Technical Note 04
The Alt+Number Characters Don't Seem to Work

 
Two of the font sets in the HT Typeface Collection (HT Audio Stuff and HT Schematic) have more characters than can be accessed from the standard keys of an English keyboard. These "extended" characters are accessed with an Alt+number key combination using the numeric keypad with the Num Lock function turned on. For example, pressing and holding the Alt key while typing 0162 on the number keypad of a full-size keyboard will obtain the "[video]" label character in the HT Audio Stuff font set. Sometimes these Alt+number key combinations don't seem to work. Why?

When the Alt+number key combinations don't work, there are two common causes:

Cause 1: The numeric keypad and Num Lock were not used.
The extended characters can only be accessed with the number keys of a numeric keypad. The number keys at the top of the keyboard will not work. Since the keys of the numeric keypad can double as cursor keys, the Num Lock function must also be turned on.

Cause 2: The keyboard function was not configured properly.
Keyboards without a numeric keypad may also be able to access the extended characters if they provide an equivalent function. This is very common with laptop and notebook computers because most are too small to accommodate a numeric keypad. They often provide an alternate function mode that transforms standard keys into a numeric keypad. For example, Dell notebooks provide a blue "Fn" key which, when pressed, transforms some of the standard letter keys into a numeric keypad. The keypad numbers are marked on the keys in the same blue color. To get the Alt+0162 character with one of these notebooks you must press and hold both the Fn and Alt keys while typing "mjok" without the quotation marks. In this mode the mjok keys equal 0162 on a numeric keypad.