Anyway, back to the subject: whenWhen you hold down anthe alt''Alt'' key and type a number on the rightnumeric handpad side ofon the keyboard, a character appears, see [[Windows Alt keycodes]]. Make sure [[Num lock]] is turned on, or your efforts will be fruitless. Note that this only works with a selection of Microsoft software.
A variant of alt codes are alt-X codes. Unlike alt codes, which require a decimal code point, Alt-X codes work with [[hexadecimal]] numbers. After you type in the hexadecimal value for a character, press Alt and the X key simultaneously to convert the code into a character, and vice versa. Cardbox Software has created a [http://www.cardbox.com/quick/download.htm Utility] that supposedly enables alt codes across all applications.
