Configuring the Mouse and Keyboard
This chapter describes how to configure the mouse and keyboard to make
these devices accessible to more users.
Configuring the Mouse
Use the Mouse preference tool to configure the
mouse to suit your needs. To open the Mouse preference
tool, choose DesktopPreferencesMouse. The Mouse Preferences dialog is displayed.
To Configure the Behavior of the Mouse
The following sections describe how to modify the behavior of the mouse
to suit your needs.
To Configure the Mouse for Left-Handed Use
mouse
left-handed
To configure the mouse for left-handed use, click on the Buttons tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog,
then select the Left-handed mouse option. When you select
this option, the system swaps the functions of the left mouse button and the
right mouse button immediately.
To Configure the Double-Click Behavior
mouse
double-click behavior
If you have difficulty double-clicking, you can increase
the period of time that the system allows to elapse between the first click
and the second click of a double-click. For example, if the double-click timeout
setting is 0.4 seconds, you must perform the second click of a double-click
within 0.4 seconds of the first click. If the second click occurs more than
0.4 seconds after the first click, the system interprets the two clicks as
two single clicks.
To configure the double-click timeout setting, perform the following
steps:
Click on the Buttons tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
Use the Timeout slider to specify the
timeout in seconds that the system allows between the two clicks of a double-click. Moving the slider to the right will increase the timeout interval in 0.1 second intervals. In the same manner, moving the slider to the left will decrease the timeout in 0.1 second intervals.
Double-click on the light bulb to the right of the slider
to test the setting. If you perform the two clicks of the double-click within
the timeout specified, the light bulb lights up fully to display a yellow
glow around the bulb. If you do not double-click within the timeout specified,
the light bulb does not light fully. You should increase the timeout setting
and try again. When the light bulb lights, the timeout setting is suitable
for your needs.
To Change the Size of the Mouse Pointer
mouse
pointer size
pointer
size
To change the size of the mouse pointer that is displayed
on the desktop, perform the following steps:
Click on the Pointers tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
This will display a list of pointer themes and sizes available.
By default, GNOME does not include mouse pointer themes. Information about installing and using pointer themes can be found in the User Guide.
On some platforms you must log out and log in again for this setting to take effect.
To Locate the Mouse Pointer
mouse
locating pointer
If you have difficulty locating the mouse pointer on the
screen, you can enable an option to highlight the pointer when you press the Control key. To enable this option, click on the Pointers tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog, then
select the Highlight the pointer when you press Ctrl
option. When you press Control, the system displays an animation
around the pointer to highlight the pointer.
On some platforms, you must log out and log in again before this
setting takes effect.
To Configure the Speed and Sensitivity of the Mouse
mouse
speed and sensitivity
To configure the speed and sensitivity of the mouse, perform
the following steps:
Click on the Motion tab in the Mouse Preferences dialog.
Configure the following options:
Acceleration
Use the slider to specify
the speed at which the mouse pointer moves around the screen when you move
your mouse.
If you select a low setting, the mouse pointer moves at a speed similar
to the speed at which you are physically moving the mouse. This means that
you need to physically move the mouse larger distances to cover the screen
area. If you select a high setting, the mouse pointer moves at a faster speed
than the speed at which you physically move the mouse. This means that you
need to physically move the mouse small distances to cover the screen area.
Sensitivity
Use the slider to specify
how responsive the mouse pointer is to movements of your mouse. Moving the slider to the right will increase the sensitivity and moving it to the left will decrease the sensitivity.
Threshold
Use the slider to specify
the distance that you must move an item before the system interprets the move
action as a drag-and-drop action.
To Configure the Cursor
cursor
stop blinking
The following section describes how to modify the display characteristics
of the cursor.
To Stop the Cursor Blinking
To stop the cursor blinking in text boxes and fields, perform the following
steps:
Choose DesktopPreferencesKeyboard to start the Keyboard preference tool.
In the Keyboard tabbed section, deselect
the Cursor blinks in text boxes and fields option.
To Use the Keyboard to Emulate the Mouse
If you have difficulty using a mouse, you can use the keyboard to emulate
the mouse functions. See of this guide for more
information.
Configuring the Keyboard
Use the Keyboard preference tool, to configure the keyboard accessibility options. To open the Keyboard preference tool, choose DesktopPreferencesKeyboard. Accessibility options can be enabled by selecting Accessibility. This will open a new dialog, Keyboard Accessibility Preferences, also known as AccessX.
Before you can use the Keyboard Accessibility
preference tool on Solaris systems, you must follow the steps outlined in of this guide.
The Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX)
dialog enables you to customize your keyboard in the following ways:
To use the numeric keypad to emulate mouse actions. See .
