- Using a mouse is all about controlling its pointer or cursor. The mouse pointer is the arrow on the screen that moves with the direction of your hand when you use the mouse. This is the navigation mode that allows the user to put the mouse pointer where he wants it. There is also a text mode where the mouse pointer will change its shape and look like an I beam. The mouse does this as a visual clue that you can type or edit text in a specific area.
- The left mouse button (also referred to as the primary mouse button) is the select button. It has two modes, click and double click. Typically, a single click will select an area where you want the mouse to do something. Double clicking while positioning the mouse pointer over an icon will launch the program associated with it.
- The right mouse button (also referred to as the secondary mouse button) only allows for single clicking, and it will present you with a program-specific menu. For example, if you are viewing a Web page, right clicking the mouse will present you with many of the common commands you would use while surfing the Internet, such as "Back," "Bookmark This Page" and "Print." If you were working in a Word document, right clicking the mouse would provide you with font options, text formatting and the ability to paste whatever is in your clipboard.
- The scroll wheel assists you with the vertical scrolling in whatever program you are using. This is a great help when you are viewing a Web page that is "taller" than your screen is capable of displaying or a multipage Word document. Without the scroll wheel, you would need to use the scroll bar. In some applications, the scroll wheel can also be depressed to create a third clickable button.
- Your operating system allows you to customize many of the aspects of your mouse's performance. From inside the "Control Panel" in Microsoft Windows, every aspect of your mouse's parameters are adjustable. This would include the mouse's sensitivity, which controls the distance a mouse pointer will move for any given amount you move it, as well as the double-click speed.
