Keyboard Equivalents

Table 4-2 shows several keyboard equivalents that are reserved for use with localized versions of system software, localized keyboards, keyboard layouts, and input methods. These keyboard equivalents don't correspond directly to menu commands, so there is no menu column with command names in Table 4-2.

Table 4-2 Additional reserved keyboard equivalents for worldwide systems

Keys	Action
x-Space bar	Rotate through enabled script systems
x-Option-Space bar	Rotate through keyboard layouts and input methods within a script
x-modifier key-Space bar	Apple reserved
x-Right Arrow	Changes keyboard layout to current layout of Roman script
x-Left Arrow	Changes keyboard layout to current layout of system script

See the section on keyboard equivalents in the book Inside Macintosh: Overview for a discussion of handling keyboard equivalents in other script systems.

The key combinations in Table 4-1 and Table 4-2 are reserved across all applications. Even if your application doesn't support one of the menu commands in Table 4-1, it shouldn't use these keyboard equivalents for another function.

Some applications use other common keyboard equivalents, as shown in Table 4-3. These keyboard equivalents are secondary to the standard keyboard equivalents listed in Table 4-1 and Table 4-2. If your product doesn't support one of these functions, then use these equivalents as you wish.

Table 4-3 Common keyboard equivalents that are not reserved

Menu	Keys	Command
File	x-F	Find
File	x-G	Find Again
Style	x-T	Plain Text
Style	x-B	Bold
Style	x-I	Italic
Style	x-U	Underline

Don't assign keyboard equivalents for infrequently used menu commands. Add keyboard equivalents only for the commands your users employ most frequently.