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Ideal Online Documentation

29076 GENERAL SYSTEM GUIDE INFORMATION
GS2-01 Keyboard

FUNCTION KEYS

At the top or left side of your keyboard you will see a set of keys marked F1, F2...F12. These are the function keys, so-called because most software applications assign different program functions to each of these keys. Ideal software assigns the following functions to these keys.

Keys whose functions are standard in all modules:

• F2 - display items/selections one at a time; set a numeric data field to zero; clear an alpha/numeric field

• F3 - backup one field during data entry / one page during inquiry display

• F4 - end or exit a program, option or menu

• F5 - display inquiry options or selections

Keys whose functions, when available, vary from program to program and are displayed at the bottom of the screen:

• F1, F6...F12

NUMERIC KEYS

There are two sets of numeric keys on your keyboard. One is at the top of the regular keyboard, like the standard typewriter, the other to the right of the regular keyboard, in a calculator style layout. Either set of numeric keys can be used for data entry. You may find the calculator keypad more useful when entering a lot of numeric data because it is numbered in the same way as a regular calculator. Such a layout is much easier for entering numeric data rapidly than the standard typewriter style numeric keys.

Depending on the brand and model of your keyboard, you may have to press the Num Lock key in order to use the numbers on the calculator keypad. On some keyboards the Num Lock key toggles between the numbers and the other functions displayed on the calculator keypad.

ENTER/RETURN/CR KEY

When you enter information from the keyboard other than a single keystroke option you must follow each entry by pressing the keyboard's RETURN or ENTER key. This key is usually larger than the other keys and located to the right of the alphabetic keys in the middle line of the keyboard. Depending on the keyboard you are using or literature you read regarding computer systems, this key may be referred to as the ENTER key, the RETURN key or the Carriage Return key, which is also known as CR. Many prompts in Ideal software contain the CR key. This is simply the Enter Key.

In this manual, [Enter] means to press this key. The word enter or Enter is used to instruct you to type or key in data, a menu selection or option and then press the Enter Key. For example:

KEYBOARD CONVENTIONS

In this manual the following conventions are used when discussing or giving directions for using keyboard commands.

When a single keystroke is being discussed or described it is capitalized and put in [] brackets thus:

Again, please note that enter, Enter and [Enter] do not mean the same thing. The words enter and Enter are used to instruct you to type or key in data: usually a code, date or description. In a discussion or description, [Enter] is used to instruct you to press the Enter Key. The symbol CR in a prompt means [Enter] - press the Enter Key to exercise that option.

When a single keystroke is listed as an element of a procedure it is contained in a keybox thus:

When discussing or describing a keystroke or keyboard command or option that requires first typing numerals or letters followed by pressing the Enter Key, the numerals or letters are placed in double quotes, thus:

When listed as an element of a procedure a keystroke or keyboard command or option that requires first typing numerals or letters followed by pressing the Enter Key, the numerals or letters are placed in double quotes and contained in a keybox, thus:

When a keystroke or keyboard command or option is a sequence of letters, all the connected letters must be typed and then the Enter Key pressed, thus:

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