SIST-TP CR 14270:2003

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST-TP CR 14270:2003
01-oktober-2003
Evropske tipkovnice – Smernice in pregled (ISO/IEC 9995)
European keyboards - Guidelines and overview (ISO/IEC 9995)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CR 14270:2001
ICS:
35.180 Terminalska in druga IT Terminal and other
periferna oprema IT peripheral equipment
SIST-TP CR 14270:2003 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST-TP CR 14270:2003

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SIST-TP CR 14270:2003
CEN REPORT
CR 14270
RAPPORT CEN
CEN BERICHT
July 2001
ICS
English version
European keyboards - Guidelines and overview (ISO/IEC 9995)
This CEN Report was approved by CEN on 16 June 2001. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 304.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2001 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CR 14270:2001 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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Table of content
1 SCOPE.3
2 BACKGROUND .4
3 DEFINITIONS.4
4 ISO/IEC 9995 AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ON KEYBOARDS .5
4.1 ISO/IEC 9995 Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems .6
4.1.1 Part 1: General principles governing keyboard layouts.6
4.1.2 Part 2: Alphanumeric section .8
4.1.3 Part 3: Complementary layouts of the alphanumeric zone of the alphanumeric section.11
4.1.4 Part 4: Numeric section .12
4.1.5 Part 5: Editing section.12
4.1.6 Part 6: Function section .13
4.1.7 Part 7: Symbols used to represent functions.13
4.1.8 Part 8: Allocation of letters to the keys of a numeric keypad.14
4.2 Other standards for keyboards .14
4.2.1 Ergonomic requirements on keyboards in ISO 9241.14
4.2.2 Keyboard input of coded characters ISO/IEC 14755.14
4.2.3 Segmented keyboards layouts ISO/IEC 15411.16
4.2.4 Portable computer keyboard layouts ISO/IEC 15412.16
5 EUROPEAN NATIONAL STANDARDS .16
5.1 Report on the Enquiry on keyboards .16
5.2 General considerations.16
5.3 The alphanumeric section of the layout.17
5.4 Considerations on the euro sign.18
6 CONSIDERATIONS ON FUTURE STANDARDIZATION.19
6.1 Standardization of European keyboards .19
6.2 International standardization .20
7 REFERENCES .22
7.1 Standards .22
7.2 Bibliography .22
ANNEX 1 .24
CEN/TC304 N835 .24
ANNEX 2 .26
CEN/TC304 N855, updated March 1999 and 2000 .26
ANNEX 3 .39
The alphanumeric section of the layout of European keyboards.39
ANNEX 4 .42
JTC1/SC 35

.42
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1 SCOPE
This CEN report gives information on (the European national keyboards) keyboards used for European
languages and shows how national bodies are using the international keyboard standards. It also considers
common existing approaches on the future of keyboards and informs on the future international
standardization.
The scope for the project according to CEN/TC 304 N872 “A meeting on the Keyboard PT in Nov 1998”
is the following:
EUROPEAN KEYBOARDS. The deliverable is a CEN report giving guidance on the application of
international keyboard standards in Europe. It will map how national bodies are using international
keyboard standards, what national standards there are and give guidance to common approaches. The
team shall, in contact with ISO, investigate the future of keyboards. Special attention shall be given to the
Euro Sign on keyboards.
The report addresses this scope as follows:
How national bodies are using international keyboard standards and guidance to common approaches is
given in clause 5 and Annex 3
National standards are listed in Annex 2
The future of keyboard standardization is discussed in section 6
The euro sign on keyboards is discussed in clause 5.4.
Clause 4 in this report gives information on international standards for keyboards. Of these ISO/IEC 9995
and ISO 9241-4 are most commonly used. (For exact references see clause 7)
Clause 5 gives common information on the use of these standards and on the euro sign on keyboards.
Clause 6 gives some information on future standardization.
Annex 2 gives information from the National Bodies on keyboard standards used in their countries.
Annex 3 gives some more information on the layout of a number of keyboards for European languages.
The report is meant to give guidance to many parties:

A country which decides to make its own keyboard standard may use it as background information on
what other countries have standardized.

