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Keyboard Technical Reference

Understanding Keyboard States

The keyboard mapping table maps a key position to an ASCII character, extended character, function, or string of characters. Each key on the keyboard has a numeric position code that is combined with the keyboard state when the key position is reported.

Available keyboard states are:

The operating system supports three types of keyboards:

101-key The 101-key keyboards have all available states. However, the Alt-Graphics state and the Alt state are identical and the Kana Base state and the Kana Shift state are identical.
102-key The 102-key keyboards have all of the available states except the Kana Base state and the Kana Shift state.
106-key The 106-key keyboards have all of the available states except the Alt-Graphics state. Only the right Alt key is available.

Depending on the keyboard, some of these keys are governed by the Caps Lock key or the Shift Lock key.

On keyboards that support the Caps Lock key, Caps Lock affects only those keys whose Shift state yields the uppercase character (A, B, C) of the Base state lowercase character (a, b, c) of the key. On keyboards that support the Shift Lock key, Shift Lock has the same effect as pressing a key while the Shift key is pressed.

Each of the hardware keyboards can produce some, but not all, of these states.

A software keyboard is selected at installation. A customized keyboard can be used as the system default after keyboard reconfiguration. The workstation must be restarted before the customized keyboard can be used.

The following keys are not redefinable by the keyboard device driver:

Note
The Caps Lock key can be redefined for the 106-key keyboard using the chhwkbd command.
Table 1. Keys with Predefined Functions
Key Position Function States That Cannot Be Remapped
30 Caps Lock key or Shift Lock key All states
44 Left Shift key All states
57 Right Shift key All states
58 Control key All states
60 Left Alt key All states
62 Right Alt key All states
64 Action key Shift, Control, Alternate, and Alternate Graphics
90 Num Lock key Base and Shift states
133 Hiragana All states

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