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92 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
92 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Create Access Keys for Controls
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description: Learn how to set the access key shortcut on a control or label in Windows Forms for .NET.
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ms.date: 10/26/2020
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dev_langs:
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- "csharp"
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- "vb"
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helpviewer_keywords:
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- "controls [Windows Forms], access keys"
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- "Button control [Windows Forms], access keys"
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- "dialog box controls [Windows Forms], mnemonics"
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- "access keys [Windows Forms], creating for controls"
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- "mnemonics"
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- "ampersand character in shortcut key"
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- "Windows Forms controls, access keys"
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- "examples [Windows Forms], controls"
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- "Text property [Windows Forms], specifying access keys for controls"
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- "keyboard shortcuts [Windows Forms], creating for controls"
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- "access keys [Windows Forms], Windows Forms"
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- "ALT key"
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---
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# Add an access key shortcut to a control (Windows Forms .NET)
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An *access key* is an underlined character in the text of a menu, menu item, or the label of a control such as a button. With an access key, the user can "click" a button by pressing the <kbd>Alt</kbd> key in combination with the predefined access key. For example, if a button runs a procedure to print a form, and therefore its `Text` property is set to "Print," adding an ampersand (&) before the letter "P" causes the letter "P" to be underlined in the button text at run time. The user can run the command associated with the button by pressing <kbd>Alt</kbd>.
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Controls that cannot receive focus can't have access keys, except label controls.
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[!INCLUDE [desktop guide under construction](../../includes/desktop-guide-preview-note.md)]
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## Designer
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In the **Properties** window of Visual Studio, set the **Text** property to a string that includes an ampersand (&) before the letter that will be the access key. For example, to set the letter "P" as the access key, enter **&Print**.
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:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-create-access-keys/properties-text.png" alt-text="Properties dialog with text property selected and access key":::
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## Programmatic
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Set the `Text` property to a string that includes an ampersand (&) before the letter that will be the shortcut.
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```vb
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' Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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Button1.Text = "&Print"
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```
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```csharp
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// Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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button1.Text = "&Print";
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```
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## Use a label to focus a control
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Even though a label cannot be focused, it has the ability to focus the next control in the tab order of the form. Each control is assigned a value to the <xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.TabIndex> property, generally in ascending sequential order. When the access key is assigned to the [Label.Text](xref:System.Windows.Forms.Label.Text) property, the next control in the sequential tab order is focused.
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Using the example from the [Programmatic](#programmatic) section, if the button didn't have any text set, but instead presented an image of a printer, you could use a label to focus the button.
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```vb
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' Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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Label1.Text = "&Print"
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Label1.TabIndex = 9
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Button1.TabIndex = 10
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```
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```csharp
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// Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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label1.Text = "&Print";
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label1.TabIndex = 9
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button1.TabIndex = 10
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```
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## Display an ampersand
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When setting the text or caption of a control that interprets an ampersand (&) as an access key, use two consecutive ampersands (&&) to display a single ampersand. For example, the text of a button set to `"Print && Close"` displays in the caption of `Print & Close`:
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```vb
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' Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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Button1.Text = "Print && Close"
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```
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```csharp
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// Set the letter "P" as an access key.
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button1.Text = "Print && Close";
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```
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:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-create-access-keys/double-ampersand.png" alt-text="displaying an ampersand in a button":::
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## See also
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- [How to: Set the text displayed by a Windows Forms control](how-to-set-the-display-text.md)
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- <xref:System.Windows.Forms.Button>
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- <xref:System.Windows.Forms.Label>
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