E-Connection Forum Question

Dear Debbie,

A lot of us neophytes don't know about the insert key and how it can mess us up if we accidentally hit it while trying to make a correction in an email.

I didn't know about it until I was relating my misery to my son this morning about having spent a good deal of the afternoon trying to correct mistakes in the letter I was writing and making no headway because my computer was doing crazy things and messing me up. I ended up totally frustrated and in tears. The worst of it was that I didn't know where to find any information as to why this was happening.

Also please tell us how we can make a paragraph indentation using Gmail. I have always been able to use the Tab key do it on Outlook express but can't seem to make it work on Gmail. Because I don't touch type I don't catch the movements on the screen very often.
Signed, Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

These are great questions, thank you for asking. I hope the explanations below are helpful.

1. The Insert is primarily used to switch between the two text-entering modes on a personal computer or word processor. The first is overtype mode, in which the cursor, when typing, overwrites any text that is present on and after its current location.
The other is insert mode, where the cursor inserts a character at its current position, forcing all characters past it one position further. To either enable or disable the INS (Insert) key press it.

2. To indent in Gmail.....

You are correct. The TAB key does not work on Gmail to indent as it does on many other programs. Just one more irrational computer maneuver! I am sorry.
Instead you will find an indent tool located on the tool bar. One one with the arrow pointing right will move the cursor over 5 spaces to the right; the one with the arrow point left will move the cursor back 5 spaces.