDM.

7. Restart your system.

Xserver is required for all distributions; for Linux and OpenSolaris, it should be Xorg. You can find them in both `/etc/X11` and `/usr/bin`. Generally for Linux there will be a symbol link in `/etc/X11/X` and it is always linked to the binary `Xorg` in `/usr/bin/Xorg`. For OpenSolaris, you can find this process with the command `ps -ef | grep X`.

To enable or disable Xorg extensions, you can edit the file `/etc/X11/xorg.conf` and add the following parameters to enable different extensions:

    Section "Extensions"
      Option "Composite"         "Enable"
      Option "other extensions"  "Enable/Disable"
    EndSection

### Starting Assistive Technologies at Login

If you load the `keymouselistener` and `dwellmouselistener` GtkModules in the GDM configuration file, you can assign user actions to launch specific assistive technologies at login time. These user actions are called gestures. The gesture associations are contained in the following GDM configuration files:

- `/etc/X11/gdm/modules/AccessKeyMouseEvents`

- `/etc/X11/gdm/modules/AccessDwellMouseEvents`

If you modify these files, you must restart your system before the changes take effect.

The following sections contain examples of the gestures that you can add to the GDM configuration files.

The gestures must be contained in a single line in the `AccessKeyMouseEvents` file without line breaks. The formatting of this guide might display the examples in the following sections across multiple lines.

#### Starting the Screen Reader Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Edit the `AccessKeyMouseEvents` file to associate keyboard shortcuts with assistive technologies. For example, the following lines enable you to press and hold CtrlS or CtrlM for one second to either start speech or magnification:

`<Control>s 1 1000 10000 /usr/bin/orca -n -d main-window`

`<Control>m 1 1000 10000 /usr/bin/orca -n -d main-window -e magnifier`

#### Starting On-Screen Keyboard Using a Switch or Button Gesture

Edit the `AccessKeyMouseEvents` file to associate switch, key, or button gestures with assistive technologies. Since the primary input device for many On-Screen Keyboard users is a switch or button, this is a good way to enable users to start On-Screen Keyboard at login time.

If there is a tendency for a user to start an application unintentionally, you can associate the gestures with multiple switch presses or minimum durations. For example, the following line starts On-Screen Keyboard in inverse scanning mode when the user presses the switch that is defined as Switch 2 three times within two seconds, for a minimum of 100 milliseconds for each press:

`<Switch2>3 100 2000 gok --login --accessmethod=inversescanning --scan-action=switch1 --select-action=switch2`

Users who use single switches may prefer to start On-Screen Keyboard in automatic scanning mode. The following line starts On-Screen Keyboard in automatic scanning mode when the user presses the switch on an alternative access device for more than four seconds:

`<Switch>1 4000 5000 gok --login --accessmethod=automaticscanning --scan-action=switch1 --select-action=switch1`

For information about the On-Screen Keyboard operating modes, see the online help for On-Screen Keyboard.

#### Starting On-Screen Keyboard Using a Motion-Only Gesture

You can define gestures that involve only the motion of a pointing device such as a mouse, or an alternative pointing device, such as a head pointer or trackball. The syntax of the gesture does not change depending on whether you are using a mouse or an alternative pointing device. Edit the `AccessKeyMouseEvents` file to associate motion gestures with assistive technologies.

If the `dwellmouselistener` GtkModule is loaded, alternative pointing devices are temporarily latched to the core pointer. This means that if the user moves the alternative pointing device, the on-screen pointer moves.

For example, the following line starts On-Screen Keyboard in dwell mode when the user moves the on-screen pointer from inside the login dialog through the top edge, back into the dialog through the top edge, out of the dialog through the left edge, back into the dialog through the left edge, and similarly through the bottom and right edges of the dialog in a cross pattern:

`TTLLBBRR O 10000 gok --login --access-method=dwellselection --input-device=MOUSE[3]`

Note that the `--input-device` parameter specified in the gesture must match the name of the extended user input device, such as a head pointer or trackball, as specified in `/etc/X11/XF86Config`.

### Additional Requirements for Accessible Login

To enable the Accessible Login feature to use alternative pointing devices and switch devices such as sip-and-puff switches, wheelchair-mounted switches or trackballs, you might need to modify your X server system configuration to recognize these devices. You can use most devices that emulate mouse buttons with the Accessible Login feature and On-Screen Keyboard, including USB single switches and mouse-like pointing devices.

