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Let’s get familiar with the Mouse!
Let’s get familiar with the Mouse!
(And other human-interface-devices designed to control the cursor.)
There’s an incredible amount of variation on mouses in the world, and yet they all serve essentially the same function; to choose and move things around on the computer screen.
Here we’re going to take a look at a handful of basic designs. Before we do that, let's take a look at the thing we move the most, the Cursor!
What is the Cursor?
What is the Cursor?
The cursor is the little pointer icon that we move around on the screen using a mouse. It is represented by different icons, each indicating different abilities, depending on what the cursor interacts with on the screen. While typing, the cursor may be be temporarily hidden so that it does not obstruct text.
Here's a link to wikipedia page about cursors!
Top Three Cursor Icons
The Pointer
The Pointer
Consider this your default cursor icon. This one will be used to click and select most things.
The Hand
The Hand
Seeing this icon usually means you've got the cursor over a weblink or selectable item on a webpage.
The I-beam
The I-beam
The I-beam, or "text selector" icon is used for editing and interacting with text. If you see this icon without text, click the empty space and you'll probably be able to start typing.
Left Button - Scroll Wheel - Right Button
Left Button - Scroll Wheel - Right Button
The most common mouse we see today is (or was) the “left button - scroll wheel - right button” variant. By default, the left button is usually set as the primary and the right secondary, but this can almost always be reversed in a menu somewhere (settings, preferences, accessibility, etc..).
Left Click
Left Click
The left, or Primary button on the mouse is used to select, open or highlight an item or piece of text. Depending on the software, single, double and triple clicks will give different results. For example, folders and documents usually require a double-click to open, while a single-click on app icon in the dashboard or start menu will launch the selected app.
Another important function of the left click is the ability to select multiple items at once. To do this, click and hold the left mouse button and drag to highlight the icons or text. When you release the button, the highlighted items will remain so. This way you can do things like;
Drag and drop multiple files into one folder
Highlight a specific area of text
Copy or delete multiple items at once
Scroll Wheel
Scroll Wheel
Use this to scroll up and down on a page or document. Some scroll wheels have extra capabilities!
For example;
You may be able to click the scroll wheel as a third button.
By pressing some scroll wheels to the right or left from the opposite side might do the same thing as clicking the forward or back buttons in a web browser.
By holding the shift key and using the scroll wheel, you can scroll horizontally.
Right Click
Right Click
The Right, or secondary button is typically used to bring up a menu related to what or where you click. Right-clicking on a word in a document, for example, will probably give you options to cut, copy or look up that word. By Right-clicking a file or folder, you can do things like;
Rename the item
Move, cut, copy or delete the item
Open with a specific app
This can vary widely depending on software and file types.
This Link will take you to a webpage where you can practice using the mouse!
This Link will take you to a webpage where you can practice using the mouse!
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/mousetutorial/mouse-tutorial/1/
The Trackpad
The Trackpad
Most commonly found on laptops, the trackpad acts as another way for the user to move things around on the screen, utilizing the same primary button, secondary button and scroll principals from the mouse.
Some trackpads have buttons, while others act as a button themselves. Some have multi-touch capabilities, while older versions may not.
Trackpads can differ widely between manufacturers and laptop models. Software also plays a role in how the trackpad behaves, so it’s a good idea to look up your specific model, especially if something is behaving differently than expected.
Seek out the “disable touchpad while typing” if you find that your palms are touching the trackpad whilst typing, and inadvertently moving the cursor.
Keep on Scrolling
Instead of a wheel, trackpads typically scroll in one of two (or both) ways. Before the proliferation of multitouch technology, the right and bottom edges of the trackpad were designated as scroll areas, often referred to as edge-scrolling. Multitouch brought with it the “two-finger-scroll” function, where dragging two fingers up or down (and sometimes left or right) will result in scrolling. Very handy!
The Pointing Stick
The Pointing Stick
The Pointing Stick, also known as a TrackPoint (by Lenovo) or Nub, is yet another way to move the cursor. It's essentially a tiny joystick designed to be operated with the Index or middle fingers, and is situated between the keys G and H and above the B key on a QUERTY keyboard. Because of its position, one can move the cursor without having to move their hand away from the keyboard.
It is often coupled with another set of mouse buttons, usually found just below the space bar. Typically, scrolling can be achived by holding down the middle button and moving the pointing stick.
Apple Devices
Apple Devices
Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Apple’s most current wired mouse is full of functionality that may not be immediately obvious. Instead of a left and right button, the mouse itself is one big button! You can however still left and right click, thanks to touch sensors under the mouse's surface. In place of a scroll wheel, we have a tiny trackball that is used to scroll up, down, left, right and diagonally. Clicking on the trackball acts as a customisable third button.
Magic Mouse
Magic Mouse
Another unassuming little gizmo from Apple, the Magic Mouse is wireless (uses bluetooth), touch-sensitive and can take some getting used to. Like the Mighty Mouse, this mouse is one big button and uses touch to discern between left and right clicks. Scrolling is now done by swiping your finger directly on the surface of the mouse as opposed to having a trackball or scrollwheel.
Magic Trackpad
Magic Trackpad
If you’re using an Apple laptop with MacOS, your trackpad probably has extensive multitouch capabilities. There’s a great resource right in the System Preferences Menu (Trackpad) that has video and text instructions on how to use and customize the trackpad's numerous functions. There are also a few more settings in the Accessibility menu (my personal favorite is the three-finger-drag function).
This Link will teach you how to use multi-touch gestures on your Mac.
This Link will teach you how to use multi-touch gestures on your Mac.
Vintage Apple Mouses
Vintage Apple Mouses
Some older Apple mouses (and trackpads) only have one button (and no scroll wheel at all!). If you have one of these vintage gizmos, there are two things you need to know:
1: By holding down the control key on your keyboard and clicking the mouse button, you can access the secondary, or right-click.
2: You can use the arrow keys on the keyboard in place of a scroll-wheel in most instances.
This Link will take you to a neat vintage webpage where you can practice using a mouse!
This Link will take you to a neat vintage webpage where you can practice using a mouse!
Check out the Mouse menu in System Preferences for a more detailed overview of whatever Apple mouse you find yourself using!
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