Mouse Preferences

With the Mouse preference tool you can:

  • configure your mouse for right-hand use or for left-hand use,
  • specify the speed and sensitivity of mouse movement,
  • configure mouse accessibility features.

8.4.2.1. General Mouse Preferences

Use the General tabbed section to specify whether the mouse buttons are configured for left-hand or right-hand use and configure the speed and sensitivity of your mouse.

Table 8-11 lists the general mouse preferences that you can modify.

Table 8-11Mouse Button Preferences
Dialog Element Description
Right-handed Select this option to configure your mouse for right-hand use. When you configure your mouse for right-hand use, the left mouse button is the primary button and the right mouse button is the secondary button.
Left-handed Select this option to configure your mouse for left-hand use. When you configure your mouse for left-hand use, the functions of the left mouse button and the right mouse button are swapped.
Show position of pointer when the Control key is pressed

Select this option to enable a mouse pointer animation when you press and release the Control key. This feature can assist you to locate the mouse pointer.

The position of the Control key on the keyboard can be modified in the Keyboard Layout Options dialog, see Section 8.4.1.3 ― Keyboard Layout Options.

Acceleration Use the slider to specify the speed at which your mouse pointer moves on your screen when you move your mouse.
Sensitivity Use the slider to specify how sensitive your mouse pointer is to movements of your mouse.
Threshold Use the slider to specify the distance that you must move an item before the move action is interpreted as a drag-and-drop action.
Timeout

Use the slider to specify the amount of time that can pass between clicks when you double-click. If the interval between the first and second clicks exceeds the time that is specified here, the action is not interpreted as a double-click.

Use the light bulb icon to check double-click sensitivity: the light will light up briefly for a click, but stay lit for a double-click.

8.4.2.2. Mouse Accessibility Preferences

Use the Accessibility tabbed section to configure accessibility features that can help people who have difficulty with exact positioning of the pointer or with pressing the mouse buttons:

  • Open a contextual menu by clicking and holding the primary mouse button; this is useful for users that can manipulate only one button.
  • Perform different types of mouse button click by software; this useful for users that are not able to manipulate any buttons. The types of click that can be performed are:
    Single click

    A single click of the primary mouse button

    Double click

    A double click of the primary mouse button

    Drag click

    A click that begins a drag operation

    Secondary click

    A single click of the secondary mouse button

Table 8-12 lists the mouse accessibility preferences that you can modify:

Table 8-12Mouse Motion Preferences
Dialog Element Description
Trigger secondary click by holding down the primary button Select this option to enable simulated secondary clicks by pressing the primary mouse button for an extended time.
Delay slider in the Simulated Secondary Click section Use the slider to specify how long the primary button must be pressed to simulate a secondary click.
Initiate click when stopping pointer movement Select this option to enable automatic clicks when the mouse stops. Use the additional preferences in the Dwell Click section to configure how the type of click is chosen.
Delay slider in the Dwell Click section Use the slider to specify how long the pointer must remain at rest before an automatic click will be triggered.
Motion threshold slider Use the slider to specify how much the pointer may move to still be considered at rest.
Choose type of click beforehand Select this option to pick the type of click to perform from a window or panel applet.
Show click type window

When this option is enabled, the different types of click (single click, double click, drag click or secondary click) can be selected in a window.

The Dwell Click panel applet can be used instead of the window.

Choose type of click with mouse gestures Select this option to pick the type of click by moving the mouse in a certain direction. The four combo boxes below this option allow to assign directions to the different types of click. Note that each direction can be used only for one type of click.
Single click Choose the direction to trigger a single click.
Dpuble click Choose the direction to trigger a double click.
Drag click Choose the direction to trigger a drag click.
Secondary click Choose the direction to trigger a secondary click.