The correct shorthand for writing keyboard shortcuts

[David Spreadbury]

Avraham,

 

I looked a little further, and then remembered that FrameMaker has many such
shortcut sequences. So I went to the FrameMaker manuals and found this
example:

 

Character Sets, page 2, Using key sequences

Control+q Shift+a - Holding down Control while pressing the letter q, then
releasing both keys, and then holding down Shift while pressing the letter a

 

So, to use your situation and MSTP terminology:

 

Press and hold Ctrl while pressing the letter m, release both keys, and then
press and hold Ctrl while pressing the letter f (Ctrl+M Ctrl+F).

 

I, personally, don't like the wording in the Adobe description but that is
how it is worded.

 

From: Avraham Makeler [mailto:amakeler at gmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 7:51 AM
To: David Spreadbury
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: The correct shorthand for writing keyboard shortcuts

 

>> Two questions:

>> Will Ctrl+M, followed by Ctrl+F, give the proper results?

Yes

>> Will Ctrl+M+F give the proper results?

No

 

Thanks,

 

avi

 

 

On Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 3:12 PM, David Spreadbury <dspreadb at yahoo.com>
wrote:

Avraham,

Two questions:

Will Ctrl+M, followed by Ctrl+F, give the proper results?

Will Ctrl+M+F give the proper results?

If the second is true, I would document it by teling the user; "Press and
hold the Control key then press M followed by F (Ctrl+M+F)."

The Microsoft Manual of Style, version 2, always has shortcuts with a plus
(+) following Ctrl, Alt, of Shift (Ctrl+?).

It seems to depend on whether you need to release the Ctrl key between
sequences.


-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Avraham Makeler
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 3:57 AM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: The correct shorthand for writing keyboard shortcuts

Hi all,

  RE: The correct shorthand for writing keyboard shortcuts


I have a general question on writing keyboard shortcuts - but no
particularly connected to FM. So I was referred to this forum sicne there is
the general impression that FM users are the champions of extremely long and
complex keyboard shortcuts.

So here is my question: It is a surprising problem to have: a simple enough
issue that I should have already come across years ago, but for some reason
I am bumping into it only now. I have asked a number of experienced
technical writers about this, but have had no convincing answer.

I am documenting a GUI, that has a certain command called 'Merge Forms',
whose keyboard shortcut is, *as the SME writes it*:

   Ctrl M+F

The SME means to say: press Ctrl+M and then with the Ctrl key still pressed,
then press the F key.

And this does in fact successfully invoke the required operation.  (Not of
negligible importance: Ctrl+M followed by Ctrl+F will also work.)

But is 'Ctrl M+F' the correct way to write this?
I think not. For a start, the custom seems to be to write a plus (+) immed.
after the 'Ctrl'.
But 'Ctrl+M+F' means something else: to press all three keys at once.
---------------

Ctrl+M, F is not correct, since it means: Press Ctrl+M, then release the
Ctrl key, and then press the F key

---------------

And another surprise I had is that when I tried a few experiments typing
keyb sequences in the MS Word 'Customize Keyboard' dlg box, I found lots of
bugs. But since this is an FM forum and not a Word forum I wont detail the
 issues here.

Thanks all,

- avi

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