You should not configure an alternative input device to control the primary on-screen pointer. This might result in undesirable behavior or cause situations from which the user of the alternate input device cannot recover without using the primary keyboard or mouse. To prevent this problem, remove any occurrences of the attributes `SendCore` or `AlwaysCore` from any of the `InputDevice` lines in the X Server configuration file.

## Keyboard Desktop Navigation

This section 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.
ShiftTab | Reverse the navigation direction and give focus to the previous element or control. In general, the Shift key reverses the navigation direction.
CtrlTab | Give focus to the next element or control if the Tab key has a specific purpose in a 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 ShiftCtrlTab.
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.
F7 | Switch to caret navigation mode. In computing, caret navigation is a kind of keyboard navigation where a caret (also known as "text cursor", "text insertion cursor", or "text selection cursor") is used to navigate and select text within a document. For more information about caret navigation mode, see .

#### Global Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use from any part of the GNOME Desktop.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
AltF1 | Open the Main Applications Menu. You can customize this keyboard shortcut. For Solaris systems, this key is Ctrl-Esc (as with Microsoft Windows).
AltF2 | Open the Run Application dialog. You can customize this keyboard shortcut. For Solaris systems, this key is Meta-R (as with Microsoft Windows). A meta- or super-key is an OS-logo shift key.
Print Screen | Start the screenshot application and take a screenshot of the entire screen. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
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 Help for the application.
CtrlF1 | 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.
ShiftF10 | Open a popup menu for the element that has focus (if a popup menu exists for that element).

### 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
--- | ---
CtrlAlt D | Temporarily hide all windows and give focus to the desktop background. To restore the windows, press CtrlAltD again. You can customize this keyboard shortcut. For Solaris systems, this key is Meta-D (as with Microsoft Windows). A meta- or super-key is an OS-logo shift key.
CtrlAlt Tab | Display a popup window with icons that represent the desktop background and the panels. Press and hold CtrlAlt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background and the panels. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
arrow keys | Give focus to a neighboring desktop background object (if the desktop has focus).
A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a desktop background object name. | If 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 panel applications. The most common panel is the panel that stretches the full width of the bottom edge of the desktop. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panels and panel objects.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl AltTab | 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 CtrlAlt and continue to press Tab to switch the focus between the desktop background, panels, and drawers. If you're especially dexterous, you can add Shift to go in reverse. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Tab | Give focus to the next object on the panel.
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. This key behavior may alter slightly depending on context and specific user setup.
spacebar | Activate a panel object; for example, open a menu or start a launcher (icon shortcut).
ShiftF10 | Open the panel object popup menu.
CtrlF10 | Open the panel popup menu.

#### Moving Panel Objects

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:

1. Press Tab to give focus to the object.

2. Press ShiftF10 to open the panel object popup menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to select the Move menu item.

4. Use the keyboard shortcuts that are listed in the following table to perform the move operation:

   Keys | Function
   --- | ---
   arrow keys | Move the object left/right on a horizontal panel, or up/down on a vertical panel.
   Shift + arrow keys | Move the object with focus, swapping positions with any other objects encountered.
   Ctrl + arrow keys | Move the object, swapping positions with any other 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:

Illustration | Description
--- | ---
Portion of a panel with three objects displayed in the following order from left to right: Geyes icon, Volume Control icon, and Help icon. | Show 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. | Shows the effect of using the arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application on the panel. You can use the arrow keys to move the panel application 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. | Shows the effect of using Shift + arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application 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: Volume Control icon, Help icon, and Geyes icon. | Shows the effect of using Ctrl + arrow keys to move the Geyes panel application on the panel. You can use the Ctrl + arrow keys to swap positions with the Volume Control and Help panel objects as you meet the objects.

Panel applications that are Locked cannot be moved. To unlock a panel application, use the panel object menu and deselect the Lock to Panel option.

#### Navigating 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.

#### Navigating Panel Menus

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.
ShiftF10 | Open the popup menu associated with a menu item (if one exists).
Esc | Close a menu.

#### Navigating Panel Applications

A panel application is a small application that resides on a panel. You can navigate to all panel applications and open the panel application popup menu from the keyboard. However, if the panel application does not contain controls that you can give focus to, you cannot navigate the controls in the panel application. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate panel applications.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
spacebar | Activate the panel application control that has focus, if applicable. Not all panel applications contain controls that you can activate. If the panel application does not contain a control that you can activate, the spacebar does nothing.
arrow keys | Navigate the controls on the panel application.
Shift F10 | Open the panel application popup menu. To navigate the menu, use the standard keyboard shortcuts for navigating menus. See for information about how to navigate menus.