A manufacturer who wants to produce keyboards for a country, may find information on the relevant
national keyboard standard.

A person who has to switch between keyboards from different European countries will find
similarities and differences between them.

A user who wants to specify keyboards for purchase.

The countries covered in this report are the CEN Member countries (Austria, Belgium, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom) and some interested CEN Affiliates
(Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia) and also Ukraine.


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2 BACKGROUND


Keyboards are the main way to enter text and data into computer systems in particular and for
communication purposes, such as e-mail or for applications such as Internet shopping. A keyboard is
linked to a computer and depends on both the keyboard hardware and the software drivers. Over time we
have seen a quick development of the computer technology, but the layout of the keyboard still is more or
less the same. (In the very start the typewriter was the main equipment with a keyboard, while today most
keyboards are connected to a computer. Keyboards for typewriters were purely mechanical, but the
modern keyboard consists of a combination of hardware and software. Even if the appearance of the
keyboard and the way it works has developed since they were used mainly for typewriters, the layout of
the keys are still almost the same.)

The layout determines the relative positions of the keys on the keyboard and the allocation to the keys of
letters, numbers and other symbols, as well as of functions such as shift and “new line” (note here that
ISO/IEC 9995-7 terminology is different for such terms). Most of the layout, and also the way in which
each key in the alphabetic rows are a little offset from the key in front of it, is inherited from the
mechanical constructions of typewriters.

There are international standards for keyboards and specifically for keyboard layouts but they do not fully
standardize the way the characters and symbols are to be allocated to the keys on the keyboard. Only
some recommendations are given, and if one accepts ISO/IEC 9995-3, it also standardizes two layouts for
international use. Most European countries have national characters beyond the common Latin letters A
to Z. This has resulted in keyboard layouts in the national standards or de facto standards differing
between all countries.


3 DEF INITIONS

The following terms are used in the main body of this report. The definitions are the official definitions
taken from the standards ISO 9241, ISO/IEC 9995, ISO/IEC 14755 and ISO 15412.

capitals lock state: A state that, if activated, will result in the generation of the capital form of all

graphic characters on the keyboard for which such a form exists. National standards or usage may
determine which graphic characters are affected by this state.(ISO/IEC 9995-1)

beginning sequence: A specific sequence or combination of typing of keys, or an implementation-
defined mechanism, the effect of which is to put the system in a mode that will allow entering a specific
input sequence according to a method described in this International Standard. (ISO/IEC 14755)

control function: An action that affects the recording, processing, transmission or interpretation of data.
(ISO/IEC 9995-1)

ending sequence: A specific sequence or combination of typing of keys, or an implementation-defined
mechanism, the effect of which is to terminate the generating of a character whose selection was begun
by the beginning sequence in conformance with a method described in this International Standard.
(ISO/IEC 14755)

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graphic character: A character, other than a control function, that has a visual representation normally

hand-written, printed or displayed. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

graphic symbol: A visual representation of a graphic character, a control function or a combination of
one or more graphic characters and/or control functions. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

group: A logical state of a keyboard providing access to a collection of graphic characters or elements of
graphic characters. Usually these graphic characters or elements of graphic characters logically belong
together and may be arranged on several levels within a group. The input of certain graphic characters,
such as accented letters, may require access to more than one group. (ISO/IEC 9995-1) (See note below)

group select: A function that, if activated, will change the keyboard state to produce characters from a
different group. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

home row: Row of the keyboard to which the fingers typically return between keystrokes. (ISO 9241-4)

keyboard slope: Angle between the plane of the key top surfaces and the horizontal surface. (ISO/IEC
15411)

level: A logical state of a keyboard providing access to a collection of graphic characters or elements of
graphic characters. Usually these graphic characters or elements of graphic characters logically belong
together, such as the capital forms of letters. In certain cases the level selected may also affect function
keys. (ISO/IEC 9995-1) (See note below)

level select: A function that, if activated, will change the keyboard state to produce characters from a
different level. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

level lock state: A state that, if activated, will result in the generation of the characters assigned to a
specific level. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

portable computer: A lightweight compactly designed computer with a screen and attached keyboard

that is capable of running on battery power for extended periods of time and is relatively easy to transport
from one location to another by a single individual. (ISO/IEC 15412)

section: A block of keys, mostly with some functional relationship. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

tactile indicator keys: Keys in the home row which contain a tactile aid for positioning the hands. (ISO
9241-4)

zone: A part of a keyboard section defined in ISO/IEC 9995. (ISO/IEC 9995-1)

