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Standard Operating Procedure:

Keyboard Speed Tips and Tricks


Revision: 001 Release Date: 09/21/2006

This document provides you with some general guidelines for getting the most
speed out of your use of the Oracle applications. Most of what I am covering is
common to all Oracle applications, so feel free to share this with any of the
Oracle users out there.

Moving Through Forms


Since the current release of Oracle was developed from older “Character” based
applications, much of the keyboard navigation was retained. The TAB key
advanced you from data field to data field. Holding down the SHIFT key and
pressing the TAB key will move you backward through the data fields.

The UP and DOWN arrow keys are very useful in forms where you have row data
fields.

There are many other keyboard


shortcuts. You can access a complete
list from the TOP menu, under HELP >
KEYBOARD HELP. The image to the
right shows an example.

Oracle can also speed up your data


entry. For instance, if you are entering
data in a field where the list in
validated to a known list in Oracle,
such as the Vender list, you can enter
the first few letters, press the TAB key
and if that is enough information for
Oracle to select a valid match, Oracle
will populate the field and move you to the next.

There is one keyboard shortcut I find very useful. It is the CRTL “L” key. By
holding the CTRL key and pressing the “L” key in a field where the system
validates to a controlled list of values, you can force the system to display the list.
This is sometimes much faster than using the LOV (list of values, “…”) button
displayed to the right of many data fields.

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Standard Operating Procedure:
Keyboard Speed Tips and Tricks
Revision: 001 Release Date: 09/21/2006

Copying Data
Oracle provides many ways to copy and paste data. You can use the standard
means such as, highlight the data to copy, right click your mouse and select
COPY, place you curser in the empty data field, right click your mouse and select
PASTE. You can also hold down the CTRL key and press the “C” key to copy or
press the “V” key to paste.

Oracle also provides a means of copying data from fields or lines above row
data. For instance you can copy and entire row of data in the PO lines form.
After you enter the data in one row, use your down arrow key to proceed to the
next row, hold down the SHIFT key and press the “F6” function key. Use the “F5”
key to copy data from the above field only. Some forms don’t allow the “F6” key.
You will have to test it depending on the form you use.

Menu Shortcuts
The TOP menu is often overlooked by many Oracle users. Many users look for
buttons contained within the form to provide functionality. While that is the case
with many forms, Oracle uses the TOP menu to provide many of the same
features. For instance, while the “F11” key is very useful to start a data query,
you can also use the VIEW > FIND as shown in the image below.

In some cases, this is a better option because it will provide a


“FIND” form that is more useful than a query within the form
data fields.

You can also use the “Count Matching Records” to count how
many records the system
would return if you run the
query.

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Standard Operating Procedure:
Keyboard Speed Tips and Tricks
Revision: 001 Release Date: 09/21/2006

Power Users
Many people in the Oracle Applications Industry refer to advanced users as
“Super Users”. These are users that have mastered the techniques listed in this
document. They are also known for their ability to “multi-task” within the
applications. Quite often, their screen will have many multiple windows open or
minimized as shown in the image below.

In this case, the user has


five applications windows
open plus the main
navigation window.

The ability to perform this


feat is quite useful. For
instance, you may want to
look up the cost of an item
as well and the quantity on
hand.

If you open too many


windows, you may get
confused. You can use
the “WINDOW” (shown in
the image to the left) menu
at the top to find a particular window.

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Standard Operating Procedure:
Keyboard Speed Tips and Tricks
Revision: 001 Release Date: 09/21/2006

Ihad a user ask me about these before and I wanted to pass them along to the
rest of you all.

Can Oracle close all of my open windows when I get ready to move onto a
different form?

Yes, you can set your application to close open windows when you navigate to
another form. All you need to do is check the box (Close Other Forms) under the
Tools Menu. You must be in the main navigation screen to do this.

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Standard Operating Procedure:
Keyboard Speed Tips and Tricks
Revision: 001 Release Date: 09/21/2006

Can I view multiple receipts on a PO from a single form?

Yes, you need to check the box labeled “Transactions” under the Results area.
This will open directly into the transactions form showing all receipts against a
PO even if there are multiple receipt headers against it.

It’s my hope that everyone who reads this document finds it useful on their way
to becoming an Oracle Super User.

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