Define shift key:-
The shift key is a modifier user on a keyboard,
used to type Capital letters and other alternate "upper"
characters. There are typically two shift keys, on the left and right sides of
the row below the home row. The shift key's name originated from the
typewriter where one had to press and hold the button to shift up the case
stamp to change to capital letters; the shift key was first used in the Remington No.
2 Type-Writer of 1878; the No.1 model was capital-only.
On the US layout and similar keyboard layout,
characters that typically require the use of the shift key include the parentheses,
the question mark, the exclamation, and the colon.
When the caps lock key is engaged, the shift key can
be used to type lowercase letters on many Operating system, but not Mac OS.
Uses of Shift key on computer keyboard:-
On computer keyboard, as opposed to typewriter
keyboard, the shift key can have many more uses:
1) It is sometimes used to modify the function
key. Modern Microsoft windows keyboards typically have only 12
function keys; Shift+F1 must be used to type F13, Shift+F2 for F14, etc.
2) It can modify various control and alt key. For
example, if Alt-Tab is used to cycle through open windows, Shift-Alt-Tab
cycles in the reverse order.
3) Holding shift while in a word processor will anchor
the insertion point, such that moving the pointer and clicking the
mouse to a new point will select the range of text in between.
4) Holding shift while drawing with the mouse in graphics programs
generally confines the shape to a straight line, usually vertically or
horizontally, or to draw squares and circles using the rectangle and ellipse
tools, respectively.
5) The shift key can also be used to modify
the mouse behavior on a computer. For example, holding shift while
clicking on a link in a web browser might cause the page to
open in a new window, or to be downloaded.
6) In some web browsers, holding shift while scrolling will scan
through previously viewed web pages.
7) In Mac OS, holding Shift while performing
certain actions, such as minimizing a window or
enabling/disabling Dashboard or Mission control, makes the
animation occur in slow motion. For some animations, holding control will make the animation move just
slightly slower, and holding control + shift will result in an extremely slow motion
animation.
On some keyboards, if both shift keys are held down
simultaneously only some letters can be typed. For example, on
the Dell keyboard Model RT7D20 only 16 letters can be typed. This
phenomenon is known as "masking" and is a fundamental limitation of
the way the keyboard electronics are designed.
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