INPUT DEVICES

Computer Science SSS1 First Term

INPUT DEVICES

Week 9

Performance Objective

The student should be able to

1. To operate a Mouse
2. Identifying a Mouse and its function

Content:

Feature of mouse

The first public demonstration of a mouse controlling a computer system was in 1968. Mice originally used a ball rolling on a surface to detect motion, but modern mice often have optical sensors that have no moving parts. Originally wired to a computer, many modern mice are cordless, relying on short-range radio communication with the connected system.

In addition to moving a cursor, computer mice have one or more buttons to allow operations such as the selection of a menu item on a display. Mice often also feature other elements, such as touch surfaces and scroll wheels, which enable additional control and dimensional input.

The function of a Mouse

The mouse is a hand-held device that transmits your commands to the computer by controlling the movement of the cursor/pointer on the computer screen. As you move the mouse, the pointer on the screen moves in the same direction.

Mouse Operations

Mouse operations are Interaction Expressions. Use them to perform different kind of clicks, drag & drop, or mouse overs on elements in your system.

Unlike click operations, mouse operations allow you to define the behaviour of the mouse.

Parameter Action

The parameter Action defines which click operation to perform with your mouse. You can use one of the following values:

CLICK	Left-click
LONG CLICK	Left-click that lasts for two seconds
DOUBLECLICK	Double-click
RIGHTCLICK	Right-click
DRAG	Selects the object you want to reposition. This object must support drag and drop operations.
DROP	Drops the object you selected with {DRAG}.
MOUSEOVER	Moves the mouse pointer over the control.
MOUSEOVER	Moves the mouse pointer over the control.

Parameter Move Method

The parameter Move Method defines how to move the mouse. You can use one of the following values:

Value	Description
Jump	The mouse pointer jumps directly to the element you want to click.
Smooth	The mouse pointer moves smoothly towards the element you want to click.
Horizontal First	The mouse pointer moves along the horizontal axis first.
Vertical First	The mouse pointer moves along the vertical axis first.

 

Offset Parameters: The parameters Offset Horizontal and Offset Vertical define the click position:

Offset Horizontal	The required horizontal distance from the top left corner of the button. Specify the distance in pixel or per cent.
Offset Vertical	The required vertical distance from the top left corner of the button. Specify the distance in pixel or per cent.

 

This example shows how to use mouse operations in a Step:

• The Step Example Step performs a right-click on the button Hello.
• The parameter Jump specifies that the mouse pointer should jump directly to the button.
• The two Offset parameters specify that the Bot should use an offset of 10% along the horizontal axis and 10% along the vertical axis.

Differences between Mouse and Keyboard

Keyboard	Mouse3
Used to enter instructions	Used to point and select
Keys are pressed	Buttons are clicked
A combination of keys can be pressed	The left or right button is clicked
Cannot drag and drop text	Drags and drops text
It has keys	It has buttons
Requires no mouse pad	Requires a mouse pad