Note -- As seen above the definitions of group and level are very similar. To clarify: a group is a
collection of graphic characters and the characters in the group are subdivided into levels. Normally the
small letters are found in the level 1 and the capital letters in level 2.


4 ISO/IEC 9995 AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ON K EYBOARDS

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In the beginning many manufacturers designed their own keyboards. Different types of equipment, such
as teletype machines, data-entry devices and typewriters for text, had different keyboard layouts.
Moreover many nations published national standards for keyboards. When the use of keyboards grew
more common and more types of equipment started to use keyboards, they were harmonized.
International standards for keyboards were first developed for different types of equipment. Many of
these layouts have now been harmonized into the ISO/IEC 9995 multipart standard. This work is carried
out by ISO/IEC JTC 1/ SC 35 - User Interfaces in its Working Group 1 "Keyboards and input interfaces"
(previously named ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 18 WG9/SWGK). This SC is also currently working on the
modernization of keyboards in order to cater for new requirements concerning ergonomy, productivity,
cultural and linguistic adaptability and portability.

In addition, ISO/TC 159/SC 4 - Ergonomics of human system interaction - has standardized physical
requirements for keyboards from an ergonomic point of view in ISO 9241-4.

In this section of the report descriptions of some of the international keyboard standards are given. They

are only intended as an indication of the contents of the standards. For implementation purposes – e.g. as
basis for national standardization -- the full text of the standards must absolutely be used.

4.1 ISO/IEC 9995 Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems

The purpose of ISO/IEC 9995 is to provide the standard for keyboard layouts for all the information

technology products of today. It covers personal computers, workstations, computer terminals and related
applications. It also includes normative specifications and recommendations for numeric keypads for
products such as calculators and telephones. It allows some flexibility in the configuration of the
keyboard layout but specifies the overall configuration in great detail.

The full name of ISO/IEC 9995 is ”Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office

systems”. It is divided into the following eight parts.

Part 1: General principles governing keyboard layouts
Part 2: Alphanumeric section
Part 3: Complementary layouts of the alphanumeric zone of the alphanumeric section

Part 4: Numeric section
Part 5: Editing section
Part 6: Function section
Part 7: Symbols used to represent functions
Part 8: Allocation of letters to the keys of a numeric keypad.

As the names of the different parts show some parts are g eneral and apply to all keyboards and some
parts only apply to keyboards for a given specific functionality. A keyboard does not have to conform to
all parts to conform to ISO/IEC 9995.

The following clauses give descriptions of the different parts. It is written only for educational purposes
and shall not be used at the implementation of a keyboard without carefully reading the fully quoted
standard.

4.1.1 Part 1: General principles governing keyboard layouts

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This part defines

a physical division of the keyboard into sections and zones

a key position numbering system

a logical division of the keyboard into groups and levels

methods of indicating allocations to keys.

The phy sical division of the keyboard

The keyboard is divided into four sections:


an alphanumeric section for letters, numbers and other symbols

an editing section for cursor movements

a function section for control functions and programmable functions

a numeric section for a special numeric section.

Each of these sections is divided into zones.

A keyboard does not need to contain all sections and the relative sizes of the different sections are not
standardized. Their relative positions are indicated in the following figure.

All lines are only indicative
Function section
Function Editing
 Numeric
section Alphanumeric section section
 section

Layout of sections




The key position numbering system

Each section is configured on a grid with intersections of rows and columns. Each row is identified by a

capital letter of the Latin alphabet and each column is identified by a number. The following figure shows
the configuration of the alphabetic section. The figure shows an angled grid, which is the one mostly used
but it may also be a square grid. The other sections are configured on square grids.



