Shortcut for Refresh, F5 or symbolic code?

[Henrik Dahl]

Hello!

I would like to introduce a keyboard shortcut for refreshing the user
interface in many programs. In english locales it's often F5 which is used,
but how about other locales and/or preferences. Should I simply bind the
refresh feature to F5 or is there a symbolic Shortcut for refreshment?

Comment: I think there must be symbolic key, because my IBM ThinkPad A31p
has a refresh button which refreshes in Internet Explorer, but it does not
work in my own program when I bind to F5, but F5 works perfectly of course.

Any recommendations?


Best regards,

Henrik Dahl

 

[Brian Henry]

it's pretty much always F5 anywhere you go... seems to of became the
standard key for refreshing...

 

[Henrik Dahl]

Brian,

Yes, but is F5 the concrete key which I should use in my software or is
there a symbolic key I should use and F5 is just the result of projecting
the symbolic key over the user's preferences space?

Best regards,

Henrik Dahl

 

[Klaus H. Probst]

What?

Just use F5. The F5 physical F5 key with corresponding keycode.

What do you mean "symbolic key"?

 

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

Yes, but is F5 the concrete key which I should use in my software or is
there a symbolic key I should use and F5 is just the result of projecting
the symbolic key over the user's preferences space?

Not sure... I would use F5 directly.

 

[Shakir Hussain]

Henrik,

F5 key is getting more attention when it comes to refreshing. However, its
not consistent with all applications. In visual studio, F5 key starts
debugger. In lotus notes F5 trigers "Notes Lock". In MS Word, F5 key brings
up "Find and Replace" dialog.

I feel software vendors can make Ctrl+R key as the standard key for refresh
for all products.

Shak.

 

[Henrik Dahl]

It could e.g. by KeyRefresh or something like that, i.e. more abstract than
simply F5.


Best regards,

Henrik Dahl

 

[Klaus H. Probst]

It all depends on what type of application you're using. It makes no sense
for VS.NET to give you "Refresh". Refresh of what? Same for Word. Notes is
about as nonstandard as you can get away with and still sell software.

Ctrl+R is probably a bad idea. It's used for more things in other
applications than F5.

 

[Stoitcho Goutsev \(100\) [C# MVP]]

Hi Henrik,

I don't think there is a standard for the refresh key. I would expect to be
F5 because it is what the explorer uses, but I would be surprised if it is
not. Just make sure that you have a Refresh command in your View (or what
ever) menu at it states which is the shortcut key for it. That what the
users that want to use shortcut will do in the first place. They'll look in
the main menu for what key to use in future.

As far as it goes for the refresh key in your laptop... Those special keys
are read by special software and are configured to do something special.
Don't expect them to generate any meaningful key code. They might do that,
but don't have to.