Defining Mnemonic Keys

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Normally, keyboard users move the input focus from one control to another in a dialog box with the TAB and ARROW keys. However, you can define a mnemonic key that allows users to choose a control by pressing a single key.

Note   All the mnemonics within a dialog box should be unique. You can use the Check Mnemonics command on the context menu to check your dialog box for duplicate mnemonic keys.

To define a mnemonic key for a control with a visible caption (pushbuttons, check boxes, and radio buttons)

  1. Select the control.

  2. From the View menu, choose Properties to open the control’s property page.

  3. In the Caption box, type an ampersand (&) in front of the letter you want as the mnemonic for that control.

    An underline appears in the displayed caption to indicate the mnemonic key.

To define a mnemonic for a control without a visible caption

  1. Make a caption for the control by using a static text control. In the static text caption, type an ampersand (&) in front of the letter you want as the mnemonic.

  2. Make sure the static text control immediately precedes the control it labels in the tab order.