99  00  01  02  03  04  05  06  07  08  09  10  11  12  13  14  15
E
D
C
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B
A

99  00  01  02  03  04  05  06  07  08  09  10  11  12  13  14  15

Alphanumeric section (angled grid)

Logical division of the keyboard into groups and levels.

The graphic characters are logically divided into groups and every group may contain up to three levels.
Normally the default group is group 1 and the default level is level 1. Group 1 is by definition the group
corresponding to a national keyboard and is the group which the user uses if no particular intervention is
made. The national standards or de facto standards for keyboards normally define group 1 with levels 1
and 2 and sometimes also level 3. Part 3 of ISO/IEC 9995 defines group 2, which is by definition a
supplementary group intended for international use and contains characters not commonly found on
national keyboards using the Latin script. A keyboard may have any number of groups, but usually there
is only group 1.

Methods of indicating allocations to keys.

Graphic characters or graphic symbols for control functions are normally engraved on the keys. They may
also be shown to the user in other ways, e.g. as information in a product description. At least one
character or symbol is shown on every key except on the space bar. Using groups and levels several
characters or symbols can be allocated to one key. All these characters and symbols may be indicated on
the key. Characters belonging to the same group are placed in the same column on the key. As an
example, characters in the left-hand column are part of Group 1 . The character/symbol belonging to level
1 is placed in the middle of the column with level 2 above and level 3 below. Level 3 may instead be
shown on the key face. When both upper and lower case of the same letter are allocated to the same key,
only the upper case needs to be shown.

4.1.2 Part 2: Alphanumeric section

This part specifies

the zones of the alphanumeric section

the number and the location of some of the keys in the alphanumeric zone

some control functions in the function zones

The z ones of the alphanumeric section

The alphanumeric section is divided into alphanumeric and function zones with the alphanumeric zone

forming the core of the section. This is where you find the letters, numbers and symbols .

The number of the keys in the alphanumeric zone

The general keyboard arrangement is a very important and central feature that authorizes up to 58 graphic
keys for linguistic and cultural requirements. It is intended to accommodate languages using specific
letters and diacritics and consequently requiring more keys in order to provide a user-friendly access to
those more often used.

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For historical reasons and harmonization purposes only does the alphanumeric zone permit, as a
minimum, 45 graphic keys allocated as shown in the figure below, with the space bar in row A, extending
at least as shown. The minimum of 45 keys are positioned within the thick lines, with at least 10 keys in
row B, 11 keys in row C and 12 keys in row D and E.

All lines are only indicative

99  00  01  02  03  04  05  06  07  08  09 10  11  12  13  14  15

E

D

C

B

A

General keyboard arrangement

A “harmonized” 48 graphic key keyboard arrangement is also defined, allowing some variations. On this
keyboard the alphanumeric zone has 48 graphic keys and a space bar. Row B has 10 or 11 keys to the left
of and including position 10. Row C and D have 12 keys in positions 01 to 12. Row E has 13 or 14 keys
to the right of and including position 00.

The allocation of graphic characters is not specified in this standard, neither for the general keyboard
arrangement nor for the harmonized 48 graphic key keyboard arrangement. Instead, this is determined by
a national standard or by national usage. If the characters of the Latin alphabet are allocated, at least the
83 invariant graphic characters of ISO 646 are accommodated. These are the 10 digits, the 2 times 26
small and capital letters a - z, 20 different marks and the space character. These graphic characters are
normally allocated to levels 1 and 2 of group 1. The digits are allocated to row E with 1 - 9 normally on
E01 to E09 with 0 allocated to the left or right. The space character is allocated to the space bar in row A.
For the allocation of the rest of the characters there are only informative recommendations in an Annex
A, which as an aid for developing new national standards refers to some commonly used layouts.

Control functions in the function zones

The control function keys don't have a fixed position but are allocated in relation to the graphical keys
defined by the general keyboard arrangement or the harmonized 48 graphic key keyboard arrangement
versions.

