# Accents - problems with Alt



## mazbook

I use a Spanish keyboard, so I don't have to use the Alt+ to get the Spanish accents and symbols, but it doesn't have several other symbols that I need to use when posting.

My problem is that when I attempt to use an Alt+ for any symbol, it throws me completely out of the forum to the main page for WordReference Forums.  What can I do?

I'm using Firefox.

I THINK I just solved my problem.  If I use MS IE, it doesn't seem to happen, but I really hate to use IE if I don't have to.  Any solution for Firefox?


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## Jana337

Hello, 

You will have to enable and use the integrated numerical keyboard, not the number row. To type an accents, you will have to hold Fn and Alt.

Jana


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## jester.

No, it has nothing to do with that, Jana 

The malfunction that you are faced with is due to "access keys" which are part of the forum software. For example ALT + 1 is the main page of the forum (I think).

Anyway, this can easily be solved: Enter about:config into your adress bar. The value "ui.key.generalAccessKey" must be set to zero. Like this the access keys will be disabled and you can write your accents.

I think IE does not support access keys, so you don't have that problem there.


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## Jana337

> No, it has nothing to do with that, Jana


OK, but I also get kicked out when my numerical keyboard is not enabled. 

Jana


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## jester.

Yes, when the numerical keyboard is not enabled the buttons 2, 4, 6 and 8 are used as arrow buttons. ALT + Arrow to the left means going backward, arrow to the right means forward. This has nothing to do with those mysterious access keys (which are, in my opinion, quite useless).


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## mazbook

j3st3r,  Changing the settings like you said didn't work.  It no longer kicks me back to the home page for WordReference forums, just out of the message box.  Any other good ideas?


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## jester.

Unfortunately not. For me it worked perfectly well.


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## mazbook

j3st3r, Well, I went back in to aboutptions and changed*every* accessibility and ui.*Acess* file to either *false* or *0.  That worked!*  I don't know just which one did it, but it works fine, now.  Thank you VERY much—I wouldn't even have known about the aboutptions list if you hadn't posted.  Now if something else I use doesn't work I can go back and change each one back to the default, one by one.


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## mazbook

I guess I now have to find out which one controls the "smileys".


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## modus.irrealis

Just dropping in to thank j3st3r for the tip with the about:config. It was a very strange problem and I'm glad it's been fixed now. Thanks again.


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