The standard describes four methods to handle ISO/IEC 10646 or Unicode characters:
A beginning key sequence (such as Ctrl+Shift) followed by an alphanumeric code shall result in the input of the corresponding Unicode character.
Code values of characters displayed on the screen can be retrieved by selecting a character and then hitting a key.
Lists of possibly related characters can be displayed to let users select the one they want to input by the shape of its glyph rather than by its code value.
Finally, the arrow characters etched onto function keys, such as Tab or Backspace, can be input by pressing the relevant function key after a beginning key sequence (such as Ctrl+Shift), without knowing the codes. That is to say, the beginning key sequence leaves the keyboard in a logical state where pressing any function key combination will potentially generate a character instead of activating the associated function.
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 18/WG 9 N, ISO/IEC 14755 - Input methods to enter characters from the repertoire of ISO/IEC 10646 with a keyboard or other input devices, Final text, 13 December 1996.