For the last few weeks I ’ve nonchalantly thrown around phrase like “ hover your pointer over , ” “ beseech the Command key , ” and “ abstract to the side on your trackpad . ” And while I ’m evenhandedly convinced that such suggestions are well within your exponent to translate , it ’s possible ( likely , even ) that you , your keyboard , mouse , and trackpad are not on all intimate term . Let ’s do something about that now .
Very broadly speaking , we term any twist you manipulate that causes letter to be typecast , the cursor to move , external sounds immortalise , or telephone circuit drawn aninput equipment . The most common are the Mac ’s keyboard , mouse , and trackpad . But a digital drawing pad with stylus , trackball , or even a microphone could be study remark gadget . We ’ll concentrate on the most rough-cut devices , starting with the keyboard .
Key notes
A Mac keyboard — whether it ’s build into a laptop computer or ship with a background Mac such as an iMac — use the traditional QWERTY typewriter layout in the United States . Above the missive are the numbers 1 to 0 . Above that words are Function keys or F key . These are keys that , when press , cause the Mac to perform one legerdemain or another — make your Mac ’s screenland brighter or increase the Mac ’s sound volume , for example .
At the bottom of the keyboard you ’ll obtain not only the blank cake but a few keys to either side . All of these except the Arrow keys ( the ones with the trilateral symbols ) are termedModifier keys . They ’re yell that because , when pressed , they modify the behavior of other headstone you press at the same clock time . When you press key to make the Mac do something other than typewrite a letter , phone number , or hunk of punctuation , you ’re said to be invoke akeyboard shortcutorkeyboard command . you’re able to use one changer key with a “ regular ” keystone to invoke one of these shortcuts or commands or use multiple modifier gene keys along with another key .
Let ’s hightail it through those keys now .
fn ( Function):It ’s potential that the first Francis Scott Key you see on that bottom row is n’t mark fn . It is on today ’s Apple laptop and wireless keyboards , but some older keyboard still in use ( and many third - party keyboard ) do n’t have a Function key — at least not in this position .
I just advert that the very top row of map key execute certain operations by default . If you press the fn key and then press one of those keys , the Mac reacts otherwise . For example , if you press the F12 key fruit all by itself , then the Mac ’s audio loudness increases . Press fn along with F12 on a Mac run Mountain Lion and your Mac ’s display shifts to something called the Dashboard environment ( something we ’ll look at in a future column ) .
Control ( ⌃ ): The Control Francis Scott Key is most often used to invokecontextual menus . If you ’re a Windows exploiter you know these as the bill of fare that appear when you right - click something . If you ’re just starting out on any computer , these are mastery that use to thecontextof your current activity .
Try this : Click the Mac ’s background . Nothing happens , right ? throw down the Control paint and do the same thing . Now you get a menu that includes New Folder , Get Info , Change Desktop Background , Clean Up , uninfected Up By , Sort By , and Show View Options commands . So , you see commands that best employ to doing things with the Finder ’s screen background . To force out this menu , just click anywhere outside of it without hold down the Control key .
choice ( ⌥ ): To the right of the Control winder is the Option key . Current Mac keyboards also printalton this key . This is largely for the benefit of Windows users who are accustomed to find out such a tonality on their PC ’s keyboards . As its name implies , push the choice key can cause optional or alternative legal action to take place .
Try this : Move to theFinder , click theFilemenu , and press the Option headstone . You ’ll see that some of the commands change when you do . These are the less - used , “ optional ” command , thus triggered by this aptly nominate primal .
Command ( ⌘ ): The Command key , which appears both to the right field and remaining of the blank space bar , is the Big Kahuna of modifier gene winder . know by many names — pretzel , four - leafage clover , propeller , Apple central , puppy - foot — the Command Florida key is the qualifier key you ’ll most often raise . For example , when bring through a text file you take n’t traipse all the way to the File menu to choose Save . alternatively , just push Command - S. Or if you want to quit an app , wardrobe Command - Q. This tabular array provide a leaning of the most unremarkably used command keys .
Common Keyboard Shortcuts
agitate ( ⇧ ): Although the displacement key is most often used to capitalise letter or opt the punctuation mark characters above the phone number key and other punctuation samara , it can also be used in combining with another changer cay . For good example , Command - Shift - S invokes the Save As command in some applications .
One great thing about the Mac OS is that these common primal command are used by almost every covering you ’ll act upon with . So , disregardless of which diligence you ’re using , Command - S will always keep start the text file you ’re working in just as Command - Q will quit the program . But some applications use far more keyboard commands . And for this reason you ’ll want to become intimate with each command ’s symbolization so that you may recognise it in your program ’ menus .
And do n’t be surprised if you see combination of modifier gene keys in these fare . There are only so many keys you may flux with Command . If you ’re using an software with a metrical net ton of commands , you ’re probable to see all kinds of fundamental combinations when you call these applications ’ menus .
Beyond modifier key , the Mac ’s keyboard has a few other keys you should be aware of .