### Navigating 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 CtrlAlt and continue to press the arrow keys to switch the focus between the workspaces. You can customize this keyboard shortcut.
Ctrl ShiftAlt + 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.

#### Giving Focus to Windows

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 you want to have focus.
AltEsc | Raise each window in turn until you reach the window you want.
AltF6 | Cycle between windows belonging to the current application (eg, a multiple document interface application like Text Editor).

#### Controlling Windows

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.
AltF4 | Close the window.
Solaris: Open Linux: AltF9 | Minimize the window.
AltF10 | Maximize the window.
AltF5 | Restore a maximized window to its original size.

#### Moving Windows

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
--- | ---
AltF7 | 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 and align it with the edge of the nearest window, panel or screen edge.
spacebar | Complete the move operation, leaving the window in the current position.
Esc | Cancel the move operation, restoring the window to its original position.

#### Resizing Windows

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 key.
spacebar | Complete the resize operation, leaving the window at the current size.
Esc | Cancel the resize operation, restoring the window to its original size.

#### Navigating Paned Windows

A paned window is a window that is split into two or more panes. Help Browser is an example of an application that uses paned windows.

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate paned/split windows:

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 | Contract the pane to the minimum size allowed. For vertical panes, reduces the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle to the minimum size allowed. For horizontal panes, reduces the size of the pane above the resize handle to the minimum size allowed.
End | Expand the pane to the maximum size allowed. For vertical panes, increases the size of the pane to the left of the resize handle to the maximum size allowed. For horizontal panes, increases the size of the pane above the resize handle to the maximum size allowed.
spacebar | Set the position of the resize handle and return focus to the last control that had focus.
Esc | Reset the position of the resize handle to the original position and return focus to the last control that had focus.

### Navigating Applications

An application is any program, utility, or other software package that you run on your desktop. Applications contain 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 which displays information or accepts input from the user. See for information about how to navigate dialogs.

Controls

  A control is any user-interactive screen element. Examples of controls include buttons, check boxes, menus, and text boxes. 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 in applications and dialogs.

#### Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Applications

Since there are so many applications that you can use in the GNOME Desktop, this manual does not describe all the custom keyboard shortcuts that you can use with each individual application. However, the basic keyboard shortcuts are common to many applications.

Access keys are another way to quickly navigate applications with 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 menu and give focus to the control that had focus before the menubar.
CtrlO | Open the file selector dialog.
Ctrl S | Open the Save dialog.
Ctrl L | Open a Location dialog, enabling you to type the name of a file that you want to open or save.
Ctrl P | Open a Print dialog, if available.
Ctrl C | Copy highlighted text to the global, application-spanning clipboard.
Ctrl X | Cut highlighted text to the global, application-spanning clipboard.
Ctrl V | Paste text from the global, application-spanning clipboard to the current cursor position.

#### 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 | Move to the next page/tabbed section of the dialog.
Ctrl Page Down | Move to the previous page/tabbed section of the dialog.
Esc | Cancel/dismiss the dialog. Some application-specific dialogs may retain dialog settings, but this practice is discouraged. These dialogs usually have a single Close button, with no Ok/Accept buttons.
Return | Perform the default action for the dialog. The default action will usually apply any changes and close the dialog. A default button will have a bold outline and a selected button will have a slightly bolder outline than the default button.

### Navigating the File Manager

By default, the file manager operates in Spatial mode. This mode uses separate windows for each folder. Conversely, Browser mode will reuse the same window for each folder.

For more information about different modes for the file manager, see the user guide.

#### Navigating Folders

The following table describes the keyboard shortcuts that enable you to navigate folders in the file manager:

Keys | Function
--- | ---
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. This allows multiple, non-contiguous blocks of files to be selected.
spacebar | Open the focused file or folder.
Ctrl + spacebar | Select the item that currently has focus.
A sequence of characters that matches the first n characters of a filename. | Select the first file or folder that starts with the specified sequence of characters.
Home | Select the first file or folder within the current folder.
End | Select the last file or folder within the current folder.
backspace | Open the current folder's parent folder.
Shift-F10 | Open a file or folder popup menu.
Ctrl-F10 | Open the enclosing folder's popup menu (equivalent to right-clicking on the view pane background).

