control

character (Or "ctrl", "^") One (or a pair) of modifierkeys found on all modern keyboards. If the control key is

held down while pressing and releasing certain other keys then

a "control character" is generated, e.g. holding control and

hitting "A" generates control-A (ASCII code 1). The ASCII

code for the control character is generally 64 less than that

for the unmodified character.

The control key does not generate any character on its own but

most modern keyboards and operating systems allow a program

to tell whether each of the individual keys on the keyboard

(including modifier keys) is pressed at any time.

Control characters mostly have some kind of "non-printing"

effect on the output such as ringing the bell (Control-G) or

advancing to the next line (Control-J). Most have alternative

names suggesting these functions (Bell, Line Feed, etc.).

See ASCII character table.

(1997-07-10)