Also in the box
The keyboard template
DOS word processors came with a card that sat over the function keys, so you never had to remember which one did what. Here is ours. Print it, cut along the dotted line and lay it above your keys.
RETROPROSE 1.0 function keys
- Ctrl Ctrl with the key
- Shift Shift with the key
- Alt Alt with the key
- Key The key alone
F1
- Alt+F1
- Thesaurus
- F1
- Undelete
F2
- Ctrl+F2
- Spell check
- Shift+F2
- Search backward
- Alt+F2
- Replace
- F2
- Search forward
F3
- Shift+F3
- Switch document
- Alt+F3
- Reveal codes
- F3
- Help
F4
- F4
- Indent
F5
- Shift+F5
- Insert date
- Alt+F5
- Outline
- F5
- List files
F6
- Ctrl+F6
- Justify
- Shift+F6
- Centre
- Alt+F6
- Align right
- F6
- Bold
F7
- Ctrl+F7
- Footnote
- Shift+F7
- Print preview
- Alt+F7
- Spell check
- F7
- Exit document
F8
- Ctrl+F8
- Word goal
- Shift+F8
- Link
- Alt+F8
- Writing stats
- F8
- Italic
F9
- Ctrl+F9
- Properties
- F9
- Reveal codes
F10
- Ctrl+F10
- Revisions
- F10
- Save
F11
Kept by your browser
F12
- F12
- Block
Other keys
- Alt+=
- Menus
- Ins
- Typeover
- Ctrl+E
- Export
- Ctrl+G
- Go to page
- Ctrl+Enter
- Page break
- Tab
- Next table cell
- Esc, Tab
- Leave the editor
The modern keys
For fingers trained on today’s word processors. They work alongside the classic keys.
- Ctrl+S
- Save
- Ctrl+O
- List files
- Ctrl+B
- Bold
- Ctrl+I
- Italic
- Ctrl+F
- Search forward
- Ctrl+Shift+F
- Search backward
- Ctrl+H
- Replace
- Shift+arrow keys
- Block
- Ctrl+Shift+U
- Undelete
- Ctrl+Alt+1 to 3
- Heading 1 to 3
- Ctrl+Alt+0
- Normal text
- Ctrl+Shift+8
- Bullet list
- Ctrl+Shift+7
- Numbered list
- Ctrl+]
- Indent
- Ctrl+Shift+E
- Centre
- Ctrl+Alt+R
- Align right
- Ctrl+Alt+J
- Justify
- Ctrl+Alt+F
- Footnote
- Ctrl+K
- Link
- Ctrl+Alt+T
- Thesaurus
- Ctrl+;
- Insert date
- Ctrl+Shift+O
- Outline
- Ctrl+Alt+P
- Properties
- Ctrl+/
- Help
If a function key does nothing
Browsers keep some keys for themselves, such as F5, F11 and F12, and some keyboards use the function keys for brightness and volume. So every action is also in the menus on Alt+= and on the key bar at the foot of the screen. Install Retroprose as an app and more function keys reach the editor.
Prefer different keys? Change any of them in Tools, Key settings, and the menus, key bar and help follow. F3 in the editor shows the full list at any time.
Two keys open features of the larger editions: Alt+F8 Writing stats comes with the Zip disk and hard disk editions, and Alt+F5 Outline with the hard disk edition. On the floppy disk edition they are left to the browser.