Caps lock

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The caps lock key on a modern keyboard (near upper-left corner, below the Tab key)

The caps lock is a key on a computer keyboard. Pressing it will set a keyboard mode in which typed letters are capitalised by default and (on some computers) in lower case when the shift key is pressed; the keyboard remains in this mode until caps lock is pressed again.

Cultural significance

Some keyboards include a small LED, to indicate that caps lock is active.

On Internet chat systems and forums, typing a sentence in all capitals is often considered rude, the large letters akin to shouting or yelling within the social context. Caps lock is also often used when expressing one's enthusiasm through text, about a particular topic. On a more practical level, text written in all capital letters, a result of engaging the caps lock, may be difficult to read.^[1]

Caps lock is often used in programming when typing the names of symbolic constants.

Case sensitivity, a feature used in passwords to increase their security, can also conflict with caps lock. Many services and pages that utilise this feature warn the user up front to check the status of the caps lock function before entering a username and/or password. FAQ pages and other help guides also include this advice to reduce the incidence of complaints to support technicians for such a minor and easily-prevented issue. In Windows' login screens, a warning is shown in the form of a balloon, to notify the user. In Mac OS X, when caps lock is engaged at a login or authentication panel, a symbol for caps lock (⇪) warns of the state from within the password field.

In 2006, Pieter Hintjens began a campaign to remove the caps lock key from the standard keyboard layout. While the vast majority of manufacturers continue to produce keyboards which include a caps lock, some have removed it.^[2] One Laptop Per Child computers, for example, do not have a Caps Lock key,^[3] and the Colemak layout replaces it with Backspace.

Some manufacturers, like Logitech for its Wave keyboard, include an option in the controller software to deactivate the Caps Lock key. This behaviour allow users to decide themselves whether they want to use the Caps Lock key or not and prevent those who don't want to accidentally activate it when they want to use the Shift,Tab or A key.

On older keyboards, the Control key was located on the left of the keyboard, some people choose to remap the keys to exchange Caps Lock and Control.

Shift lock

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Although a shift lock key is not the same thing as a caps lock key, it is nowadays very hard finding a computer that distinguishes between the two.

On QWERTY keyboards, though the caps lock mode capitalises letters, it does not affect other keys, such as numbers or punctuation, in the way that the shift key does. A version of caps lock that affects all keys as shift does exist on certain layouts such as the French AZERTY and those of some older computers, including the Commodore 64; this function is called shift lock. The origin of the function is found on mechanical typewriters, where the shift key causes the type apparatus to physically shift to produce capitals and secondary characters. To lock this mechanism in place, a special non-character key could be depressed along with shift. The mechanism would not unlock until after pressing a shift key or shift lock again. Some operating systems and window managers allow caps lock to be used for a similar function. This behaviour of the Caps Lock survives, however, in German and Austrian keyboards.

References

External links

• Wiki:CapsLockOff describes how to remap the caps lock key for other purposes.
• CAPSoff Official Website
• ihATEtHEcAPSlOCKkEY.COM provides a tool for disabling the caps lock key.
• Disable Caps Lock using a registry file.

IBM/Windows keyboard (US layout) v • d • e
Esc		F1	F2	F3	F4		F5	F6	F7	F8		F9	F10	F11	F12		PrtSc/ SysRq	ScrLk	Pause/ Break
																	Ins	Home	PgUp		NumLk	/	*	-
																	Del	End	PgDn		7	8	9	+
																					4	5	6
																		↑			1	2	3	Ent
																	←	↓	→		0		.