---
name: "keyboard"
section: "5g"
platform: "linux"
package: "sam"
version: "4.3-18.2"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/keyboard/5g"
---

# keyboard(5g)

how to type characters

## NAME

keyboard - how to type characters

## DESCRIPTION

Keyboards are idiosyncratic. It should be obvious how to type ordinary ASCII characters, backspace, tab, escape, and newline. In general, the key labeled **Return** or **Enter** generates a newline (**0x0A**); if there is a key labeled **Line** **Feed**, it generates a carriage return (**0x0D**); CRLFs are not used. All control characters are typed in the usual way; in particular, control-J is a line feed and control-M a carriage return.

The delete character (**0x7F**) is usually generated by a key labeled **Del***,* **Delete***,* or **Int***.*

The view character (**0x80**), [*sam*(1)](/sam/1.md), and *9term*(1), causes windows to scroll forward; the back-view character (**0x81**), causes windows to scroll backward. The view character is generated by the ← and ↓ keys; the back-view character is generated by the → and ↑ keys.

Internally, characters are represented as runes (see [*utf*(5g)](/utf/5g.md)). Any 16-bit rune can be typed as a multi-character sequence. The compose key must be pressed while the first character of the sequence is typed; on most terminals, the compose key is labeled **Alt***.* While pressing the compose key, type a capital and exactly four hexadecimal characters (digits and to to enter the rune with the value represented by the typed number. There are two-character shorthands for some characters.  The compose key must be pressed while typing the first character of the pair.  The following sequences generate the desired rune:

-

  ```
  	!!	¢	c$		l$		g$
  	y$	||	§	SS		""
  ©	cO	«	sa		<<	¬	no
  [0xad]	--	®	rO		__	°	de
  ±	+-		s2		s3	´	''
  [0xb5]	mi		pg		..		,,
  	s1		s0		>>	¼	14
  ½	12	¾	34		??	À	`A
  Á	'A	Â	^A	Ã	~A		"A
  Å	oA	Æ	AE	Ç	,C	È	`E
  É	'E	Ê	^E		"E	Ì	`I
  Í	'I	Î	^I		"I		D-
  Ñ	~N	Ò	`O	Ó	'O	Ô	^O
  Õ	~O		"O	×	mu		/O
  Ù	`U	Ú	'U	Û	^U		"U
  Ý	'Y		|P	ß	ss	à	`a
  á	'a	â	^a	ã	~a		"a
  å	oa	æ	ae	ç	,c	è	`e
  é	'e	ê	^e		"e	í	`i
  í	'i	î	^i		"i		d-
  ñ	~n	ò	`o	ó	'o	ô	^o
  õ	~o		"o	÷	-:		/o
  ù	`u	ú	'u	û	^u		"u
  ý	'y		|p		"y	α	*a
  β	*b	γ	*g	δ	*d	ε	*e
  ζ	*z	η	*y	θ	*h	ι	*i
  κ	*k	λ	*l	μ	*m	ν	*n
  ξ	*c	ο	*o	π	*p	ρ	*r
  ς	ts	σ	*s	τ	*t	υ	*u
  φ	*f	χ	*x	ψ	*q	ω	*w
  Α	*A	Β	*B	Γ	*G	Δ	*D
  Ε	*E	Ζ	*Z	Η	*Y	Θ	*H
  Ι	*I	Κ	*K	Λ	*L	Μ	*M
  Ν	*N	Ξ	*C	Ο	*O	Π	*P
  Ρ	*R	Σ	*S	Τ	*T	Υ	*U
  Φ	*F	Χ	*X	Ψ	*Q	Ω	*W
  ←	<-	↑	ua	→	->	↓	da
  ↔	ab	∀	fa	∃	te	∂	pd
  ∅	es	[0x2206]	De	∇	gr		!m
  [0x220d]	st	∗	**	•	bu	√	sr
  ∝	pt	∞	if		an		l&
  	l|	∩	ca	∪	cu	∫	is
  	tf	[0x2243]	~=	≈	cg	[0x2248]	~~
  ≠	!=	≡	==	≤	<=	≥	>=
  ⊂	sb	⊃	sp		!b	⊆	ib
  ⊇	ip		O+	[0x2296]	O-		Ox
  [0x22a2]	tu	[0x22a8]	Tu	[0x22c4]	lz		el
  ```

Note the difference between ß (ss) and \[0xb5\] (micron) and the Greek β and μ. As well, white and black chess pieces may be escaped using the sequence color (**w** or **b**) followed by piece (**k** for king, **q** for queen, **r** for rook, **n** for knight, **b** for bishop, or **p** for pawn).

## SEE ALSO

[*ascii*(7)](/ascii/7.md), [*sam*(1)](/sam/1.md), *9term*(1), [*graphics*(3g)](/graphics/3g.md), [*utf*(5g)](/utf/5g.md)