#### Navigating Browser Window Components

When operating in Browser mode, the file manager window contains several components, with keyboard shortcuts defined to navigate each component:

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F6 | Switch focus between the side pane and the view pane.
Shift F10 | Open the side pane popup menu.

### Caret Navigation Mode

The following table describes how to use caret navigation mode (eg, in supporting applications like Yelp, Evolution, Epiphany, or Firefox). In computing, caret navigation is a kind of keyboard navigation where a caret (also known as "text cursor", "text insertion cursor", or "text selection cursor") is used to navigate and select text within a document.

Keys | Function
--- | ---
F7 | Switch to caret navigation mode [Yelp-only].
left arrow | Move one character to the left.
right arrow | Move one character to the right.
up arrow | Move up one line.
down arrow | Move down one line.
Ctrl + left arrow | Move to the beginning of the previous word.
Ctrl + right arrow | Move to the end of the next word.
Page Up | Scroll up one page of content.
Page Down | Scroll down one page of content.
Home | Move to the beginning of the current line.
End | Move to the end of the current line.
Shift + arrow keys | Move from the current position to the destination position, selecting all text between the two positions.
Tab | Move focus to the next focusable control.
Shift Tab | Move focus to the previous focusable control.
Enter | Activate a button, link or other control.

### Navigating Standard Elements and Controls

The following sections describe how to navigate and use standard user interface elements and controls from the keyboard.

#### Navigating 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 menu.
spacebar | Select the focused menu item and close the menu except when the menu item is a check box or radio button.
Esc | Close the menu.

#### Navigating 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.

#### Navigating 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.

#### Navigating 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.

#### Navigating 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 Ctrlleft 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 | 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 the up arrow key 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 the down arrow key 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 Ctrlup arrow | Select the text to the start of the paragraph, then to the start of the previous paragraph.
Shift Ctrldown arrow | Select the text to the end of the paragraph, then to the end of the next paragraph.
Shift CtrlHome | Select the text to the start of the text box.
Shift CtrlEnd | Select the text to the end of the text box.

#### Navigating 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.

#### Navigating 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

Sample drop-down list.

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.

#### Navigating 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 | 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 in the list.
End | Select the last item in 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.

#### Navigating 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 by a large amount.
Page Down | Move the slider right or down by a large amount.
Home | Move the slider to the maximum value.
End | Move the slider to the minimum value.

#### Navigating 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 overall control is referred to as a notebook or tabbed panel. The divisions are called panels, pages, or tabs, and are sometimes collectively referred to as a tabstrip or notebook header. Each individual tab is identified by 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 tabstrip has focus:

Keys | Function
--- | ---
left arrow | Give focus to the previous tabbed section.
right arrow | Give focus to the next tabbed section.
Tab or Ctrldown arrow | Give focus to the first control in the active section.

The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate a window or dialog when a control within a section has focus:

Keys | Function
--- | ---
Ctrl AltPage Up | Give focus to the previous section.
CtrlAlt Page Down | Give focus to the next section.
Ctrl Tab | Give focus to the next control outside the sections.

#### Navigating 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 list area 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 currently 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 currently 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 multi-line 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 without extending the selection. Further items can be selected by pressing spacebar.
Ctrl Page Up | Give focus to the top row in the view without extending the selection.
Ctrl Page Down | Give focus to the bottom row in the view without extending the selection.
Ctrl Home | Give focus to the first row in the list without extending the selection.
Ctrl End | Give focus to the last row in the list without extending the selection.
Return | Activate the item(s).
Ctrl A | Select all rows (for lists that support multi-line selections).
Shift Tab | Give focus to the column header, if applicable.

#### Navigating 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) or shiftright | Expand the focused item.
- (minus) or shiftleft | Collapse the focused item.
backspace | Select the parent item.
CtrlF | Display a search dialog, allowing you to type the name of the tree item that you want to find. Not all trees support searching.

### 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 (keyboard shortcuts which start applications).

To start the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool, choose System Preferences Keyboard Shortcuts . The Desktop shortcuts table lists the keyboard shortcuts that are associated with each action.

#### Assigning and Clearing Keyboard Shortcuts

To assign a keyboard shortcut, perform the following steps:

1. 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.

2. 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:

1. 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.

2. Press the backspace. The keyboard shortcut is disabled.