Chapter 1Basic Skills
This chapter introduces you to the basic skills that you
need to work with the GNOME Desktop.
Mouse Skills
Even if you are very familiar with mouse devices, you should
still familiarize yourself with the button conventions and action terminology
used in this manual. This section also describes the mouse pointers.
Mouse Button Conventions
All the instructions in this manual are for the following
types of mouse devices:
Devices that are configured for right-hand users.
Three button devices. If you have a two-button mouse device,
then you press the two buttons simultaneously to simulate the effect of a
middle mouse button.
The mouse button conventions used in this manual are as follows:
Mouse Button | Definition |
|---|
Left mouse button | The button on the left side of a mouse device configured for normal right-hand
use. |
Middle mouse button | The middle button of a mouse
device configured for normal right-hand use. |
Right mouse button | The button on the right side
of a mouse device configured for normal right-hand use. |
To reverse the handedness of your mouse device, choose Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Mouse, then select the
options that you require. If you do reverse the handedness of your mouse device,
then you must reverse the mouse button conventions used in this manual.
Mouse Actions
The following table describes the actions that you can perform with
the mouse:
Mouse Button | Usage |
|---|
Left mouse button | Use to perform the following actions: Select text. Choose items. Drag items.
|
Middle mouse button | Use to perform the following
actions: |
Right mouse button | Opens a menu for the selected
object, if a menu applies. |
For example, if you want to copy text then perform the following steps:
Select the text with the left mouse button.
Move the mouse pointer to the location where you want to copy
the text.
Click on the middle mouse button.
You can also right-click on the desktop to open the Desktop menu.
Mouse Action Terminology
The conventions used in this manual to describe actions
that you take with the mouse are as follows:
Action | Definition |
|---|
Click | Press and release the left mouse button,
without moving the mouse. |
Click-and-hold | Press and do not release the
left mouse button. |
Left-click | Same as click.
Left-click clarifies the action when there might be confusion with right-click. |
Middle-click | Press and release the middle
mouse button, without moving the mouse. |
Right-click | Press and release the right mouse
button, without moving the mouse. |
Double-click | Press and release the left mouse
button twice in rapid succession without moving the mouse. |
Drag | Click-and-hold a mouse button, then
move an object. For example, you can drag a window or an icon. The left and
middle mouse buttons can perform drag actions. |
Drag-and-drop | Click-and-hold a mouse button,
then move an object. For example, you can drag-and-drop a window or an icon.
Release the mouse button to place the object in a new location. |
Grab | Point to an item that you can move,
and click-and-hold on the mouse button. For example, you can grab the titlebar
of a window, then drag the window to a new location. |
Mouse Pointers
As you use the mouse, the appearance of the mouse pointer can change.
The appearance of the pointer can provide feedback about a particular operation,
location, or state. The following table lists and describes some of the mouse
pointers.
Pointer | Associated Action | Description |
|---|
 | Point to an item, choose a menu item | Normal pointer. The pointer that appears during normal
use of the mouse. |
 | Drag-and-drop | Move pointer. Indicates that when you drop the object, the object is moved
from the old location to the new location. |
 | Drag-and-drop | Copy pointer. Indicates that when you drop the object, a copy of the object
is created where you drop the object. |
 | Drag-and-drop | Symbolic link pointer. Indicates that when you drop the object, a symbolic link to the object is created where you drop the object.
A symbolic link is a special type of file that points to another file or folder. |
 | Drag-and-drop | Ask pointer. Indicates that when you drop the object, a menu opens. You can
choose to move or copy the object, or to create a symbolic link to the object. |
 | Drag-and-drop | Not available pointer. Indicates that you cannot drop the object at the current
location. |
 | Move panel object | Move panel object pointer. Indicates that you have selected a panel object
to move. |
 | Resize window horizontally | Horizontal resize pointer. Indicates that you have selected a vertical window
border to resize the window horizontally. |
 | Resize window vertically | Vertical resize pointer. Indicates that you have selected a horizontal window
border to resize the window vertically. |
 | Resize window horizontally and vertically | Corner resize pointer. Indicates that you have selected
a corner of a window border to resize the window horizontally and vertically. |
 | Resize window pane or resize table column | Window pane or table column resize
pointer. Indicates that you have selected a column in a table to resize. |
Keyboard Skills
For almost every task that you can perform with
the mouse, you can use the keyboard to perform the same task. Shortcut keys are keys that provide you with a quick way to perform
a task.
You can use shortcut keys to perform desktop environment tasks
and to work with interface items such as panels and windows. You can also
use shortcut keys in applications. To customize your shortcut keys, choose Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts.
You can also modify your desktop environment preferences to use keyboard
accessibility features.
The following sections describe the shortcut keys that you can use.
Desktop Environment Shortcut Keys
Desktop environment shortcut keys enable you
to use the keyboard to perform desktop environment tasks. The following table
lists some desktop environment shortcut keys:
Default Shortcut Keys | Function |
|---|
Alt + F1 | Opens the GNOME Menu. |
Alt + F2 | Displays the Run Program
dialog. |
Print Screen | Takes a screenshot. |
Alt + Print
Screen | Takes a screenshot
of the window that has focus. |
Ctrl + Alt
+ right arrow | Switches to the workspace to the right of the current workspace. |
Ctrl + Alt
+ left arrow | Switches to the workspace to the left of the current workspace. |
Ctrl + Alt
+ up arrow | Switches to the workspace above the current workspace. |
Ctrl + Alt
+ down arrow | Switches to the workspace below the current workspace. |
Ctrl + Alt
+ d | Minimizes
all windows, and gives focus to the desktop. |
F1 | Starts the online help browser, and displays appropriate
online help. |
|
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