escape sequence

This article refers to codes used as commands for computing devices. Escape sequence can also refer to a sequence of escape characters used in parsing source code. An escape sequence is a series of characters used to trigger some sort of command state in computers and their attached peripherals.An escape character which is usually assigned to the Esc key on a computer keyboard may be used to indicate that the next sequence is a command to be executed rather than a graphic character to be displayed. The Esc key may be used as an input character in editors such as EMACS, or for backing up one level in a menu in some applications. The Hewlett Packard HP 2640 terminals had a key for a "display functions" mode which would display graphics for all control characters, including Esc, to aid in debugging applications.
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<character> (Or "escape code") A series of characters starting with the escape character (ASCII 27). Escape sequences are often used to control display devices such as VDUs. An escape sequence might change the colour of subsequent text, reassign keys on the keyboard, change printer settings or reposition the cursor. The escape sequences of the DEC vt100 video terminal have become a de facto standard for this purpose.
The term is also used for any sequence of characters that temporarily suspends normal processing of a stream of characters to perform some special function. For example, the Hayes modem uses the sequence "+++" to escape to command mode in which characters are interpreted as commands to the modem itself rather than as data to pass through.
[Was the character named after this use or vice versa?]
(1997-11-27)