Using US-Int'l Keyboard Layout to Type Accented Characters

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the US-International keyboard layout to create accented characters.

MORE INFORMATION

When you use the US-International keyboard layout, you should also use the English (International) language setting. To change these settings, choose the International icon in Control Panel.

The US-International keyboard layout does not remap your standard US keyboard layout; instead, it creates international characters by assigning certain characters a strikeover function so that you can use them to add an accent or diacritical mark to a character. It also assigns new functions to the right-most ALT key. The following describes the features of the US-International Keyboard Layout:

• When you press the APOSTROPHE (') key, QUOTATION MARK (") key, ACCENT GRAVE (`) key, TILDE (~) key, ACCENT CIRCUMFLEX key, or CARET (^) key, nothing appears on the screen until you press the a second key. If you press one of the letters designated as eligible to receive an accent mark, the accented version of the letter appears. If you press an ineligible key, two separate characters appear. In other words, the US-International keyboard layout dynamic-link library (DLL) automatically accents letters that customarily receive an accent but does not automatically accent letters that do not customarily receive an accent.
• The right-most ALT key activates additional functions for the APOSTROPHE/QUOTATION MARK key. As a result, the right-most ALT key no longer performs Windows functions. You must use the left-most ALT key to perform Windows functions and as part of key combinations in Windows (such as ALT+TAB or ALT+F4) or Windows-based applications (such as ALT+F1 in Word for Windows).
• You can press the right-most ALT key plus another character to produce some common extended characters. Most keys on the keyboard produce one or two extended characters in combination with the right-most ALT key. The following table lists some of the extended characters you can produce with the right-most ALT+<character> key combination:

   Key Combination                Result
   ----------------------------------------------------------

   Right-most ALT+r               Registered trademark symbol

   Right-most ALT+c               Copyright symbol

   Right-most ALT+z               ae symbol

   Right-most ALT+Z               AE symbol