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<span id="g_t_0040key"></span><div class="header">
<p>
Next: <a href="_0040samp.html" accesskey="n" rel="next"><code>@samp</code></a>, Previous: <a href="_0040kbd.html" accesskey="p" rel="prev"><code>@kbd</code></a>, Up: <a href="Indicating.html" accesskey="u" rel="up">Indicating</a> [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Command-and-Variable-Index.html" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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<hr>
<span id="g_t_0040key_007bkey_002dname_007d"></span><h4 class="subsection">7.1.4 <code>@key</code>{<var>key-name</var>}</h4>
<span id="key"></span><span id="index-key"></span>
<p>Use the <code>@key</code> command for the conventional name for a key on a
keyboard, as in:
</p>
<div class="example">
<pre class="example">@key{RET}
</pre></div>
<p>You can use the <code>@key</code> command within the argument of an
<code>@kbd</code> command when the sequence of characters to be typed
includes one or more keys that are described by name.
</p>
<p>For example, to produce <kbd>C-x <span class="key">ESC</span></kbd> and <kbd>M-<span class="key">TAB</span></kbd> you
would type:
</p>
<div class="example">
<pre class="example">@kbd{C-x @key{ESC}}
@kbd{M-@key{TAB}}
</pre></div>
<p>Here is a list of the recommended names for keys:
<span id="index-Recommended-names-for-keys"></span>
<span id="index-Keys_002c-recommended-names"></span>
<span id="index-Names-recommended-for-keys"></span>
<span id="index-Abbreviations-for-keys"></span>
<span id="index-Control-keys_002c-specifying"></span>
<span id="index-Meta-keys_002c-specifying"></span>
</p>
<blockquote>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt><tt>SPC</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Space
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>RET</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Return
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>LFD</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Linefeed (however, since most keyboards nowadays do not have a Linefeed key,
it might be better to call this character <kbd>C-j</kbd>)
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>TAB</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Tab
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>BS</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Backspace
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>ESC</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Escape
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>DELETE</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Delete
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>SHIFT</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Shift
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>CTRL</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Control
</p></dd>
<dt><tt>META</tt></dt>
<dd><p>Meta
</p></dd>
</dl>
</blockquote>
<span id="index-META-key"></span>
<p>There are subtleties to handling words like ‘meta’ or ‘ctrl’ that are
names of modifier keys. When mentioning a character in which the
modifier key is used, such as <kbd>Meta-a</kbd>, use the <code>@kbd</code> command
alone; do not use the <code>@key</code> command; but when you are referring
to the modifier key in isolation, use the <code>@key</code> command. For
example, write ‘<samp>@kbd{Meta-a}</samp>’ to produce <kbd>Meta-a</kbd> and
‘<samp>@key{META}</samp>’ to produce <tt class="key">META</tt>.
</p>
<p>As a convention in GNU manuals, <code>@key</code> should not be used in
index entries.
</p>
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