The 'click' factor
The click factor
What's coming up?
A mouse is great for moving the cursor around the screen and for selecting items on the screen. But it can do a lot more than that.
In this activity, let's look at some of the other things you can do using the left mouse button and the right mouse button.
Start activityThe left mouse button: single click
The left mouse button is used to select, or click on, things you see on your computer screen. You can place your cursor over or into an object on the screen and then click the left mouse button once.
For example, you can click on buttons to instruct your computer to perform an action or place your cursor in a box called a text field, such as in an online form, so that you can begin typing.
A single click of the left mouse button is often referred to as a left click.
Using the left click
Most things on a computer require you to use a left click (or single click of the left mouse button). We will look at other ways your mouse can be used later in this activity, but let's take a look at some practical examples of where you would use the left click on a computer.
Online forms: text fields
An online form is like a physical form that you can fill in on your computer instead. It has boxes to type information into and others you can mark with a tick or a dot to confirm your preferences. Boxes that let you type text into them are known as text fields and they are typically used for information such as your name, address and date of birth etc.
You can use your mouse to navigate through an online form by clicking into each text field and typing in the relevant information.
To make life a bit easier and save us some extra typing, some answers on an online form can be entered with just a click of the left mouse button. Let's have a look at some examples.
Online forms: radio buttons
If a question only has one answer, such as your preferred title or age group, online forms use special circles known as radio buttons. A radio button will be placed alongside each of answers provided and are sensitive to a left mouse click.
To select a radio button:
- position the cursor over the top of the button next to the option that matches your answer
- click once with the left mouse button.
The radio button will change from an empty circle to a dot inside a circle. If you make a mistake, no problem, just click on a different radio button to change your answer.
Online forms: check boxes
For questions that might have more than one answer, for example What days of the week do you use public transport?, online forms use small square boxes known as check boxes. A list of possible answers is provided, with a check box alongside each option.
To select a check box:
- position the cursor over the top of the box next to the option you want to select
- click once with the left mouse button
- repeat for any other answers that apply to you.
The check box will change from an empty square to a tick inside a square. If you make a mistake, no problem, just click on the check box once more to remove the tick.
Online questions
Now you can try answering an online question using a radio button.
On the next slide is a practice activity that includes some steps to try yourself. Select the Continue button below to begin and then follow the instructions on the right hand side of the screen.
Online questions
Online questions
This is an interactive exercise that allows learners to practise selecting a radio button by clicking an option on the screen.
This exercise has no sound track.
To successfully complete the exercise, you need to decide what the capital city of Australia is and click on the correct answer.
This exercise is used to encourage confidence using the internet by practising a simple exercise in a simulated environment. If a mistake is made, there will be a prompt to ask you to try it again. If another mistake is made, the video will show you how to complete that section of the exercise.
The left mouse button: double click
Next, let's look at other mouse clicks that you can use on a computer.
A double click is when you press on the left mouse button twice, quickly. It is always performed with the left mouse button and it can take a little bit of practise to get the timing just right.
Some tasks on a computer require you to perform a double click instead of a single click. These tasks include selecting text to type over, opening folders on the desktop of your computer or opening files within a folder.
In the next slide, you can watch a video that demonstrates the difference between a single and a double click. Press the Continue button and then play the video.
The click factor: Double clicking
This demonstration video is approximately 30 seconds in duration. It demonstrates the difference between a single mouse click and a double mouse click.
Once the video starts, the intro panel fades and we see the screen is split into two parts. On the left-hand side is an animation of a Windows computer screen displaying an array of program icons. On the right-hand side, there is text displayed, which is the script for the voiceover track.
Voiceover: "A single click selects an icon."
The left-hand panel displays a mouse cursor moving across the screen and clicking once on folder icon to select it. The folder shows a pale blue box and a check box to indicate it has been selected. This is known as highlighting
Voiceover: "A double click opens the icon. To double click, you press the left button down twice. You have to do the two clicks quickly, one after the other."
The left-hand panel updates to show the folder opening after being double clicked.
Voiceover: "You can close the window with a single click on the X in the top right-hand corner."
The left-hand panel shows the mouse cursor move to the top right-hand corner and click once on the X. The folder closes and we are returned to the computer screen showing all of the icons once more.
Video ends.
Let's have a go
Now you can try double clicking on an icon to open it.
On the next slide is a practice activity that includes some steps to try yourself. Select the Continue button below to begin and then follow the instructions on the right hand side of the screen.
Let's have a go
Let's have a go
This is an interactive exercise that allows learners to practise double clicking.
This exercise has no sound track.
To successfully complete the exercise, you need to double click a desktop folder and then go through a series of steps to double click items to open them, in order to get to a receipe in a recipe folder on a computer.
This exercise is used to encourage confidence using the internet by practising a simple exercise in a simulated environment. If a mistake is made, there will be a prompt to ask you to try it again. If another mistake is made, the video will show you how to complete that section of the exercise.
The right mouse button
Most of the time you will use the left button on the mouse, but there's also another button you need to know about.
Clicking the right mouse button once, called right clicking, brings up a shortcut menu of useful options. The options that appear will depend on what the cursor is hovering over when you right click. For example, right clicking on a webpage provides you options including to Print or Save the contents of that webpage.
Right clicking the mouse only needs a single click.
Clicking with the right mouse button
In the next slide, you can watch a video that demonstrates how useful options appear when you right click on items on the computer. Press the Continue button and then play the video.
The click factor: Clicking with the right mouse button
This demonstration video is approximately 25 seconds in duration. It demonstrates what happens when you click using the right mouse button.
Once the video starts, the intro panel fades and we see the screen is split into two parts. On the left-hand side is an animation of a Windows computer desktop. On the right-hand side, there is text displayed, which is the script for the voiceover track.
Voiceover: "When you right click on the desktop, you will see a menu of useful options appear."
The left-hand panel shows the mouse cursor right click on the desktop and a menu panel pop up containing a list of options.
Voiceover: "Right-clicking on a web page brings up a different options menu."
The left-hand panel updates to show the ABC web page and the mouse cursor right clicking on it. A different menu of options appears. We watch the mouse cursor move up the list of options in the pop-up menu and click on one of them.
Voiceover: "When the menu option appears, you can move the cursor to one of the options and left click to select it."
Video ends.
Congratulations!
You've completed the The click factor activity.
You've learned how to use the mouse to select a radio button or checkbox, how to double click to open folders and programs and how to use the right mouse button to display a menu of options.
In the next activity, Scrolling, you'll learn why scrolling is useful when you're reading a web page.
