Where is the documentation for the Windows Operating System user definable shortcut keys? This is a question I asked and answered on the Windows 7 section of this forum. Since I have found this feature to be quite useful, the documentation and some discussion about the use of this feature within this Windows 8 section is provided in the next post on this thread. Much of the previous Windows 7 post used in the following post has been edited and some additional discussion has been provided so the following post will not be a duplicate one.

At the time of this writing a web search did not produce any documentation by Microsoft, or by anyone else, on Windows OS user definable shortcut keys. It is my guess this was a feature Microsoft provided with early version(s) of Windows and has only carried the feature forward for the purpose of providing backward compatibility. This would explain why some of the bugs it has (discussed in the next post) have never been fixed, and the development of its features has been limited. For instance popup menus with hot keys and a popup form showing which keys have been defined and their given definition has never been provided.

Desktop computing and at least the keyboard, not having a better alternative, will be alive in a great many circles, for quite some time. Although the mouse and now the touch screen have provided significant improvements to the DOS and Windows Operating System Interface, there are times and places where the keyboard is king.

If you find any errors or omissions in the next post, please point them out. Any additional comments on this subject would be welcomed as well. The Windows 7 post on this subject mentioned above only generated about 2000 views and zero positive votes over a period of a little more than a year. Most of the views were probably made by people looking for something else. In my opinion sometimes people do not know what they want.

All the Best,

Rich

• Changed type Karen HuMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 05, 2014 2:01 AM it's a discuss

The Windows operating system has many built in shortcut keys.  A partial list of these keys can be found at the following link provided by Microsoft:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449/en-us

Since the WINDOWS KEY + W   and the WINDOWS KEY + ARROW KEY options are not listed in the link above, a better link is available.  

The WINDOWS KEY plus a NUMBER corresponding to the first 10 program icon positions on the Taskbar is a semi programmable feature since the first 10 programs icons on the Taskbar can be defined changed and/or moved.

Windows also provides the ability to provide user defined keyboard shortcuts for DESKTOP shortcut icons (From this point forward referred to as UKS for User Keyboard Shortcut). The idea of having 20 or more keyboard shortcuts may sound nutty and thus not worth pursuing. This is not the case if you develop the following simple habit. The first UKS you create should be for opening a Notepad or Word file containing the list of all the shortcut keys you have defined ( Ctrl+Alt+M ).  I use a Word file to save shortcut keys because it allows more than one column and grids. A file you can look at and/or download having this format can be found at one of the following links:

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=C9E8F08E0A25D9DA!653&authkey=!ANV6QQYrCNLtm8w&ithint=file%2c.doc

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4HMER-vnWw6Zlg0WUlGbnQ4MG8&usp=sharing

Any time you assign a UKS this file should be edited. If you forget a shortcut key, or are not sure about what keys you have already assigned, you can bring up this file.  If the step of editing this file for a UKS is not felt to be worthwhile, the UKS is probably not worth creating.  A few examples of shortcuts found to be useful follow: The directory of pictures on my cameras memory card while plugged into a card reader;  folders for programs by group; folders for commonly used directories such as my documents and downloads; passwords (a secure way of doing this would take another post to explain), several internet sites; a few spreadsheets and Word Documents frequently used, and last but not least my current game of choice. The method Windows gives for defining and using UKSs is fairly simple. A UKS can only be assigned to Desktop shortcut icons. If a shortcut icon is moved from the Desktop to a different directory after the UKS is assigned to it, the UKS will stop working even if moved back to the desktop. Many would consider this to be a software bug and there are a couple more of these bugs to be aware of.

You can assign a UKS to a shortcut icon not on the Desktop and without any warning it will not work. A currently assigned UKS key can be overwritten while assigning a new key without any warning.

