Editing Bloomberg Terminal (section)

== Keyboard ==
{{How-to|section|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Bloomberg Terminal Keyboard.svg|500px]]

[[Michael Bloomberg]]'s 1997 autobiography contains a chapter entitled "Computers for Virgins", which explains the differences in the design of the terminal and its keyboard from the standard [[IBM PC keyboard]] layout that was popular at that time. The terminal's keyboard layout was designed for traders and market makers who had no prior computer experience. The look and feel of the Bloomberg keyboard are similar to an ordinary computer keyboard, with several enhancements which help users navigate through the system.

Keyboard keys are commonly referred to inside angle brackets with full commands being contained in curly brackets  e.g., {VOD LN {{key press|Equity}} {{key press|GO}}}. The function key names and then-standard beige colour of an ordinary keyboard were changed from the technical name, e.g., F10, to a memorable name and colour, e.g., ''Yellow''. The F10 key is thus a ''Yellow'' key named {{key press|Index}}. The {{key press|Esc}} is coloured red and named {{key press|Cancel}} in the Bloomberg system, with the red to catch one's eye to stop a task. The {{key press|Enter}} key is referred to as {{key press|GO}} with a green color, deriving from the ''Monopoly'' game board, by passing ''Go'' and collecting $200 in a hope that the user could make money on the information he would find.<ref>''Bloomberg by Bloomberg'', Michael R. Bloomberg 1997</ref>

The Bloomberg keyboard includes a unique {{key press|Menu}} key which navigates back to the previous function used.  If no previous commands are found, {{key press|Menu}} displays a list of related functions.  Similarly, the {{key press|History}} key will populate the command-line with previously used functions in reverse chronological order, as the {{key press|Up}} key function does in certain command prompts.

The yellow hotkeys along the top of the keyboard are used to enter market sectors, and are generally used as suffixes to allow the terminal to correctly identify a security.

[[File:Bloomberg terminal keyboard.jpg|thumb|An early 2000s Bloomberg terminal keyboard]]

* F2 GOVT – [[government securities]] (U.S. treasury and non-U.S.)
* F3 CORP – [[corporate debt]]
* F4 MTGE – [[mortgage securities]]
* F5 M-Mkt – [[money market]]
* F6 MUNI – [[municipal debt]]
* F7 PFD – [[preferred shares]]
* F8 EQUITY – [[equity shares]]
* F9 COMDTY – [[commodity markets]]
* F10 INDEX – [[Index (economics)|indices]]
* F11 CURNCY – [[currency markets]]
* F12 CLIENT/ALPHA – portfolio functionality

For example, if someone is interested in the [[Vodafone]] stock listed on the [[London Stock Exchange|London market]], one enters {<kbd>VOD</kbd> <kbd>LN</kbd> {{key press|Equity}} {{key press|GO}}} where VOD is the company's [[ticker symbol]], LN is the venue code for London, and {{key press|Equity}} is the market sector. A detailed option list related to Vodafone UK stock will pop up, the person can then choose different options by pressing related keys or using the mouse to select the option.

Similarly, {<kbd>USDEUR</kbd> {{key press|Curncy}} {{key press|GO}}} displays the U.S. dollar–[[Euro]] [[exchange rate|exchange]] [[spot rate]].

Other common Bloomberg commands for Equity include:

* {HP {{key press|GO}}} – Historical Price – Display the detailed historical price of the currently loaded stock
* {DVD {{key press|GO}}} – Dividend / Split Summary of the currently loaded stock
* {CACS {{key press|GO}}} – [[Corporate action|Corporate Actions]] related to the currently loaded stock
* {CN {{key press|GO}}} – Company News – News related to the currently loaded stock

Thus, if someone interested in the historical Vodafone UK stock price, they can directly type in {<kbd>VOD</kbd> <kbd>LN</kbd> {{key press|Equity}} <kbd>HP</kbd> {{key press|GO}}}.

The Bloomberg keyboard has traditionally been heavier and sturdier than standard keyboards (a previous version, the SEA100 Bloomberg keyboard weighed around 3&nbsp;kg) with 3mm key travel and 19mm key pitch; it also comes with built-in speakers for multimedia features. The SEA100 version has a built-in, 500 PPI, 0.26 sq inch biometric sensor for user login verification.  The current Starboard (Keyboard 4) version is 1.08&nbsp;kg and uses flatter, chiclet-style keys which are quieter and have less key travel than Freeboard (Keyboard 3) and prior.
{{Bloomberg keys}}