What is the point of the enter key?

Hey I have had my mac for a few weeks now, but have yet to find a meaningful purpose for this enter key - next to the right command btton. It sits their unused, still shiny, like its never been used. So far it has served the equivilant purpose of a..............a lamp with no bulb, shall we say.

 

It's like parsley. It's just there to make the rest of the keyboard look good.

 

*laughs* I've never noticed that second enter key until now, wow.

Here's a similar thread regarding this matter:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=118540

 

Yeah, I never use it.

 

I tried to use it once, only to find it doesn't really work for anything...

 

Are you refering to the enter key above right shift? Isn't that important for like.... doing word processing?

 

Some software uses it, ie After Effects for opening a layer to set in/out points or work on masks.

It's a holdover from the numeric keypad, which is not well implemented on most laptops.

 

No, he's talking about the Enter key beside the right Command key beside the Spacebar, or left of the arrow keys.

 

It is for programers IIRC.

 

I don't use it, and I do lots of programming.

I did some research and found a lot of stuff on remapping the enter key to other things.
http://www.eclectic-mayhem.com/blog/2007/04/remap-macbook-pro-enter-key-to-expos.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=145923

And one thread on why it's there:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=328910


I think I may take a hint from one of the people on macrumors and map that key to a forward delete key.

 

Aha! I finally remembered what program it was that automatically bound an alternate use to the "enter" key...

Circus Ponies Notebook. Enter lets you put a paragraph return inside a list cell, whereas Return will create a new cell. (or vice versa if you're in Paragraph mode instead of List mode).

Very convenient function.

 

i miss it on the new MB. it was just "in a better place" to push

 

Way to go reviving an old thread, taelrak! It was from last year!

- Although just November 2007, but makes it sound older -

 

Yea, but I just remembered now, so It took me a few months....

 

As was previously mentioned, it's the numberpad's enter key, which is distinct from the main enter key. A handful of applications recognize the difference. (for instance, in omnioutliner, I can use it to make a note)

 

the macbook and the macbook air have gotten rid of the numpads and replaced the enter key with another alt/option key, not a bad idea at all, most people that need a full size numpad already have a full size keyboard already.

i can work faster with a full size numpad, but not having one wouldn't slow me down much really.

 

OK so wow. I never even noticed that second enter key. How funny.

And the MBA so has the best keyboard. I love that there's only 2 volume buttons and only 2 keyboard illumination buttons now. I still get confused what does what on my MBP with 3 buttons for each. Silly.

 

I actually found a rather useful application for the "secondary" enter key: in iTunes, it is used to rename a song (while hitting Return plays it). It's useful for quickly renaming several songs without having to mouse-click over each of them (just use arrow keys to select, then hit enter).

 

Yea just like scretico said, in path finder normal enter opens a file, this one renames it.

I kinda wonder why they dont do something like that with finder, kinda seems weird that to open a file you have to use a shortcut. (might be wrong but i dont use finder anymore)

Also just incase you guys go and remap it to something else, it functions as the enter key on a numpad, so if you connect an external keyboard to your mac the enter in the numpad will function to whatever you changed it to.

Kinda annoying because I would want the enter key on the mbp keyboard to do one thing, but still have the functionality of the numpad enter for external keyboards

 

Yep, as soon as I saw this thread I remembered there being an option in Path Finder, so mine is now set that way too.

 

Hrm... since this has been refreshed.

Mine has no functional difference between the itself and the main key. Even in programs people say it does something different in (like itunes).

Anyway we can change this to an Apple or option key?

 

Fn + return = enter as well, so it's a bit useless if you type with two hands...

 

LOL! Even while reading the post, I was thinking you are talking about some desktop keyboard, and how stupid to have an enter key. Then I looked down and ... WTF?? where did that one come from and why did I never see it before? Thanks for pointing this one out.

I will now put it to good use & assign a key mapping to it. I was looking for a shortcut to connect my VPN connection, that might just be it.

PS: I have absolutely no use for a num pad, so no issues there.

 

On the mac its actually referred more as the "Return" key but watever.
I actually use it alot. Mostly when I rename some things.

 

I don't have this 2nd enter key? I have another alt/option key

 

You have a newer mac which got rid of the second enter key for another alt/option key instead. They changed the fn buttons a little too on the newer macbooks.

 

You use the 2nd enter key? It's not referred to as a Return key either. The primary enter key is referred to as a return key.

But yeah, mine 2nd one still does nothing. I can't find any apps where it does anything at all beyond what the normal enter key does.

 

yeah the new fn buttons match the layout of Apple's other desktop keyboards as well, and I must say the new layout is much better, especially the new placement of the expose and dashboard buttons, as well as the addition of the seek, and play/pause buttons, and the new placement of the eject key on the desktop keyboards. all much more efficient and I would expect to see this new layout on the macbook pro's very soon.

 

there are still 3 volume buttons, which is a good thing, it is always good to have a mute button along side the volume buttons.

it was the same thing with the keyboard backlight, the F8 key basically worked as a mute key for the keyboard backlight.

 

They took out the apple logo on the command key...

 

Yeah, that first happened in the new Apple Keyboard on the iMac in August.