If an icon represents anything other than a shortcut icon, it cannot be assigned a shortcut key. Fortunately in this case, there is not a menu item available, allowing you to make this mistake. All UKSs use the combination of the Ctrl plus Alt key followed by a key being pressed. Almost all the keyboard keys, not just the ones producing alpha and special characters can be used for a UKS. For instance the insert, delete and navigation keys are valid UKS keys. The numeric keyboard keys are recognized as being different from the numeric keyboard keys located above the letter keys on the main keyboard. The letter keys are not case sensitive. In fact anything requiring a shift key cannot be used as a shortcut key. You can use a period, arrow key, or Page Down key for a shortcut, but cannot use the question mark since it requires a shift key to access it.    UKSs are assigned by right clicking on a DESKTOP shortcut icon, left clicking on "Properties" Menu Item, selecting the "Shortcut" Menu Tab, followed by another click on the Shortcut Key Box. The menu box at this point will contain the word None.  This will be over written with a Ctrl+Alt and the key you press. Most keys can be assigned without pressing the CTRL-ALT keys; however, the numeric keyboard number keys and the F1 to F12 keys require pressing the CTRL-ALT key combination pressed to be assigned.  Below the Shortcut Key Box Menu Box there is a Run Menu Box for setting the Windowed Size option, minimized, normal or maximized. The default is normal. This is a new feature to Windows 7 and can be useful for Icon Settings even if you do not use UKS. This is not an option for Internet Short Cut Icons. If the Apply Menu Button at the bottom of the menu box is not clicked before exiting this menu, the settings selected will not be saved. There are several ways to create Desktop Shortcut Icons. The method I use the most is to right click on an icon not on the desktop, select Send, and then Create Desktop Shortcut.  To create a Desktop Shortcut Icon to an internet site, first save it as a favorite. Regardless of the type of favorite created an icon for the site will be created. Copying that icon and pasting it, while the internet source for the icon copied is still open (required), will create a Desktop shortcut icon that can be used for a UKS.

Copying and pasting to create a desktop shortcut works with IE but not with Chrome. Dragging Icons from an internet browser screen such as Chrome to the desktop will create a desktop shortcut icon. Regardless of which browser is used to generate a Desktop Shortcut Icon shortcut, the default browser will always be used to display the stored link with any associated UKS.

Grouping the UKS together on the Desktop can make the keys assigned easier to remember. For instance you might want to assign shortcuts for folders to the numeric keypad keys and lay the Icons on the desktop with the Desktop Icons in rows and columns having the same layout as the numeric keypad. With this and other groups of Desktop shortcut Icons, the computer Desktop can become messier than many people would prefer. To avoid this clutter on the Desktop, a program called Desktop OK can be used to blank the desktop icons after a given period of time. This program can also store and recall the locations of the Desktop Icons.

Adding UKS to the way you use and upgrade your user interface might require some effort, and like most people you might find the idea of updating anything in anyway to be daunting. Many times people updating from one version of software to the next, go through a process kicking and screaming about everything being more difficult and not worthwhile. After the kicking and screaming process is done just about everyone without except would say, I would never go back.

All the Best, Rich

I know this is an old thread but it is great.

However, what if UKS doesn't work?  I set up four shortcut icons on my desktop.  I specified them:

First      Ctl+ Alt+ F1

Second      Ctl+ Alt+ F2

Third      Ctl+ Alt+ F3

Fourth      Ctl+ Alt+ F4

The first three work but the fourth one doesn't.  I have tried over and over.  Apply  many times. 

It used to work but just stopped and I can't get it to work.  I press the kbd combination and nothing happens.

How can I trouble shoot this?

Thanks

Pete

Hi Pete,

Glad you liked the thread and have found it useful.

My computer skills are very limited but here is what I would recommend.

Make sure the Shortcut Icon you are using to define your UDK is on the desktop. If you have taken it off the desktop and put it back after you have defined its shortcut key it will no longer work, even if its properties show a definition. To correct this you need to redefine the shortcut key as None, click the Apply Button and then reassign the Ctrl+ Alt+ F4 to the shortcut key again. You might try this in any case if you have not already.

You might also try assigning a different key combination such as Ctrl+Alt+F5 to see if that works. It is not possible to overwrite a function key UDKs because it will activate if you attempt to overwrite it. Please note this is not true with other keys. It would help to know where the shortcut key assignments are stored in situations such as this. But unfortunately I have not been able to find their location.

Hopefully this helps.

All the Best,

Rich