Preface

Using the mouse

Throughout this manual, actions that you perform using the mouse are described in terms of the gesture used, rather than the combination of mouse buttons and keys that need to be used to perform the operation. This is because the buttons that are used are highly dependent on the platform you are running your Lisp image on, the operating system you are using, and even the type of mouse that you have attached to your computer. The mouse gestures available in the environment are described below.

Select

This is by far the most common mouse gesture, and is used for nearly all mouse operations in the environment. Use the select gesture to

display a menu,
choose a command from a menu which is already displayed,
select items from a list or graph
select or deselect a toggle switch,
click on a button,
position the mouse pointer in a piece of text.

Depending on the characteristics of your operating system or (if you are using a UNIX system) your window manager, you may also need to use select in order to move the mouse focus to another window.

If you are using a mouse with several buttons, you can nearly always select by clicking the left-most button, but you should refer to the documentation for your operating system or window manager if you are unsure. This is particularly true if you are using a mouse which has been set up for use by a left-handed person, since it is possible that the function of the mouse buttons has been reversed.

Multiple select

Multiple selection is used in lists and graphs when you want to select more than one item. You can select several items from any list or graph in the environment, and there are a large number of commands which can operate equally well on these multiple selections.

There are a number of standard ways of making multiple selections in a list or graph, depending on your operating system or window manager. Check the relevant documentation if you are unsure, or try any of the following:

Holding down the Shift key while selecting an item.
Holding down the Control key while selecting an item.
The middle mouse button (if you have a three-button mouse).

Typically, in lists, holding down the Shift key lets you make a contiguous selection, and holding down the Control key lets you make a discontiguous selection.

To select a block of items from a list, select the first item, hold down the Shift key, and then select the last item; the intervening items are also selected.
To select several items which do not form a block, hold down the Control key while selecting each item individually.

This behavior is typical in a number of operating systems or window managers. You are probably familiar with it if you are familiar with using mouse.

Double-click

The double-click gesture consists of two select gestures, performed in rapid succession. In general, any item in a list or graph may be double-clicked.

Double-clicking is usually a shortcut for selecting an item and choosing a common menu command, and the precise action that takes place depends on the context in which the double-click was performed.

Double-clicking can only be performed on single selections.

Alternate select

This is a less common gesture, and is used almost exclusively within Common LispWorks to display a popup menu.

If you are using a mouse with several buttons, you should find that you can perform this gesture by clicking the right-most mouse button. Refer to the documentation for your window manager or operating system if you are unsure.

Common LispWorks User Guide, Liquid Common Lisp Version 5.0 - 18 OCT 1996

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