Sharp UP-3000

Graham is right. I'm that used to calling the different screen layouts available on a touchscreen being called keyboards.
You can build up the auto keys again, but you will need the component keys available too. That can be a problem if the keys were built up using something like posutility.
To make a £5 key which will ring up £5, cash it off and print a receipt you need to do:

PGM2, down to autokey, pick the screen (keyboard) the auto key is on, in your case the payment screen, then:

Press the key to be programmed,
5
00
CASH/TL
G.C. RCPT
Then press the key being programmed again.
Cancel to come back out.

Thanks for the help guys.most importantly is getting the payment button working again, as in 'cash' and 'card' payment buttons.

ive gone in to pgms2, then setting, then direct key, then payment but it doesn't give me any options to change any settings of the button.for some reason there are exclamation marks before each line, eg -" !001 mode"

am i in the wrong section to change setting or fix the settings for the payment button?

sorry for all the questions but in completely new to programming on tills.

thanks again

Oh dear.
That is a sure sign of a corrupted program. Bad characters confirms it.
I could talk you through putting a cash and card button on through the service mode, but the program will just get worse and worse.
If you want to try, press mode then 99999999 (9 eight times) then press enter. You will then be in service mode but be VERY careful. Go to Settings, Free Key Layout, then pick Payment screen. You will see a list of function buttons in the box on the left. One is called TL, highlight it and press where on the screen you want to put it. To make it double size, highlight again and press next to where you originally placed it.
To put a card button on, use the arrows on the box on the left to come down to CR1 and then do the same again.
Once you're done press the cancel on the box on the left (that's important) and then just cancel out.
That will give you a straight cash and credit card button with no preset amount or receipt.
As I said though, the fact the texts are corrupting means problems and a wipe and reprogram is the only sure fix unfortunately.

Is there not a way to reset or reprogram the existing cash and card payment buttons?

when I enter 9 (9times) on the screen and press enter nothing happens for some reason.

I've attached a picture of the weird "! 001 mode" screen i mentioned and an image of the home screen on my till, don't know if they'll be any help though.

After seeing that picture you're ok. Thankfully!! Funny characters always make me wonder, but they are supposed to be there.
What that means in direct key is that you can't do anything to the buttons with ! against them. They have been set under the free key layout in service mode. The buttons without the ! and say inhibit can be made into direct plu or department keys.
Someone has obviously changed the secret code for service mode too.
What you could print out from pgm2 mode is the free key text. That would let me know if the CASH button is a cash button or an autokey. My suspicion is the CASH/TL is actually an autokey doing CASH then G.C. RCPT.
You could try reprogramming the way I posted earlier about autokeys but you need the proper CASH/TL to build it. The key sequence would be: Autokey - CASH/TL - RECEIPT AFTER (G.C. RCPT) - Autokey.
This was obviously programmed using separate software.