Back Arrow on Tab Key Purpose

[Jim1944]

Tab key:  What is the purpose of the backward arrow on the tab key?  How do you invoke it?  What code does it generate?  My use of the tab key is always to go forward.  Is there a way to tab backwards?

Also, there is a character in the ASCII code table called a "vertical tab".  What is that used for and how is it invoked from the keyboard? 

I'm sure these questions have been asked before but I didn't find anything with search.

[camerongray]

Tabbing backwards really depends on the program you are using, most things like word processors do not support it since they expect you to just delete the tab character but some text editors (used for programming) allow you to do a backwards tab by holding shift and pressing tab.  This is useful for indenting/unindenting several lines of code at once.

[Jim1944]

Thank you!  I suspected that it was not used much because it had no affect in every app where I tried shift-tab.  I do a little REXX programming here and there but there is no developer interface for it so it is not used there.  You muct be pretty good to know about that needle in a haystack.  Thanks, again.

[strollin]

Tab & Shift-Tab are standard ways of moving through a document or application.  I'm sure there are exclusions but, if an application doesn't support forward/backward tabbing, then it's broken.  It may not be a big deal for us sighted users but for blind users it's a must and very much depended upon.

I'm a developer for a large software company and all of our software is coded and tested to support tabbing and even to use a logical tab-order (generally left-to-right, top-to-bottom). 

[BC_Programmer]

to clarify, Strollin is referring to tab order through controls. eg when you press tab, it moves to the next control (textbox, button, etc.) in the tab order, and Shift+Tab moves backwards through that order.