This page was created to demonstrate the possibilities of the mouse. It's first function is to move the cursor on the screen or towards the commands on the toolbars. It's with the combinations of buttons and the movement of the mouse that you can take advantage of this precious tool. Some practice is required to master all its possibilities. To help you, there is an exercise for each of the possibilities of the mouse. These will be realized with the help of a sentence in a word processor software. You can use any word processor. The images that you will see comes from the Word software. The sentence is simple: " I have one two four five three little fingers. " At the beginning of every exercise, you will write that sentence. Don't change it. The exercise consists in using the mouse to correct the sentence or to take advantage of it.
This page was created to demonstrate the possibilities of the mouse. It's first
function is to move the cursor on the screen or towards the commands on the
toolbars. It's with the combinations of buttons and the movement of the mouse
that you can take advantage of this precious tool. Some practice is required
to master all its possibilities. To help you, there is an exercise for each
of the possibilities of the mouse. These will be realized with the help of a
sentence in a word processor software. You can use any word processor. The images
that you will see comes from the Word software. The sentence is simple: " I
have one two four five three little fingers. " At the beginning of
every exercise, you will write this sentence. Don't try to correct it. The exercise
consists in using the mouse to correct the situation or to take advantage of
it.
The next instructions are made all with the left mouse button
and not the right. The right button is used by the new Windows applications
to activate the options of the selected object.
Here are some terms that you should know and use. You'll be able to apply the
techniques that you learn here on every aspect of your work on a computer.
Press and release once the left mouse button. It is used to select an
item or to press of the various buttons in Windows.
Move
the mouse on the mentioned item. Press and hold the left mouse button once.
You can also select several objects at the same time. This is practical when
you want to change an option or a property of all these objects at the same
time. Select the first object by clicking above. You will know that the object
is selected if squares appear around the object. Keep a finger on the Shift
key and select the other objects by clicking on them.
You can also use the Shift key to select a block of files or cells at
the same time. You can click the first name of the list, to keep a finger on
the Shift key and then click on the last name needed of the list. All
the elements between these two will be selected at the same time. This is especially
practical while managing files.
To select several files that don't follow each other in a list, it's necessary
to keep a finger on the Ctrl key when you click a document.
Move
the mouse on the selected item. Press the left button twice very quickly.
Many persons have difficulties at the beginning to make a double-click. Take
time to practice. It's going to become very practical, even necessary, to execute
applications, open windows or for certain options of the applications. According
to research made by Microsoft, this is the least intuitive command to learn.
Nevertheless, it's this command that was used to open or execute the programs
or the applications and even the documents since Windows 3.0.
This option is used to select a part of your text and then to then choose an
option such as to put in bold, to change the font or its size, to move the text
or to delete it.
Place
the cursor at the beginning of the text that you want to select. Keep
your finger on the left mouse button and move it to the right or downward until you "darkened" all the text that you wanted to choose.
Release the left mouse button.
Another way select a block is to place the cursor at the beginning of the text
that you want to select, keep your finger on the Shift key, and click
at the end of the block that you want.
This option is useful to move objects whether it's a block of text, a toolbar
or a window to somewhere else in a document or on the screen.
Click on the object to be moved. Place
the cursor inside the object. Keep
a finger pressed on the left mouse button and move the object to it's
new location. Release the mouse button to end the operation.
This allows you to move an item or some that you selected.
For applications inside windows or toolbars, click the titles bar at the top
of the window. It's where the Window indicates the name of the application and\or
the name of the document. You can also resize Windows by clicking on the borders
and having many applications open at the same time on the screen.
The big advantage of the context menu is that you don't have to move pointlessly
the cursor all over the screen. This avoids moving the cursor needlessly by
selecting you the text or the object, moving the cursor at the top of the screen,
pressing on a button of a toolbar or choosing an option of the menu and then
to move the cursor back down and continue your operations. The context menu
offers the options most often used right beside the object you selected.
Select
an object or a block of text. Place
there the cursor over and press the right mouse button.
A context menu will appear. It allows you the options most often used for this
object. The menu changes options depending if it's text, an number, an image
or any another object.
Double-click
on the icon of the application or the document. OR Select
the icon and press then on the Enter key. OR Place
the cursor on the icon, press the right mouse button, select the Open
option.
There are several ways to close a document or a program. You can, use:
The
Alt and F4 keys OR Double-click
on the System button on the top left corner of the application window. OR Select
the Close option from the System button . OR Press
the button
on the top right corner of the window.
In fact, the cursor can change form when
it's over an object: text, button, image or the other. Here are some of the
different forms that the cursor can change.
Usual cursor to select an object. You can click
on an object to select it. Depending to the software, you can keep a finger
on the Shift or Ctrl key to select several objects at the
same time.
Allows "to drag" or "to pull" an object to another place. You need to
select the object before it is moved. By keeping a finger on the left
mouse button, you can move the selected object to it's new location.
Allow to copy a selected object to a new location. You need to select
the object before it is moved. By keeping a finger on the left mouse
button and the Ctrl key , you can copy and move the object to another
location.
Allows you to know the function of a button.
Press the Shift and F1 keys. The cursor will change to the
form described to the left. Then click on the button or option that you
want more information.