To specify the duration for which you must press-and-hold
a key before the system accepts the keypress. See .
To ignore rapid, repeated keypresses of the same key. See .
To accept key combinations in sequence rather than simultaneously.
See .
To emit an audible notification when a user activates or deactivates
a toggle key. See .
To ignore long keypresses of the same key and control the
repeat rate of a keypress. See .
To Activate the Keyboard Accessibility Options
keyboard accessibility options
To activate the keyboard accessibility options, perform the following steps:
Choose DesktopPreferencesKeyboard and select Accessibility
Select the Enable keyboard accessibility features option.
Click on the Basic tab.
Select the Beep when features turned on or off from
keyboard option to receive an audible notification each time a
user enables or disables a keyboard accessibility option using the following
keyboard shortcuts:
Press-and-hold Shift for eight seconds to
enable or disable the slow keys feature.
Press Shift five times to enable or disable
the sticky keys feature.
To automatically disable the keyboard accessibility options
if the options are not used for a specified number of seconds, select the Disable if unused for X seconds option. Use the slider to specify
the number of seconds of keyboard idle time required before the system disables
the keyboard accessibility options.
This option is intended for computers that are shared by a number of
different users, some of whom require the keyboard accessibility options.
Changes made will be instantly applied.
To Enable the Keyboard to Emulate the Mouse
mouse keys
The mouse keys feature
enables you to use the numeric keypad on the keyboard to emulate mouse actions.
This feature benefits users who have difficulty using a mouse or other pointing
device. To enable and configure the mouse keys feature, perform the following
steps:
In the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX) dialog, select the Mouse Keys tab.
Select the Enable Mouse Keys option.
Configure the following options to determine the behavior
of the mouse pointer when you control the pointer from the numeric keypad:
Maximum pointer speed
Use this spin box to specify the maximum speed, in pixels per second,
at which the pointer moves around the screen.
Time to accelerate to maximum speed
Use this spin box to specify the duration, in milliseconds,
before the pointer accelerates to the maximum pointer speed.
Delay between keypress and pointer movement
Use this spin box to specify the interval,
in milliseconds, between a keypress and the time when the pointer starts to
move.
When you enable mouse keys, the keys on the numeric keypad have the
following functions:
Numeric Keypad to Mouse Function Mapping
Numeric Keypad Keys
Function
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Move the mouse pointer around the screen
5
Mouse button click
0
Mouse button toggle
/
Primary mouse button
*
Secondary mouse button
-
Tertiary mouse button
The toggle mouse button key enable the currently selected mouse button until the Mouse button click key is pressed. This allows you to perform drag and drop operations.
The Mouse button click emulates the currently selected mouse button. Pressing /, * or - will change the behaviour of this. The currently selected mouse button can be seen in the Keyboard Accessibility Status panel application, discussed in .
The Primary mouse button is the left mouse button for right handed people. The Secondary mouse button is the right mouse button and the Tertiary mouse button is the middle mouse button.
Some Solaris systems also use the function keys to emulate the mouse
buttons. The common function key to mouse button mappings are described in
the following table.
Function Key to Mouse Function Mapping on Solaris Systems
Function Key
Function
F2
Mouse button 1
F3
Mouse button 2
F4
Mouse button 3
To Enable the Slow Keys Feature
slow keys
The slow keys feature
enables you to customize how the keyboard handles user input in the following
ways:
Specify the duration for which you must press-and-hold a key
before the system accepts the keypress. This aspect of the feature benefits
users who frequently press keys that they do not intend to press.
Enable audible indications of keyboard input and acceptance.
This aspect of the feature benefits users who cannot see the result of a keypress.
To enable and configure the slow keys feature, perform the following
steps:
From the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX) dialog, select the Filters tab.
Select the Enable Slow Keys option.
To select or deselect the slow keys feature from the keyboard,
press-and-hold Shift for eight seconds. This will present a dialog confirming that you with slow keys enabled. The Shift keyboard shortcut automatically selects all of the slow keys options.
If you selected the Beep when features turned on or off from the
keyboard option in the Basic tab, after four seconds the system beeps three times to indicate that the system is about to select or deselect the feature.
Use the Only accept keys held for slider
or spin box to specify the duration, in milliseconds, for which you must press-and-hold
a key before the system accepts the keypress. Use the Type to test
settings text box to test the slow keys setting and modify the
setting as required.
To enable audible indications of keyboard input and acceptance,
select the following options:
Beep when key is pressed
Select this option to hear a beep when you press a key.
Beep when key is accepted
Select this option to hear a beep when the system accepts
a keypress.
