Printed and unprinted characters are used when typing on a computer. Control characters, which control the placement of symbols, are often used without users realizing it. There are 32 control characters in ASCII, including common ones like the spacebar, tab, delete, enter, and shift. Some commands require pressing two keys together. Control characters were first used with teletype machines and are now used on all devices with text input. Unicode contains all ASCII control characters and extras for advanced setup and is used in international programs.
When someone types on a computer, they use two types of characters: printed and unprinted. Print characters are the letters, numbers, and symbols seen and represented on the document, while non-print characters are the characters that control the placement of symbols but don’t display the document. These are also known as control characters and are used quite often without users realizing it. There are 32 control characters in the American Standard Information Interchange Code (ASCII), and most of them are used by regular computer users every day.
The control character set got its name because the main function of these characters is to control the placement of other characters. With a control character, a user can insert a space between letters or correct errors. Most uses of a control character come from a single button press, but others may require pressing two buttons together.
There are many common control characters, such as the spacebar. When a control character like the spacebar is used, it has a visible effect on the screen. While the effect is visible, it doesn’t create a legible symbol. Other common control character keys include tab, delete, enter, and shift. None of these non-printing characters appear on screen, but each has a dramatic effect on document creation and is used consistently by all users.
Most control character keys are activated by pressing a single key, such as the space bar. Some commands require that the command button be pressed in conjunction with another key press to activate an effect. These control characters are more for advanced place setting and are used less often. For example, pressing the command and backslash () keys is used as a file separator, which most users won’t need for normal document creation.
Nonprinting ASCII characters were first used with teletype machines that could communicate with other teletype machines. They were also used to enter command lines into primitive computers. Control characters are now used on all devices that have text input, although some smaller devices may not have all control characters, such as the tab key.
Another character set, known as The Unicode Consortium, is a type of encoding that deals with text and symbols on documents. This set contains all the ASCII control character keys along with some extras for advanced setup. Unlike ASCII, which is specified as American, Unicode is used in international programs.
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