Esc : This is the Escape key . In many cases if you see a window that includes a Cancel clit , you’re able to only exhort miss to cancel rather than press the button .
Eject ( ⏏ ): If you have a Mac with a media campaign ( for cd and videodisc ) and you have a disc in the drive , pressing Eject will ordinarily turn out the disk . If you have a Mac whose media tray pop out ( as you would on a Mac Pro ) pressing this primal causes precisely this pop . Pressing it again suck the tray back into the Mac .
Return / Enter : Just like on a typewriter , you’re able to move your cursor a line down by pressing Return . But this cay is more often used to recognise an o.k. button in a window . If your Mac asks you if it can do one thing or another , just press Return , which click the highlighted button .
Delete : Can’t seem to regain a Backspace key on your Mac ’s keyboard ? This is it . urge it while typing and any persona just before the cursor will be deleted . ( SeeArrow keysbelow if you want to back up a space without deleting anything . )
Arrow keystone : You use the arrow tonality to move your cursor around within certain kinds of document . For example , if you ’re typing a schoolbook document and want to move your cursor up or down a line or a few characters over , utilize the appropriate pointer cay . you’re able to also utilise it to voyage around items in a window . So , in a windowpane full of documents in icon view you’re able to move through unlike documents using the pointer keys . Likewise , you arrow your style through images in an iPhoto album .
Caps lock : If you desire to capitalise every varsity letter you type , press this key . admonition : Typing in all capital alphabetic character is consider exclaim by the digerati . It ’s an easy way of life to get someone ’s tending , but it ’s considered rude to do so . When communicate , keep your hands off this key . ( In a succeeding column I ’ll tell you how to invalid it altogether . )
Mouse in the house
Back in the days when we lived in cave and ate mastodon off - the - hoof , those rare individuals who used calculator relied solely on keyboards for entering information into these monumental , heating generating machine . lastly , a good agency came along — a betoken gadget called themouse . If you have a background Mac of some mixture you have one of these things .
As you ’re surely aware , the shiner allows you to move a cursor around your Mac ’s screen door . With the use of buttons ( or in the case of some newer mice , a touching - sore airfoil ) you’re able to select items , drag thing around , and double - mouse press objects to manipulate them .
Today ’s mouse has at least two button — though Apple ’s Magic Mouse does n’t appear to have any . you’re able to click to the left side of the black eye or fall into place to the correct side only by pressing down with your finger . ( Most multitude place their index finger finger on the left and their middle digit on the right . )
Aleft clickis used most often . You leave click when you want to select something , come home and cart an item , or double - press a folder to open it . However , the Mac also supports right - clicking , just as does window . When you right click ( as I mentioned in the beginning ) you normally produce some kind of contextual menu .
The vast majority of today ’s computer mouse additionally add up with some form of scrolling chemical mechanism . The idea is that if you require to scroll through a long Thomas Nelson Page or window , rather than drag curl legal profession , you simply place your cursor within the page or window and utilize the chemical mechanism to scroll up or down . Some mice come with a scroll wheel , others with a ringlet lump ( which , incidentally , lets you scroll side to side as well ) , and others have a touch aerofoil that you use by dragging a finger up or down the Earth’s surface to scroll .
Let me show you my pad
If you have an Apple laptop , you were n’t issued a shiner . And you were n’t because laptop computer habituate a dissimilar kind of pointing twist called atrackpad . Instead of pushing a computer mouse around to move your cursor , you tangle your finger . So if you wanted to make your cursor move in a material body - eight pattern , just make the same pattern with your finger on the trackpad . To “ left - click ” just press down with one finger . To “ right - click , ” contract down with two fingers . To scroll , slither two digit up or down the trackpad . ( you could also scroll to the side by sliding your two finger to the left or right . ) The trackpad supports many other gestures under Mountain Lion , which we ’ll get to in another column .
At one sentence , Apple ’s trackpads had a touch surface with a physical button below that control surface ( meaning nigher to you rather than underneath ) . The natural way to work such a trackpad was to use your indicant finger for moving the cursor and your thumb for clicking . Today ’s trackpads have the button build into the trackpad , yet this forefinger - finger - and - thumb technique is still the most comfortable way to utilize the trackpad . If you ’re currently using your indicant fingerbreadth for both pointing and clicking , taste the index - and - ovolo method . I remember you ’ll discover it more efficient .
Apple also makes theMagic Trackpad . This is a wireless trackpad that you’re able to habituate with any Mac . It has a larger surface that the trackpad on an Apple laptop , which allow you to have fine ascendency over your pointing . Some multitude depose by trackpads as they allow them to take advantage of the many gesture ( swipes and other movements ) supported by the Mac OS . Others who ’ve been using computers for several years prefer a mouse as it gives them more precise control over their cursor movement . As you ’re just starting out , I suggest using the point gadget that shipped with your Mac and get comfy with it . When you ’ve mastered it , feel free to branch out .
Each of these comment machine can be configured in a mixture of ways , but that ’s beyond the mission of this special editorial . We ’ll look at twist constellation in the future tense .
Next week : Diving into menus .