Thus the keys for the control functions in the alphanumeric section are positioned to the right and the left
of the alphanumeric zone. The following functions are allocated:


Level 2 select: two keys, one on each end of the graphic keys in row B.

Tabulation: one key on the left-hand side of the graphic keys in row D.

Capital lock, Level 2 lock or Generalized lock: one key adjacent to the left-hand side of the graphic
keys in row C.
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Return: one key adjacent to the right-hand side of the graphic keys in row C. Part of this key may also
take up space in row D.

One key for Backspace or Backward erase.

In addition to these functions there may also be keys for Control and Alternate.

Also, following Amendment 1 to ISO/IEC 9995-2, for keyboards with characters allocated to level 3 at
least one key shall be provided for the function Level 3 select. For those with characters allocated to more
than one group, a Group select function shall be allocated to a key or a combination of keys.

These two functions are specified in a basic way for a harmonized 48 graphic key keyboard arrangement.
They may also be implemented for a general keyboard arrangement without restriction:


Level 3 select: may be allocated to row A or row B.

Group 2 select: may be provided with the help of “level 2 select” and “level 3 select” keys actuated at
the same time (according to the above-mentioned amendment, it shall be available at least in that way
if the function is required). This function, when used for specific access to the group 2 as defined in
ISO/IEC 9995-3, is recommended to be a temporary-only latching function -- this group 2 is such that
it requires the use of a Latin group to immediately enter the letters to which group 2 non-spacing
diacritics apply -- normally only the first actuated key thereafter will provide a character from group 2.
Note – On many keyboards on the market you may find the keys “Alt” and “Alt Gr”. The “Alt” key is
listed in part 7 of ISO/IEC 9995-7 with the function “Alternate” and the description “To select a function
under application control (the corresponding key being used in conjunction with another key)”. The “Alt
Gr” key is not identified as such in ISO/IEC 9995 but is generally recognized as the key used to select
level 3 (the ISO terminology uses the term "Level 3 Select'" to be independent of any vendor terminology
and to diminish the possibilities for confusion in terms between "Alt" and "Alt Gr").
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4.1.3 Part 3: Complementary layouts of the alphanumeric zone of the alphanumeric section


This part specifies and allocates the characters for group two. It specifies the

common secondary group layout

operation of keys with diacritical marks

complementary Latin group layout.

Unlike Part 2 which defines the keyboard from a geometric point of view, Part 3 really specifies the
allocation of characters on the keyboard. It is important to note that normally group 1 is defined by
national standards.

Common secondary group layout

Part 2 requires a keyboard with at least 48 graphic keys, allocating the Latin alphabet with at least the 83

graphical characters of ISO 646. The common secondary group layout includes the rest of the characters
in ISO/IEC 6937 plus the euro sign. For these graphical characters and their allocation on the keyboard,
see Part 3 of ISO/IEC 9995. No characters in group 2 need be shown (engraved) on the keytops. Some
characters from the national standards may be duplicated; if so the duplicated characters are shown with
their group 1and not group 2 positions. In Amendment 1 to this part of ISO/IEC 9995 the euro sign is
allocated to position E04 level 2. Previously the “Dollar sign or Currency sign” was allocated to this
position . That sign is now moved to level 3 of the same key. This is the only allocation in that level, and
it is optional since ISO/IEC 9995-3 allows subsetting implementations. It is to be noted that the repertoire
can be implemented using any kind of coding (for example the universal character set, ISO/IEC 10646).

Diacritical marks

Some of the graphical characters in ISO/IEC 6937 are diacritical marks. They may be used above or
below certain letters and are used with many national characters. The diacritical mark key is actuated
first, and then the key with the letter. The diacritical mark key is non-spacing. If instead a key with a
letter which cannot take a diacritical mark, or the space bar, is actuated after the diacritical mark key, the
mark appears as a graphic character of its own. As mentioned above, all non-spacing diacritical mark
keys require entering a letter from a Latin script group, very often group 1, immediately after the
depression of such a key in group 2. This is the reason why group 2 is recommended to be non-locking. It
is however recommende
...