sivuunsiirtymisnäppäin

The sivuunsiirtymisnäppäin, which translates to "shift key" in English, is a modifier key found on most computer keyboards. Its primary function is to alter the output of other keys when pressed simultaneously. Typically, the shift key is located on the left and right sides of the keyboard, below the Caps Lock and above the Ctrl keys, or in similar positions.

When a letter key is pressed while the shift key is held down, it produces the uppercase version of that letter. For example, pressing the "a" key normally outputs "a," but holding down Shift and pressing "a" outputs "A." This function is crucial for typing capitalization and for accessing the secondary characters printed on some keys. Many number keys and punctuation keys have two symbols printed on them. Pressing these keys alone produces the lower symbol, while holding down Shift and pressing them produces the upper symbol. For instance, on a standard US keyboard, the "1" key has "!" above it; holding Shift and pressing "1" produces "!".

The shift key also plays a role in keyboard shortcuts. Many common keyboard commands utilize the shift key in combination with other keys to perform specific actions within software applications. For example, in many text editors, holding Shift while selecting text with the mouse extends the selection. Its versatile nature makes it an indispensable component of modern keyboard layouts, enabling efficient text input and command execution.