keyboard - Why does ` (backtick) not appear until after I press another key?
2014-07
Toby Allen
On Stackexchanges sites I quite often have to use the backtic which can be got at usually as the key beside 1 (right side ) however when I press it the first time the ` doesnt appear until I press it again (at which point I get `` (2) or if I press another key such as a space.
Is there a historical reason for this or is it just my keyboard?
Jan Doggen
This is either your keyboard or the software you are using (we can't see that from here). So it is not specific to StackExchange sites.
This is done because the software supports another feature: pressing the apostroph or the backtick followed by another letter (most common a vowel) is an easy way to write diacritical characters like é and è.
Because of this feature the software cannot immediately display the apostroph or backtick, it has to wait for the next character to determine what your intention is. Only when you press the next backtick it knows that `` was the intention.
This is not bad in itself: just remember to type the backtick twice, then press cursor left, then type what comes between them. That way you won't forget the closing backtick.
This is akin to typing the { } brackets in the C programming language first before entering the code that goes in between. There, having a closing bracket at the correct location is much more important.
This is not only done with apostroph and backtick, but e.g. also with double quotation marks (" and e gives ë) and even with consonants (, and C gives Ç).
Echsecutor
This is called a dead key. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_key
It depends on your local settings (i.e. Keyboard layout).
Macha
Most of the differences between European and US keyboards make sense for reasons of localisation. However, one thing I've always felt the US keyboards did better (and all EU keyboards I've used seem to have this flaw), is having the ~ symbol on beside the number 1. EU keyboards instead have the ` key in that spot. For me to type a tilde, I have to press shift+# which is beside the enter key, an awkard combination for a symbol I use rather frequently.
Uses of ~:
- Approx
- Home Directory on *x systems
Uses of `:
- Executing shell commands in PHP
- Escaping things on Stack Overflow and co.
Now as you can see, your likely to use your home directory on a command line more often that executing shell commands in PHP, and your about a billion times more likely to use approx than to escape something on SO/SF/SU.
Does anyone know the reason why these keys are switched?
jtbandes
On US keyboards, ~ is the same as Shift`. From what I can see, it looks like the opposite is the case on EU keyboards, so the functionality is practically the same. Is that incorrect?