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Point-and-click

 

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Point-and-click



 
 
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user
User (computing)

In computing, a user is a person who uses a computer or Internet service. A user may have a user account that identifies the user by a username , screenname , or "handle", which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term....
 moving a cursor
Cursor (computers)

In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device....
 to a certain location on a screen (point) and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left one (click), or other pointing device
Pointing device

A pointing device is an input interface that allows a user to input spatial data to a computer. Computer-aided design systems and graphical user interfaces allow the user to control and provide data to the computer using physical Mouse gesture ? point, click, and drag ? for example, by moving a hand-held Mouse across the surface of the...
. An example of point-and-click is in hypermedia
Hypermedia

Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information....
, where users click on hyperlink
Hyperlink

In computing, a hyperlink, usually shortened to link, is a directly followable reference within a hypertext document.The area from which the hyperlink can be activated is called its anchor; its target is what the link points to, which may be another location within the same page or document, another page or document, or a...
s to navigate from document to document.

The time required to perform a point-and-click action can be quantitatively modeled with Fitts' law
Fitts' law

In human-computer interaction and ergonomics, Fitts's law is a model of human movement which predicts the time required to rapidly move to a target area, as a function of the distance to the target and the size of the target....
.

User interface
User interface

The user interface is the aggregate of means by which people—the User s—Interaction with the system—a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tools....
s, for example graphical user interface
Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to human-computer interaction such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment....
s, are sometimes described as "point-and-click interfaces", often to suggest that they are very easy to use, requiring that the user simply point to indicate their wishes.






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Encyclopedia


Point-and-click is the action of a computer user
User (computing)

In computing, a user is a person who uses a computer or Internet service. A user may have a user account that identifies the user by a username , screenname , or "handle", which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term....
 moving a cursor
Cursor (computers)

In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device....
 to a certain location on a screen (point) and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left one (click), or other pointing device
Pointing device

A pointing device is an input interface that allows a user to input spatial data to a computer. Computer-aided design systems and graphical user interfaces allow the user to control and provide data to the computer using physical Mouse gesture ? point, click, and drag ? for example, by moving a hand-held Mouse across the surface of the...
. An example of point-and-click is in hypermedia
Hypermedia

Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information....
, where users click on hyperlink
Hyperlink

In computing, a hyperlink, usually shortened to link, is a directly followable reference within a hypertext document.The area from which the hyperlink can be activated is called its anchor; its target is what the link points to, which may be another location within the same page or document, another page or document, or a...
s to navigate from document to document.

The time required to perform a point-and-click action can be quantitatively modeled with Fitts' law
Fitts' law

In human-computer interaction and ergonomics, Fitts's law is a model of human movement which predicts the time required to rapidly move to a target area, as a function of the distance to the target and the size of the target....
.

User interface
User interface

The user interface is the aggregate of means by which people—the User s—Interaction with the system—a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tools....
s, for example graphical user interface
Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to human-computer interaction such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment....
s, are sometimes described as "point-and-click interfaces", often to suggest that they are very easy to use, requiring that the user simply point to indicate their wishes. These interfaces are sometimes referred to condescendingly (e.g. by Unix
Unix

Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
 users) as "click-and-drool interfaces".

The use of this phrase to describe software implies that the interface can be controlled solely through the mouse, with little or no input from the keyboard, as with many graphical user interface
Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to human-computer interaction such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment....
s.

Single-click

A single-click or click is the act of pressing a computer mouse button once without moving the mouse. Single clicking is usually a primary action of the mouse. Often, single-clicking selects (or highlights) an object while double-click
Double-click

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....
ing executes or opens the object.

On icons

By default on most computer systems, for a person to select a certain software function, he or she will have to click on the left button . An example of this can be a person clicking on an icon
Icon (computing)

On computer displays, a computer icon is a small pictogram. Icons have been used to supplement the normal alphanumerics of the computer. Modern computers now can handle bitmapped graphics on the display terminal, so the icons are widely used to assist users....
.

On text

In many text processing programs, such as web browser
Web browser

A Web browser is a application software which enables a user to display and interact with text, images, videos, music, games and other information typically located on a Web page at a website on the World Wide Web or a local area network....
s or word processor
Word processor

A word processor is a computer Application software used for the production of any sort of printable material.Word processor may also refer to an obsolete type of stand-alone office machine, popular in the 1970s and 80s, combining the keyboard text-entry and printing functions of an electric typewriter with a dedicated computer for th...
s, clicking on text moves the cursor
Cursor

A cursor is a moving placement or pointer that indicates a position. English-speakers have used the term with this meaning since the 16th century, for a wide variety of movable or mobile position-markers....
 to that location.

Double-click


See also

  • 1-Click
    1-Click

    1-Click, also called one-click or one-click buying, refers to the technique of allowing customers to make Internet purchases with a point-and-click, with the payment information needed to complete the purchase already entered by the user previously....
     (one-click buying)
  • Drag-and-drop
    Drag-and-drop

    In computer graphical user interfaces, drag-and-drop or DnD is the action of clicking on a virtual object and dragging it to a different location or onto another virtual object....
  • Graphical user interface
    Graphical user interface

    A graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to human-computer interaction such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment....
  • Mouse chording
    Mouse chording

    Mouse chording is the capability of performing actions when multiple Computer mouse buttons are held down, much like a chorded keyboard.Notice that chorded actions may require more training to learn if the pressing of one button does not provide feedback hinting that pressing another button will get a result....
  • One click install
    One click install

    One click install is the installation of Linux packages with a single click, in a point-and-click manner. It is called:*1-Click-Install in openSUSE...
  • Point-and-click adventure game


External links

  • , website interface without any mechanisms to click on for a different way of navigation
  • - click for your country