Delete key: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 02:52, 18 August 2012 editEric (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers17,776 edits Undid revision 506728866 by Incnis Mrsi (talk)reverted erroneous, possibly well-intentioned edits and insertion of well-meant but not quite correct graphic← Previous edit		Revision as of 06:16, 20 August 2012 edit undoIncnis Mrsi (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers11,646 edits tagging details of Eric's vomiting versionNext edit →
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	{{distinguish\|delete character}}		{{distinguish\|delete character}}
			{{lead section\|date=August 2012}}
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	When struck on a ] during text or command editing, the '''delete key''' ({{Keypress\|Delete}} or {{Keypress\|Del}}, known less ambiguously as ''forward delete'') discards the character ahead of the ]'s position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key appears on ] labeled as ''Delete'' or ''Del.'' On some ]s, the key that performs the forward delete function is labeled ''del,''<ref name="Mac Forward Delete">{{cite web\|title=Forward Delete (Fwd Del)\|work=Apple Human Interface Guidelines\|url=http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGUserInput/XHIGUserInput.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000361-CECIEFIA}}</ref> or with a special right arrow glyph enclosing an "x" with the word ''del'' or ''delete'' above or to the left of it,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg \|title=Image of the keyboard layout of a full-sized aluminum Apple keyboard \|date= \|accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref> since the full word ''delete'' by itself is reserved for labelling the key known on other keyboards as ''].''		When struck on a ] during text or command editing, the '''delete key''' ({{Keypress\|Delete}} or {{Keypress\|Del}}, known less ambiguously as ''forward delete'') discards the character ahead of the ]'s position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key appears on ] labeled as ''Delete'' or ''Del.'' On some ]s, the key that performs the forward delete function is labeled ''del,''<ref name="Mac Forward Delete">{{cite web\|title=Forward Delete (Fwd Del)\|work=Apple Human Interface Guidelines\|url=http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGUserInput/XHIGUserInput.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000361-CECIEFIA}}</ref> or with a special right arrow glyph enclosing an "x"{{dubious\|date=August 2012}} with the word ''del'' or ''delete'' above or to the left of it,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg \|title=Image of the keyboard layout of a full-sized aluminum Apple keyboard \|date= \|accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref> since the full word ''delete'' by itself is reserved for labelling the key known on other keyboards as ''].''

	==Background==		==Background==

Revision as of 06:16, 20 August 2012

Not to be confused with delete character.

The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. Please help improve the lead and read the lead layout guide. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

When struck on a computer keyboard during text or command editing, the delete key (Delete or Del, known less ambiguously as forward delete) discards the character ahead of the cursor's position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key appears on IBM-compatible PC keyboards labeled as Delete or Del. On some Mac keyboards, the key that performs the forward delete function is labeled del, or with a special right arrow glyph enclosing an "x" with the word del or delete above or to the left of it, since the full word delete by itself is reserved for labelling the key known on other keyboards as Backspace.

Background

On Unix-like systems, the delete key is usually mapped to ESC [3 ~ which is the VT220 escape code for the "delete character" key,

On many notebook computer keyboards the key labeled delete (sometimes with backspace printed on the same key) serves the same purpose as a Backspace key. In other cases, the Delete key is in its original IBM notebook position of above and to the right of the Backspace key. Many laptops add rows of smaller keys above the Function key line to add keys on a non-standard size keyboard. On this row of smaller keys, the Delete key is often the third key in from the right. On Apple Inc.'s line of laptops (e.g. the MacBook and MacBook Pro), the forward delete function can be achieved using the Fn + backspace key combination.

In some systems the forward delete function can be invoked with Control-H (or, less frequently, Control-?) instead. This is related to ASCII control characters for BS and DEL.

Also, the delete key often works as a generic command to remove a selected object, such as an image embedded in a document (on Macs both the forward delete key and the delete (backspace) key have the same effect when pressed while an object is selected).

The delete key, on many modern motherboards, also functions to open the BIOS setup screen when pressed after starting the computer.

References

^ "Forward Delete (Fwd Del)". Apple Human Interface Guidelines.
"Image of the keyboard layout of a full-sized aluminum Apple keyboard". Retrieved 2012-07-31.
"9.8 Keyboard configuration". Debian Policy Manual.

IBM PC keyboard (Windows, ANSI US layout) v t e
Esc	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	F6	F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12	PrtScn/ SysRq	Scroll Lock	Pause/ Break

													Insert	Home	PgUp	Num Lock	∕	∗	−
													Delete	End	PgDn	7	8	9	+
																4	5	6	+
														↑		1	2	3	Enter
													←	↓	→	0 Ins		. Del	Enter

v t e Keyboard keys
Dead keys	Compose Gold
Modifier keys	Control Shift Alt / Option (Apple) AltGr Command (Apple) / Windows (Microsoft) / Super Meta Hyper Fn
Lock keys	Scroll Lock Num Lock Caps Lock F-Lock
Navigation keys	Arrow keys Page Up/Page Down Home End Esc Menu
Editing	Enter/Return Carriage return Backspace Insert Delete Tab Space bar Numeric keypad Language input
Contextual	Function keys Print Screen System request Break/Pause
Misc.	Power management keys (Power, Sleep, Wake) Any key Macro key Copilot key Keyboard technology Keyboard shortcut Keyboard layout Keyboard mapping

Category:

Computer keys

Revision as of 02:52, 18 August 2012 editEric (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers17,776 edits Undid revision 506728866 by Incnis Mrsi (talk)reverted erroneous, possibly well-intentioned edits and insertion of well-meant but not quite correct graphic← Previous edit		Revision as of 06:16, 20 August 2012 edit undoIncnis Mrsi (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers11,646 edits tagging details of Eric's vomiting versionNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{distinguish\|delete character}}		{{distinguish\|delete character}}
			{{lead section\|date=August 2012}}
	]		]
	When struck on a ] during text or command editing, the '''delete key''' ({{Keypress\|Delete}} or {{Keypress\|Del}}, known less ambiguously as ''forward delete'') discards the character ahead of the ]'s position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key appears on ] labeled as ''Delete'' or ''Del.'' On some ]s, the key that performs the forward delete function is labeled ''del,''<ref name="Mac Forward Delete">{{cite web\|title=Forward Delete (Fwd Del)\|work=Apple Human Interface Guidelines\|url=http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGUserInput/XHIGUserInput.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000361-CECIEFIA}}</ref> or with a special right arrow glyph enclosing an "x" with the word ''del'' or ''delete'' above or to the left of it,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg \|title=Image of the keyboard layout of a full-sized aluminum Apple keyboard \|date= \|accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref> since the full word ''delete'' by itself is reserved for labelling the key known on other keyboards as ''].''		When struck on a ] during text or command editing, the '''delete key''' ({{Keypress\|Delete}} or {{Keypress\|Del}}, known less ambiguously as ''forward delete'') discards the character ahead of the ]'s position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key appears on ] labeled as ''Delete'' or ''Del.'' On some ]s, the key that performs the forward delete function is labeled ''del,''<ref name="Mac Forward Delete">{{cite web\|title=Forward Delete (Fwd Del)\|work=Apple Human Interface Guidelines\|url=http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGUserInput/XHIGUserInput.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000361-CECIEFIA}}</ref> or with a special right arrow glyph enclosing an "x"{{dubious\|date=August 2012}} with the word ''del'' or ''delete'' above or to the left of it,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg \|title=Image of the keyboard layout of a full-sized aluminum Apple keyboard \|date= \|accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref> since the full word ''delete'' by itself is reserved for labelling the key known on other keyboards as ''].''

	==Background==		==Background==

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