Double-click
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A double-click is the act of pressing a computer mouse button twice quickly without moving the mouse. Double-clicking allows two different actions to be associated with the same mouse button. Often, single-clicking selects (or highlights) an object, while a double-click executes that object, but this is not universal.
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[edit] On icons
By default on most Windows Operating Systems, for a person to execute a certain software function, he or she will have to click on the left button twice in quick succession. An example of this can be a person clicking on an icon. Macintosh Operating Systems only require one mouse click for most executions.
[edit] On text
In many text processing programs, such as web browsers or word processors, double-clicking on text selects an entire word. (In Unix operating systems, it will also copy that piece of text into a buffer separate from the system clipboard, as with all selected text. The selected text is not also put into clipboard until an overt cut or copy action takes place. A person can retrieve the information from this buffer, which is not the system clipboard, later by pressing the middle mouse button.)
[edit] Difficulties
New mouse users often have difficulty with double-clicking due to a need for specific fine motor skills. They may have trouble clicking fast enough or keeping the mouse still while double-clicking.
Solutions to this may include:
- Cleaning the mouse.
- Click once to select and press Enter on keyboard.
- Using keyboard navigation instead of a mouse.
- Configuring the system to use single clicks for actions usually associated with double-clicks.
- Configuring the system to allow for more delay time between the two clicks for it to be registered as a double-click (See below for how to on several operating systems)
- Remapping the double-click function to a single click on an additional button, for example the often unused middle button. This effectively creates a Unix style 3-button scheme of select/action/context.
- To prevent the mouse from moving during a double-click, bracing the mouse by putting the thumb on the side of the mouse and the bottom of the hand on the bottom of the mouse.
- In Windows, the threshold of movement can be increased by changing the associated registry keys in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Mouse
Additionally, applications and operating systems will often not require the mouse to be completely still. Instead, they allow for a small amount of movement between the two clicks.
Another complication lies in the fact that some systems associate one action with a single click, another with a double click, and yet another with a two consecutive single clicks. Even advanced users sometimes fail to differentiate between these properly. An example is the most common way of renaming a file in Microsoft Windows. A single click highlights the file's icon and another single click (on the filename, not the icon) makes the name of the file editable. A user who tries to execute this action may inadvertently open the file (a double-click) by clicking too quickly, while a user who tries to open the file may find it being renamed by clicking too slowly. This may be avoided by Windows' users by using the menu (or F2/Enter) to initiate renaming and opening rather than multiple clicks. In GNOME, this problem is avoided entirely by simply not allowing file renaming by this method.
[edit] Speed and timing
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The maximum delay required for two consecutive clicks to be interpreted as a double-click is not standardized. According to Microsoft's MSDN website, the default timing in Windows is 500ms (one half second). The double-click time is also used as a basis for other timed actions.
The double-click timing delay can usually be configured by the user. For example, adjusting double-click settings can be done by:
- Windows XP - Start > Control Panel > Mouse > Buttons (Start > Control Panel > Printers & Other Hardware > Mouse > Buttons if Control Panel is in Category view). If you prefer, you may use Start > Run > main.cpl.
- Mac OS X - Applications (or Apple menu) > System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Mouse
- In the KDE Desktop under Unix-like operating systems - K Menu > Control Center (or Alt+F2 "kcontrol") > Peripherals > Mouse > Advanced > Double click interval
- In the GNOME Desktop under Unix-like operating systems - System > Preferences > Mouse
