I have a few applications which accept text but have no provisions for changing font attributes (superscripts/subscripts). I often find it necessary to insert the symbol for degrees (as in degrees Celcius). From my desktop this is no problem since holding the ALT key and typing 248 from the number pad inserts the appropriate ASCII symbol but the problem is that my laptop has no number pad and ALT 248 using the regular number keys just doesn't work. Question: Is there any way to insert ASCII symbols into plain text w/o a numberpad?
insert ASCII codes How to insert ASCII codes w/o using number pad
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#2
Posted 2010-07-29 14:05
Ken Gould, on 2010-07-29 09:10, said:
... the problem is that my laptop has no number pad and ALT 248 using the regular number keys just doesn't work. Question: Is there any way to insert ASCII symbols into plain text w/o a numberpad?
Many laptops have an "embedded" numeric keypad overlaid on the regular keyboard. In that case, you would see little numbers printed on various keys, typically on the right hand side of the keyboard. On these keyboards, you usually use the embedded pad to insert characters by holding both the Alt and Fn keys.
The other way to insert symbols is to use the Character Map application (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools, at least in WinXP) to copy them to the clipboard. That's not very convenient.
If only one or two symbols are needed, perhaps there is a way to create a global hotkey for Windows that works in any application?
#3
Posted 2010-08-02 18:34
Ken, what LoungeFan describes has been true for me on both my old IBM laptop and my much newer Toshiba netbook. In both cases, some of the keys in the middle of the keyboard did double duty as normal keys and as a keypad. Each computer had its own way to trigger the keypad to start. I no longer remember what I did on the IBM, but on my Toshiba netbook I can toggle the keypad on and off by hitting the Fn key + F11.
If your laptop doesn't have this capability, or even if it does, you may want to have a look at a free program called AllChars that makes it pretty easy to type almost any of the symbols or letters that you're accustomed to making with the ALT key plus the keypad. For example, to make the degree circle with AllChars, I first hit the CTL key and then the keys d and g (easy to remember that it's for degree). It produces ° . It's also useful for words like mañana or aquí. On my Windows 7 netbook, I have version 5 of AllChars, which you can get at SourceForge: http://sourceforge.n...jects/allchars/. You can find more information at the site of the original developer here: http://allchars.zwolnet.com/. If I recall correctly, I found version 3.62 easier to use on my Windows XP Pro laptop. I think both versions are still available.
If your laptop doesn't have this capability, or even if it does, you may want to have a look at a free program called AllChars that makes it pretty easy to type almost any of the symbols or letters that you're accustomed to making with the ALT key plus the keypad. For example, to make the degree circle with AllChars, I first hit the CTL key and then the keys d and g (easy to remember that it's for degree). It produces ° . It's also useful for words like mañana or aquí. On my Windows 7 netbook, I have version 5 of AllChars, which you can get at SourceForge: http://sourceforge.n...jects/allchars/. You can find more information at the site of the original developer here: http://allchars.zwolnet.com/. If I recall correctly, I found version 3.62 easier to use on my Windows XP Pro laptop. I think both versions are still available.
#4
Posted 2010-08-05 10:35
jscher2000, on 2010-07-29 15:05, said:
Many laptops have an "embedded" numeric keypad overlaid on the regular keyboard. In that case, you would see little numbers printed on various keys, typically on the right hand side of the keyboard. On these keyboards, you usually use the embedded pad to insert characters by holding both the Alt and Fn keys.
The other way to insert symbols is to use the Character Map application (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools, at least in WinXP) to copy them to the clipboard. That's not very convenient.
If only one or two symbols are needed, perhaps there is a way to create a global hotkey for Windows that works in any application?
The other way to insert symbols is to use the Character Map application (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools, at least in WinXP) to copy them to the clipboard. That's not very convenient.
If only one or two symbols are needed, perhaps there is a way to create a global hotkey for Windows that works in any application?
Re embedded keypad. Amazing that I never noticed it before. Your solution worked perfectly. Thanks.