Can anyone tell me , what is the purpose or function of the "scroll lock" key on a standard keyboard?

Question

Its like the one immediately above the tab key, it doesn't seem to have any function at all

Answer 1

Please visit the URL - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scroll_lock

The Scroll Lock key is a remnant from the original IBM PC keyboard. In the original design, Scroll Lock was intended to modify the behavior of the arrow keys. When the scroll lock mode was on, the arrow keys would scroll the contents of a text window instead of moving the cursor. In this usage, Scroll Lock is a modifier key like Alt and Shift (which modify the function of other keys) and, more specifically, a toggling lock key like Num Lock or Caps Lock, which have a state that persists after the key is released. Today, this particular use of Scroll Lock is rare. Only a few modern programs still honor this behavior, such as Microsoft Excel (in the behavior of arrows — when Scroll Lock is on, the selection does not move), Lotus Notes and Forté Agent. In modern GUI environments, scrolling is usually accomplished using newer means such as scrollbars or scroll wheels. Therefore Scroll Lock can be regarded as a defunct feature in almost all modern programs and operating systems; some keyboards lack them altogether.

Answer 2

A key found on a computer keyboard often located close to the keyboard pause key. The scroll lock key is intended to temporarily stop the scrolling of text or halt the operation of a program. There are not many software programs today that take advantage or have a use for this key.
Microsoft Excel is a good example of a software program that uses this key. If scroll lock is enabled on the keyboard when you press any of the arrow keys such as the down or up arrow keys the screen will move, however the selected cell will not move. However, if scroll lock is not enabled you will be able to navigate through each of the cells using the arrow keys.

We have a set of computers at work where one is the primary computer running the machinery and the other is a backup in case something happens to the first. To swap to the second pc you have to hit scroll lock, twice. Just another way it's used,

Answer 3

The scroll lock key doesn't serve much of a purpose any more like it used to. You used to have to push the scroll lock key in order to be able to see a screen back in the days when screens were little and only showed a limited amount of characters (before graphic scroll bars like we have now). It was a really important key for DOS as well.

Now it's used in spreadsheets like Excel to allow you to scroll with the arrow keys without moving the active cell pointer from the highlighted cell. It's also used in the spreadsheet program Quattro Pro for a similar use.

Some early operating systems used scroll lock to keep text from scrolling on your screen, in essence it was a pause button. Some DOS based games, Rogue for one, also use the key to scroll through character movements.

Most programs now just let you use the arrow keys, I've been using a computer most of my life, and I've never needed the scroll lock key.

Answer 4

Then you would have to add an "rofl" key, an "OMG" key, a "brb" key... before long, the standard keyboard would take up an tire table top.

Answer 5

Search for it on Wikipedia.