The hooks [ ] are punctuation marks used in pairs to frame additional information, details, or examples in a text. They are also very useful for mathematicians and programmers who use them to define ranges or lists. But how do you make brackets on the Mac when these symbols are not visible on the Apple keyboard? Don’t panic, there are simple and practical shortcuts to write them down without wasting time. In this article, we’ll show you how to create brackets on a Mac with an Apple keyboard or the Virtual Keyboard view. Follow the leader!

Make brackets with an Apple keyboard

The shortcut for creating brackets with an Apple keyboard is relatively simple. All you have to do is press three keys at the same time:

• To write an opening parenthesis [ , appuyez sur Option ou Alt (sur les vieux Mac) + Maj + ( (la touche du cinq).
  
• Pour écrire un crochet fermant ] press Option or Alt (on older Macs) + Shift + ) (the key to the right of zero).
  

In fact, you just have to make a parenthesis by also pressing the Option or Alt key. It’s easy to remember, right?

Create brackets with the Apple Keyboard Viewer

If you have trouble remembering the shortcut for creating brackets, you can also use the virtual keyboard view. This is a tool that allows you to display all the symbols you can create with your keyboard, even those that are not marked on the keys.

To display the keyboard viewer, follow these steps:

• Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Methods and check the “Show input menu in menu bar” box.
• Click on the small keyboard icon in the menu bar (top) and select “Show Keyboard View.
• Hold down the Option or Alt key and you’ll see brackets appear on the ( and ) keys.
• Click on the virtual keys to write the brackets.

You can also hold down Option or Alt+Shift to see other symbols like curly braces { } or ” ” quotes.

What are the hooks for?

Hooks have various uses depending on the environment. Here are some examples:

• In French, we use brackets to introduce additional information, clarification, or examples into a text. For example: “He bought a car [une Peugeot 208] young.”
• In mathematics, we use brackets to define intervals. For example : “[0 ; 1]” denotes the set of real numbers between 0 and 1 inclusive.
• In computer science, we use brackets to define lists in some programming languages ​​like Python or Swift. For example: “list = [1, 2, 3]” creates a list containing the elements 1, 2, and 3.

Here are some frequently asked questions about hooks on Mac:

conclusion

Now you know how to crochet on Mac easily and quickly. Whether with an Apple keyboard or the virtual keyboard view, you will no longer have a problem writing these useful symbols in many fields. Feel free to consult our other articles to learn how to create other special characters on Mac. And if you’re looking for a new keyboard tailored to your needs, discover our selection of the best keyboards for developers on our site!