The keyboard

The Cambridge Z88 keyboard looks like a normal typewriter keyboard with the familiar qwerty arrangement of letters.

There are some additional keys on each side of the keyboard which have the special functions explained below.

The letter and number keys

Press the letter keys alone to give the lower-case letters, or with

SHIFT

to get capitals. You can get capitals without needing to hold down

SHIFT

by pressing

CAPSLOCK

- see below.

Press the digit keys on the top row of the keyboard to give the digits, or with

SHIFT

to give the symbol above each digit on the key.

Note that, unlike on some typewriters, the letter O is quite different in meaning from the digit 0, and the letter l (lower-case L) from the digit 1.

On the left-hand side of the keyboard:

ESC	will normally cancel what you are currently doing, and go back to the most appropriate point just before.
TAB	is like the tabulate key on a typewriter. Use it for making columns of figures, or arranging tables.
MENU	enables you to select which of the Cambridge Z88's operations you want to carry out. These are explained in greater detail in the section Using menus.
INDEX	will return you to the Index from within an application.
HELP	gives you a display of information about the action you are currently carrying out. Further information is then available on related topics.
	introduces a short cut to calling an application or a popdown.
	introduces a short cut for carrying out an operation within an application or popdown. A list of the most useful of these operations is given on the Single key functions card, above the Cambridge Z88 keyboard.

The Space Bar

SPACE

Inserts a Space.

SPACE

gives an exact space, displayed as '...' .

On the right-hand side of the keyboard:

DEL

rubs out the last character you typed at the keyboard.

ENTER

is normally typed at the end of a line to confirm what you have just typed, or to go to the beginning of the next line, like the carriage return on a typewriter.

move the cursor up, down, left or right on the screen.

Caps lock modes

Two caps lock modes are available which determine the way that the

SHIFT

key operates. The mode selected is indicated by a symbol at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The state of the caps lock mode is stored with each application, so you can, for example, keep one mode set up for PipeDream and another for BASIC. The operation of each mode is as follows:

CAPSLOCK

selects Normal Caps mode. The letter keys give capitals, irrespective of the

SHIFT

key. Displays: CAPS

CAPSLOCK

selects Inverted Caps mode, giving capital letters normally, and lower case with the

SHIFT

key. Displays: caps

CAPSLOCK

switches on and off the selected mode.

Special characters

' gives ' (grave accent).

Cleaning the keyboard

The keyboard should be kept free from dust by cleaning it periodically with a damp lint-free cloth, or sponge. Solvents should not be used.