ASCII control character

7.4

A computer character typed with the control key that tells a program to make a new line or tab

noun
/ˈæskiˌaɪ ˈkənˌtroʊl ˈkɛrɪktər/

Specialized

: carácter de control ASCII

Some ASCII control characters are used to format text, such as tabs or new lines.

Examples

Pressing the Control-M key combination sends an ASCII control character representing a carriage return.
The ASCII control character for a tab is often used in programming.
Certain programs ignore ASCII control characters that do not affect the display output.
Did you know that an ASCII control character can affect text formatting?
Pressing the Control-M key combination sends an ASCII control character representing a carriage return.
Certain programs ignore ASCII control characters that do not affect the display output.
Some ASCII control characters are used to format text, such as tabs or new lines.

Synonyms

control character

vsASCII control character

Specialized

1 6.3

A hidden computer symbol used to tell a program how to show or move text

is the form in an early character standard produced with a modifier key

Surface Forms

ASCII control character singular

ASCII control characters plural

Morphology

ASCII + control + character

The phrase is fully compositional: 'ASCII' specifies the encoding domain, 'control' indicates its function, and 'character' denotes a symbol, so together they mean a symbol in the ASCII set that performs control functions. Although somewhat technical, the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and parallels equivalent terms in other languages, so a learner who knows the component words will understand it.

Etymology

ASCII control character one popular story says it comes from early printers and type machines where some special keys did not print a symbol but sent a command, like 'tab', 'new line', or 'backspace'. So a control character is an invisible character that tells a device what to do instead of showing a letter or number.