Move cursor forward one character
On the screen there is a box, or line, one character position wide called a cursor that shows where the next typed character will appear. You can move the cursor from field to field so that data may be entered in each field. The cursor will not move outside the data entry fields within a form.
Data may be entered into a field by typing while the cursor is positioned in the field. There are keys on the keyboard that perform special functions, such as error correction and cursor positioning. These keys and the functions they perform are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Table 3-3
Key Description
Space Erase character under cursor and move cursor forward one character
Back-space Erase character before cursor and move cursor backward one character
Kill Erase entire field
Tab Move to next field
Return Fill in default values and move to next field
Line-Feed Duplicate value and move to next field
Home Move cursor to first field
Help Provide on-line help
Clear Clear all entry fields to blanks
Move cursor backward one character
Move cursor to next field
Move cursor to previous field
The Space key erases a character and moves the cursor forward one position each time it is pressed. If you press the Space key at the end of a field, the cursor moves to the beginning of the next field. If the cursor is at the end of the last field on the form when the Space key is pressed, however, it moves to the beginning of that field.
The Backspace key erases the last character typed and moves the cursor backwards one position. This key allows typographical errors to be corrected as they are made. Pressing the Backspace key repeatedly erases one character each time the key is pressed until the beginning of the field is reached. The Backspace key will not move backwards into a previous field.
The Kill key (often @) erases the entire contents of the field that the cursor is in and positions the cursor at the beginning of that field.
Pressing the Tab key moves the cursor to the beginning of the next field. Pressing the Tab key while in the last field of the form moves the cursor to the beginning of the last field. It will not move the cursor back to the first field of the form, as the Tab key always moves the cursor forward on the screen.
The Return key moves the cursor from one field to the next in the same manner as the Tab key. In addition, pressing Return in an empty field that has a default value given by the form designer, form copies the default value into the field.
When you press the Line Feed key or Ctrl + J, the cursor moves to the next field. If the field is empty when you press the Line Feed key or Ctrl + J, the contents of the same field from the last stored or deleted record is duplicated in the field. Each time a record is stored or deleted, a copy of the record's contents is saved (until the EXIT function is selected). When the Line Feed Key is pressed in an empty field, the contents of the same field from that previously stored or deleted record is entered into the current field. This allows information that is to be duplicated from one record to the next to be entered quickly and accurately.
Pressing the Right Arrow key moves the cursor to the right one position in the field without deleting a character. If the cursor is at the end of the field, the cursor moves to the beginning of the next field. If the cursor is at the end of the last field, pressing the Right Arrow key will not move the cursor. This key only moves the cursor forward.
Pressing the Left Arrow key moves the cursor one position to the left in the field without deleting a character. If the cursor is at the beginning of a field, the cursor moves to the end of the previous field. If the cursor is at the beginning of the first field, pressing the Left Arrow key will not move the cursor.
Pressing the Down Arrow key moves the cursor forward to the beginning of the next field just as the Tab key does.
Pressing the Up Arrow key moves the cursor backwards to the beginning of a field. If the cursor is not at the beginning of a field, the Up Arrow key moves the cursor to the beginning of that field, without making changes to the data currently in the field. If the cursor is already at the beginning of a field, the Up Arrow key moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous field. Pressing the Up Arrow key while at the beginning of the first field will have no effect.
The Home key repositions the cursor at the beginning of the first entry field on the screen.