F14, F15, F16 -- why are these keys on my Mac Keyboard ?

F14 & F15 control the display brightness. You should be able to assign a command or function of your choice to the Function Keys.

System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts

Hope that helps!

My 5+ year old keyboard has the F13 F14 F15 keys sitting all by their lonesome above the help, home, page up block of keys, and I set them to do the three Expose functions, so the system will use them (at least if you have the right hack). All the F keys used to be handier though, back in the OS 9 days, when I assigned them to do all sort of things.
Francine


Francine
Schwieder

That's why I downloaded the freeware hotkeys shortcut operator Spark at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22675

I do exactly all the stuff I used to do with function keys on OS 9; and even more, using combinations. I set it up for my wife recently switching at long last up to OS X. One function key for opening her email application, one for opening Safari etc. Switch up couldn't have been easier for her.

Spark is a new one on me - thanks for pointing it out Tom! 🙂

Have downloaded - will try!

Of course, the purpose of the F16 key long remained a mystery, until it was realized that it was for launching....

Tom, that's a great find! Exactly what one used to be able to do, back in the day. Thanks for pointing it out.
Francine


Francine
Schwieder

Hi

I have a very silly question that has to do with the keyboard.
The "home" and "end" keys work when I use the word or the text edit but they don't work when I'm writing an email. Why?
I've cheked the system pref but there's nothing there.
Can somebody help me?
Thanks!!!

Yes I have noticed this in certain programs as well. Must have to do something with how the programs were written and I doubt any setting available to the user is going to have any influence on changing such settings.

I still haven't been able to revert F14 and F15 to act as F14 and F15 within an application. Can Spark be used to revert these F keys to their original purposes within applications?

I currently have Spark configured to perform 34 different hotkey shortcuts with function keys or key combinations to open apps, documents etc: but I'm afraid F13 F14 and F15 play no part in that.