An operation is in progress in the background.
You can however continue to work.
Wait during an operation is in progress.
Precise cursor for images.
Textebar to insert text and that location.
The cursor indicates that this option is not
available.
Allows you to enlarge or to reduce the size
of an object. You must place the cursor on the border of the object so that
the cursor can change form.
Under this format, the cursor can be used to
move an image or an object.
Form of the cursor when you are over a hypertext
link.
The cursor can also take other forms according to
the applications in that you are working with.
The next demonstrations will be accomplished by using Microsoft Word. It will
be used to familiarize you with the basic mouse techniques in Windows. You will
be able to use these techniques in any Windows' application. If Word is not
available, use another word processor software. At the beginning of every exercise,
you will be asked to write the following sentence: " I have one two
four five three little fingers. " Open Word or any other word processor
of your choice.
Place
the cursor of the mouse on the Start button normally located in the left
lower corner of the screen. Click
on the Start button. Move
the cursor up until you reach the Programs option.
The Programs menu should open up and offer you a list of the programs installed
on the computer.
Move
the cursor towards the right on the new menu that has just appeared. If
you see it, move the cursor on the Word icon or another word processor.
If you don't see it, it's probably in a "sub-menu". Just look in
the folders until you find what your looking for.
For
university students Click
on the button Start. Move
the cursor up until the Programs option. Select
the Applications Windows sub-menu. Select
then the Office 2000 or Office XP option . Move
once again the cursor to the right into the new menu. Click
on then the Word icon.
One of the big advantages that you find in all Windows applications is to being
able to modifying a part or a block of a document. The techniques mentioned
below are the same for all the applications. We will be using a block of text
for the next exercises. But these techniques can be used on any object in Windows.
It can be text, an image, a graphic or any other object that can be chosen and
moved.
The rest of the page consists of exercises to help you to master how a mouse
works. You may not get it right the first time. Just try again and take some
practice at it.
Write
the following sentence: " I have one two four five three little fingers.
"
The exercise consists in putting back the word " three " in the order. That's
usually between two and four. There are two possible techniques to move the
word: the basic technique " to cut and to paste " and a little more advanced"
by "dragging" the word. But before you can move an object, you must
first select it. In this case, you must make a block with the word, sentence,
paragraph you want to move.
Place
the cursor just in front of the word three. Press
and keep your finger on the left mouse button while moving the mouse
to the right. Select just the word three.
Notice that the selected text in the block is "highlighted" or white on a black
background to differentiate it from normal text.
Having
selected the word three, release the mouse button.
Normally, the word " three " should be selected. It means that the text is
written in white on a black background. Try again if you didn't get it on the
first try. It takes some practice. The selection of a block is one of the instructions
the most used to edit a text or a document. You should practice to master this
technique.
Now you know how to make a block, you can move the block to the right place.
We are going to use two techniques to realize the same thing, by using cut
and paste or with " drag' n drop ".
If
it's not already made, select a block with the text that you need. For the exercise,
it's the word " three". From
the Edit menu bar , select the Cut option.
QUESTION: Where did the word three go?
It's placed in a temporary place that Windows calls the "Clipboard".
Besides text, you can store temporarily any other types of data or object such
an image, a video, or a sound clip or any other object that Windows recognizes.
You can not store several objects at the same time, only one object at
the time. The content of the clipboard replaced by a newer object when you cut
ou copy something new. The standard applications work this way. But one of Office's
2000 virtues is being able to store up to a dozen different objects in the clipboard.
With Office 2003 applications, you can store up to 24 objects. At this time,
very few applications support this new option. Let's return to the demonstration.
Move
the just cursor in front of the word four. From
the Edit menu, select the Paste option.
You can also copy a block or an object to repaste it as many times as you need.
The used terms for this option are the same that you use every day. You cut
an object or copy it to paste it somewhere else.
Write
the following sentence: " I have one two four five three little fingers.
" Make
a block with the word three. Place
the cursor over the block.
Press
and keep your finger on the left mouse button move it to it just in front
of the word four. Release the mouse button.
It's that easy to move a block. You can use the same technique to move a sentence,
a paragraph, a page, a chart or any object.
It's also possible to copy with "Drag'N Drop". Select an object or a block,
use the same technique to drag the object. However, besides keeping your finger
on the left mouse button, you must also press the CTRL key of
the keyboard. You press the key before beginning the movement and keep pressing
it until you finished copying.
This technique is often used in Windows. Some of the instructions that use
this technique on this site begin by " Keep a finger on the left mouse
button... "
Take a lot of practice with these techniques. You will be needing it
constantly when you work with Windows.
Let's take a little of practice with the Copy command.
Write
the following sentence: " I have one two four five three little fingers.
" If
it's not already made, make a block with the text that you need. For the exercise,
it's the word "three". From
the Edit menu, select the Copy option. Place
the cursor at the end of the sentence. From
the Edit menu, select the Paste option.
You can again paste the word "three" just about everywhere in the sentence.
It's just necessary to redo the Edit and Paste command. You can
also use the combination of the CTRL and V keys to paste.
Move
the mouse on the mentioned item.
Double-click
on the icon of the application or the document.
button
on the top right corner of the window.
