switch between upper and lower case with Shift+F3
Is it possible to switch between upper and lower case with Shift+F3, as you can in Outlook and Word?
All Replies (4)
MS products are more complicated as they have developed programs specifically as Word Processers to perform a whole raft of more complicated processes.
For just about any program you can use the following. But it is used in Thunderbird which as a more basic text/composing editor as it's only dealing with composing emails and not complex word processing.
Hold down 'Shift' key and press eg: 'A' key to shift from lower case 'a' to upper case 'A'. Release the 'Shift' key to revert back to lower case. OR select the 'Caps Lock' key to fully swap between lower and upper - if typing more than one capital letter. You usually notice a light switch becomes enabled on the keyboard to remind you that 'Caps Lock' has been enabled.
In Thunderbird, the F3 key is used to open a 'Find in page' type of search. Here is a link to many Thunderbird shortcut keys.
If you have typed some text in an email but then want to change maybe a word from lower to upper case then you would need to use an addon called 'unicodify-text-transformer'
The person (author) who developed the addon is responsible for the addon - not Thunderbird. Always check that the addon has been updated to work with the version of Thunderbird you wish to use.
How to install an addon:
A serious observation for the community. Some basic formatting capabilities, like changing case are so fundamental to text editing that the failure to provide basically confirms that so called IT experts are totally indifferent to user requirements. It is runs without crashing the system, and keeps the clicks coming, it's solid gold. Otherwise, it does not register.
I've used FireFox and T-bird for years, and struggle with not contributing. Every time i get around to giving it serious thought, something like this pops up. Not the worst examples. But. . .
Apologies for the tone of this. Been in the business too long. Am seeing the utility of the technology degrade at an astonishing rate because of the manic obsession with doing something different. Over 45 years ago I was too strapped for cash and to cheap to spring for the $700 word processor, and wrote my own in Basic. It wasn't WYSIWYG but neither was WordPerfect, the state of the art at the time.
Installing another third party add-on (AKA something else to go wrong) is insanity.
hi jim
The big difference is that Microsoft products have been designed as a Word processer with all sorts of aditional formatting requirements because it would be expected. MS have a large budget and users pay for the priviledge.
Thunderbird does not have the extensive abilities of a Word processer and it's purpose is just to create emails. So, as you know, it's basic in comparison. Thunderbird is able to produce capitals (upper and lower case), so it's not unavailable, but highlighting text and doing a simple swap one to the other is not included by default.
Generally, simple text is used for most communication with the ability to insert various options to help format or control the display eg: tables. Although if people have more complicated documents then it's advisable to attach them so the recipient can choose an appropriate program to display them. Some people do try to compose text etc in eg: MS Word or Excel and then try use a copy paste to insert into an email, only to discover that does not work very well because MS documents include an overkill of code; most of which can only be properly read by another MS product. Better to attach the document in those situations, but people need to appreciate that not everyone uses or can afford MS software. Generally pdfs are a good idea because Adobe Reader can be installed as free software.
As for addon extensions - they are created by other Thunderbird users and they are solely responsible for their own addons. This is one of the good things regarding Thunderbird. Another, which I use, is the use of 'userChrome.css' to manipulate the view etc in Thunderbird. It's one of Thunderbird qualities that users can be involved and control various options/functions etc. Addon extensions are not considered as 'insantity', but an option if desired. However users do need to understand the creator of the addon is responsible for the addon and not Thunderbird. Some features previously only acquired via addons have been incorporated into Thunderbird and this continues to occur.
Often people have thought the text editor could do with some improvements, thats not disputed, but most monies are diverted to security, bug fixes and improvments to design and functionality within the program to meet other demands.