Control-\: Difference between revisions

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In [[computing]], '''control-\''' is a [[control character]] in [[ASCII code]] and the [[Basic Latin (Unicode block)|Basic Latin code block of Unicode]], also known as the '''file separator''' or '''field separator''' ('''[[field separator|FS]]''') character. It is generated by pressing the {{keypress|'''[[backslash|\]]'''}} key while holding down the {{keypress|[[control key|Ctrl]]}} key on a [[computer keyboard]], and has the decimal value [[28 (number)|28]] (or 1c in [[hexadecimal]]). It is the highest-level of the four separators in the ASCII [[C0 and C1 control codes]]; the others are control-] (group separator), control-^ (record separator), and control-_ (unit separator).<ref name=dfi>{{citation|url=https://www.nist.gov/publications/data-format-interchange-fingerprint-facial-other-biometric-information-ansinist-itl-1-1|date=August 22, 2016|first=Kevin|last=Mangold|doi=10.6028/NIST.SP.500-290e3|title=Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 NIST Special Publication 500-290 Edition 3|contribution=Annex B: Traditional Encoding|pages=509–522|publisher=[[American National Standards Institute]] and [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]|doi-access=free}}</ref> It was one of eight codes reserved as separators in the 1963 version of the ASCII standard;<ref>{{citation | last1 = Gorn | first1 = S. | last2 = Bemer | first2 = R. W. | last3 = Green | first3 = J. | date = August 1963 | doi = 10.1145/366707.367524 | issue = 8 | journal = Communications of the ACM | pages = 422–426 | title = American standard code for information interchange | volume = 6}}</ref> these were reduced to four separators in a 1965 revision of the standard.<ref>{{citation |url=https://textfiles.meulie.net/bitsaved/Books/Mackenzie_CodedCharSets.pdf |title=Coded Character Sets, History and Development |series=The Systems Programming Series |author-last=Mackenzie |author-first=Charles E. |year=1980 |publisher=[[Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.]] |isbn=978-0-201-14460-4 |contribution=23.2 ASCII-1965|pages=423–425}}</ref>

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{{Unreferenced|date=August 2008}}

In [[computing]], '''control-\''' is a [[control character]] in [[ASCII code]], also known as the '''file separator''' ('''[[field separator|FS]]''') character. It is generated by pressing the {{keypress|'''[[backslash|\]]'''}} key while holding down the {{keypress|[[control key|Ctrl]]}} key on a [[computer keyboard]].

In its use as a file separator, this character can be used to subdivide textual data into [[Record (computer science)|records]] or other semantic units; for instance, it has this role in the ANSI/NIST-ITL Standard Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information.<ref name=dfi/>

Under most [[UNIX]]-based operating systems control-\ is used to terminate a running [[process (computing)|process]] from a [[shell (computing)|command shell]] and have it produce a [[core dump|memory core dump]] by sending it a [[SIGQUIT]] [[signal (computing)|signal]].

Under most [[UNIX]]-based operating systems control-\ is used to terminate a running [[process (computing)|process]] from a [[shell (computing)|command shell]] and have it produce a [[core dump|memory core dump]] by sending it a [[SIGQUIT]] [[signal (computing)|signal]].<ref>{{citation|title=Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment|series=Addison-Wesley professional computing series|first1=W. Richard|last1=Stevens|first2=Stephen A.|last2=Rago|publisher=Pearson Education|year=2013|isbn=9780321637734|page=300|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_kpsAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA300}}</ref> Other similar ways of terminating or interrupting a shell process include [[Control-C]], [[Control-Z]], and the [[kill (command)|kill command]].

In the [[Emacs]] text editor, it is the default keystroke mapping for [[autocompletion]].

As a character that can be easily typed on most keyboards, but with no standardized meaning, control-\ is often used as a [[keyboard shortcut]] in different [[graphical user interface]]s, with various unrelated effects. For instance, some versions of [[Windows File Manager]] use it to de-select all selected files.<ref>{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jFEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22|title=More on file managing, networking, and mouse customization|magazine=InfoWorld|first=Brian|last=Livingston|department=Window Manager|page=22|date=October 19, 1992}}</ref> In [[Adobe InDesign]], it has been used to mark a point in a line of text as the starting position of a [[hanging indent]].<ref>{{citation|title=InDesign CS4 for Macintosh and Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide|first=Sandee|last=Cohen|publisher=Peachpit Press|year=2008|isbn=9780321648853|page=161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gM6_LopFqaQC&pg=PT161}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Control-C]]

==References==

*[[Control-Z]]

{{reflist}}

*[[kill (command)]]

*[[Unix signal]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Control}}