| (hardware) | function key - (From the IBM 3270 terminal's Programmed Function
Keys (PF keys)) One of a set of special keys on a computer or
terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an
application program to perform certain actions.
Function keys on a terminal may either generate short fixed
sequences of characters, often beginning with the escape
character (ASCII 27), or the characters they generate may be
configured by sending special character sequences to the
terminal.
On a microcomputer keyboard, the function keys may generate
a fixed, single byte code, outside the normal ASCII range,
which is translated into some other configurable sequence by
the keyboard device driver or interpreted directly by the
application program. | |