Configuring the Mouse

Use the Mouse preference tool to configure the mouse. To open the Mouse preference tool, choose System → Preferences → Mouse. The Mouse Preferences dialog is displayed.

Configuring the Behavior of the Mouse

This section describes how to modify the behavior of the mouse.

To Configure the Mouse for Left-Handed Use

1. Choose System → Preferences → Mouse.
2. Click the General tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
3. Select the Left-handed option in the Mouse Orientation section.

To Configure the Double-Click Behavior

If you have difficulty double-clicking, you can increase the period of time that the system allows to elapse between the first click and the second click of a double-click.

1. Choose System → Preferences → Mouse.
2. Click the General tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
3. Use the Double-Click Timeout slider to specify the timeout in seconds that the system allows between the two clicks of a double-click.

   Moving the slider to the right will increase the timeout interval. Similarly, moving the slider to the left will decrease the timeout interval.

4. Double-click the light bulb to the right of the slider to test the setting.

   If you perform the two clicks of the double-click within the timeout specified, the light bulb lights up fully to display a yellow glow around the bulb. If you do not double-click within the timeout specified, the light bulb does not light fully. You should increase the timeout setting and try again. When the light bulb lights, the timeout setting is suitable for your needs.

To Change the Size of the Pointer

1. Choose System → Preferences → Appearances.
2. Click the Customize button to open the Customize Theme dialog.
3. In the Customize Theme dialog, select the Pointers tab.
4. In the Pointer tab, select a pointer theme that supports resizing, for example, DMZ-White, redglass, or whiteglass.
5. Drag the Size slider to increase or decrease the size of the mouse pointer.
6. Close the dialog box.

To Locate the Mouse Pointer

If you have difficulty locating the mouse pointer on the screen, you can enable an option to highlight the pointer when you press the Control key. To enable this option, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the General tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
2. Select the Show Position of Pointer When The Control Key is Pressed option present in the Locate Pointer section.

To Configure the Speed and Sensitivity of the Mouse

1. Click on the General tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
2. Configure the following options in the Pointer Speed section:

   Acceleration

   Use the slider to specify the speed at which the mouse pointer moves around the screen when you move your mouse.

   If you select a low setting, the mouse pointer moves at a speed similar to the speed at which you are physically moving the mouse. This means that you need to physically move the mouse larger distances to cover the screen area. If you select a high setting, the mouse pointer moves at a faster speed than the speed at which you physically move the mouse. This means that you need to physically move the mouse small distances to cover the screen area.

   Sensitivity

   Use the slider to specify how sensitive the mouse pointer is to movements of your mouse.

   Threshold

   This option is present in the Drag and Drop section.

   Use the slider to specify the distance that you must move an item before the system interprets the move action as a drag-and-drop action.

Configuring the Cursor

The following section describes how to modify the display characteristics of the cursor.

To Stop Cursor Blinking

1. Click System, then choose Preferences → Keyboard to start the Keyboard preference tool.
2. In the General tabbed section, deselect the Cursor Blinks in Text Fields option.

Using MouseTweaks

MouseTweaks is a collection of accessibility enhancements for pointing devices. The Mousetweaks package provides the functions offered by the Accessibility tab of the Mouse preference tool. It also contains two panel applets related to the mouse accessibility. More particularly:

• Enables users to perform a secondary click by doing a click-and-hold of the primary mouse button.

• Offers a way to perform the various clicks without using any hardware button. In this context, the Dwell Click panel applet can be used to choose what click type to perform.

To Simulate a Secondary Click

A secondary or right-click can be issued by using the primary button and keeping it held down for a specified delay.

Issuing a Dwell Click

A click can be issued by having the mouse pointer dwell in a given spot for a specified delay. In this mode, the click-type is determined by the ClickType window, or by the direction in which the user moves the mouse after the dwell time has elapsed. The click-type can be single, double, drag or right.

Most mouse-related accessibility options can be found by using System → Preferences → Mouse and selecting the Accessibility tab.

To Use the Keyboard to Emulate the Mouse

If you have difficulty using a mouse, you can use the keyboard to emulate mouse functions. See Configuring an Accessible Keyboard for more information.