Word2000 Shift-Alt-Colon

[ChrisGreaves]

In all my days!
I've never noticed Shift-Alt-Colon as a keyboard quickie, but there it is, sitting in Word2000s Edit-Find dialog box, "Find" tab, under "Search options", "Search:".
I love using the Alt-key to scoot across the vast and barren deserts of some dialogs, but can't recall using anything but alt-letter and alt-digit, until this morning.

[StuartR]

Chris,

That is extraordinarily observant of you - I had never noticed the subtle underlining of that : either.

[ChrisGreaves]

That is extraordinarily observant of you -

Stuart, you know how I hate disagreeing with my (su)peer(ior)s (grin!), but you are wrong, utterly wrong .
I've had Word 2000 since, well, 2000, and leaving aside the strong possibility that : was in Word 97, that makes 10 years, say conservatively 2,000 working days, say, again, conservatively, 10 uses of Edit-Find per day, or all up, of the order of 20,000 Edit-Finds, and I've just found the :?
It would need a weaker gambler than I to calculate the odds of winning at the slots, but it seems to me that my powers of observation are close to non-existent.
My sole consolation are that your powers of observation are worse than mine

Who will join me in a mouse-free Monday, Monday March 8th 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and let's co-operatively (literally) uncover the rest of these quirks?

[IanWilson]

In all my days!
I've never noticed Shift-Alt-Colon as a keyboard quickie, but there it is, sitting in Word2000s Edit-Find dialog box, "Find" tab, under "Search options", "Search:".
I love using the Alt-key to scoot across the vast and barren deserts of some dialogs, but can't recall using anything but alt-letter and alt-digit, until this morning.

It's there in Word 2003, too. But a drop down list is designed for mouse use, in my view!

Ian

[HansV]

Pressing Shift+Alt+: will not only select the Search dropdown (it works in Word 2007 too), but drop down the list. You can then use the up arrow and down arrow to navigate to the desired option and press Enter or Tab to confirm the selection. So it's very well possible to control a dropdown list with the keyboard.

[ChrisGreaves]

But a drop down list is designed for mouse use, in my view!Ian

"Anything you can do with the keyboard, you can do with the mouse, and anything you can do with the mouse, you can do with the keyboard"
Chris Greaves 1996.
Disclaimer: Excepting for the PrtScr key

[Guessed]

I sometimes open a dropdown list by using the spacebar after having navigated to the dropdown list by using the tab key.

I've been mouse free for years - hooray for trackballs.

[dasadler]

shift alt : does nothing in my Word 2007

[HansV]

shift alt : does nothing in my Word 2007

You have to be in the Find dialog (Ctrl+F) or Replace dialog (Ctrl+H), and you must already have expanded the dialog by clicking More >> or pressing Alt+M in the dialog.

x48.png

You can then select the Search: dropdown by pressing Shift+Alt+;

[dasadler]

okay, it works for me too now that I am in a find/replace dialog box. I guess I miss the point of this thread - what is the benefit of this?

[HansV]

Some people try to avoid using the mouse as much as possible out of preference or necessity. For those, keyboard shortcuts can be very handy.

[ChrisGreaves]

what is the benefit of this?

You expected a benefit? (grin).
I started the thread because I couldn't recall, ever, seeing a shortcut that was neither a letter nor a digit.
A shortcut assigned to a punctuation symbol is an oddity.

For what it's worth, when we enter a find/replace dialogue box, chances are strong that we'll be typing, on the keyboard, a search string and a replace string; for many of us it makes sense to keep the fingers on the keyboard rather than grope for the mouse, knocking over our mug of coffee as we do so. (Which reminds me ...)

[HansV]

There are, of course, many keyboard shortcuts involving function keys together with combinations of Ctrl, Shift and/or Alt.

And there are other shortcuts involving punctuation. Here are some examples (incomplete!):
Ctrl+Shift+. and Ctrl+] increase font size of selection
Ctrl+Shift+, and Ctrl+[ decrease font size of selection
Ctrl+= subscript
Ctrl+Shift+= superscript

[ChrisGreaves]

Ctrl+Shift+. and Ctrl+] increase font size of selection

Ah! Right! Thanks Hans for convincing me that my memory really is going(grin!).
I rarely use local formatting now, preferring styles, but the good old Ctrl-[ and Ctrl-] come in handy for fitting one-off stuff onto an integral number of pages.

[dasadler]

Okay, thanks. I agree that is a benefit (keeping hands on the keyboard). Sometimes things are so obvious I just can't see them.

[ChrisGreaves]

Okay, thanks. I agree that is a benefit (keeping hands on the keyboard).

You got it!

OK. Now for the truth: I try to teach people that it makes sense to stick to one device, say keyboard, until the time that it really does make sense to switch to the mouse, and then to stick with the mouse until it makes sense to switch back to the keyboard.

This works.

In a classroom with an overhead projector, I make more use of the mouse than usual, because the mouse pointer provides a visual cue to the class, showing just where the menu system for "Insert, Chart" is; but once I get back to my office, I'll use the keyboard "Alt-I,H".

You have seen, I'm sure, the modern ballet that goes mouse, keyboard, mouse, keyboard, grope for mouse, keyboard, grope for mouse, keyboard, knock over the coffee, ...

To my mind, it is the time spent switching between the two that is wasted time; reducing the number of "switches" is the clue to productive behavior.

[dasadler]

LOL - I have actually performed that ballet.

[ChrisGreaves]

I have actually performed that ballet.

Haven't we all!

All's well, as long as it didn't leave a stain on your character ....

[HansV]

Don't worry, I have a stainless (steel) character...

h.jpg

[LadyWolf]

I have actually performed that ballet.

Haven't we all!
All's well, as long as it didn't leave a stain on your character ....

or your keyboard.... I've made many an inquiry to the helpless desk to see if they had any dry keyboards just hanging around....

When I'm home on my laptop I find it annoying to not have the number keys and I have to actually think about how I can perform some shortcut the long way without it.