Beep when key is rejected
Select this option to hear a beep when the system rejects
a keypress. The system rejects a keypress if you do not press-and-hold the
key for the duration that is specified in the Only accept keys held
for spin box.
To Enable the Bounce Keys Feature
bounce keys
The bounce keys
feature enables you to customize the keyboard to ignore rapid, repeated keypresses
of the same key. For example, users with impaired motor skills might press
the same key several times when they intend to press the key once. This feature
enables you to customize the keyboard to ignore repeated keypresses.
To enable and configure the bounce keys feature, perform the following
steps:
From the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX) dialog select the Filters tab.
Select the Enable Bounce Keys option.
Use the Ignore duplicate keypresses within
slider or spin box to specify the duration in milliseconds (ms) after the
first keypress for which the system ignores repeated keypresses of the same
key. For example, if you select a duration of 500 ms, the system ignores all
repeated keypresses of the same key that occur within 500 ms of the first
keypress.
Select the Beep if key is rejected option
to hear an audible indication when the system ignores a key.
If you want to enable the bounce keys feature, ensure that the Enable Slow Keys option is deselected. The slow keys feature requires
you to press a key for a specified duration before the system accepts the
keypress as a valid keypress. If you cannot press the key for the duration
that is specified by the slow keys setting, deselect the Enable
Slow Keys option to enable the system to accept your input.
To Enable the Sticky Keys Feature
sticky keys
The sticky keys
feature enables you to press the keys in a key combination in sequence rather
than simultaneously. This feature is designed for users who are unable to
press two or more keys simultaneously.
To enable and configure the sticky keys feature, perform the following
steps:
From the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX) select the Basic tab.
Select the Enable Sticky Keys option.
To enable the sticky keys feature from the keyboard, press Shift five times. This will present a dialog confirming that you with to enable sticky keys. The Shift keyboard shortcut automatically
selects all of the sticky keys options. If you selected the Beep
when features turned on or off from the keyboard option, the system
beeps to indicate that the system is about to select or deselect the feature.
When active, pressing shift five times in a row will present a dialog asking if you want to disable sticky keys.
Select the Beep when modifier is pressed
option to receive an audible indication each time you press a modifier key
such as Ctrl, Alt, or Shift.
This option is useful to remind you whether a modifier key is active or inactive.
Selecting the Disable if two keys pressed
together option will present a dialog with the option to disable sticky keys if two keys are pressed at the same time.
You can use the sticky keys feature in latch or lock mode. The following
table describes how to choose a mode and the difference between the two modes.
Sticky Keys Latch or Lock Mode
To use the sticky keys feature in...
Press the modifier key...
The modifier key remains active
until...
Latch mode
Once.
You press
a non-modifier key.
Lock mode
Twice in quick succession.
You press the modifier key again.
Example 1: If you want to press AltF1,
do the following:
Press Alt to latch the modifier key. The Alt key remains active.
Press F1. The key combination is now complete.
After you press F1, the Alt modifier key
is no longer active.
Example 2: If you want to press CtrlAltTab, do the following:
Press Ctrl twice to lock the modifier key.
The Ctrl key remains active.
Press Alt.
Press Tab. The key combination is now complete.
To unlock the modifier key, press Ctrl again.
To Enable Audible Notifications for Toggle Keys
toggle keys
enabling audio notifications
A toggle key is any key on the keyboard that
can switch between two states. The Num Lock, Caps
Lock, and Scroll Lock keys are toggle keys. Most
toggle keys have an associated light emitting diode (LED) on the keyboard
that lights when the toggle key is active. To assist users with visual impairments,
you can customize the keyboard to emit an audible notification when a user
presses a toggle key. For example, when you press Num Lock,
you can determine whether the key is toggled or not toggled by the sound that
the keyboard emits.
To enable accessible toggle keys, perform the following steps:
From the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccesX) select the Filters tab.
Select the Enable Toggle Keys option.
When you activate the Num Lock, Caps Lock,
or Scroll Lock keys, the system beeps once. When you deactivate
a toggle key, the system beeps twice.
To Enable the Repeat Keys Feature
repeat keys
The repeat keys
feature enables you to repeat a keystroke multiple times without pressing
the key more than once. This feature is designed for users who cannot release
keys quickly, for example users who operate a mouth stick. When you enable
repeat keys, you can specify the duration for which you must press a key before
the key starts to repeat.
To enable and configure the repeat keys feature, perform the following
steps:
From the Keyboard Accessibility Preferences (AccessX) select the Basic tab.
Select the Enable Repeat Keys option.
Use the Delay slider or spin box to specify
the duration for which you must press a key before the keyboard interprets
the action as a repeat key. If you have difficulty releasing keys, select
a long time delay.
Use the Speed slider or spin box to specify
the speed at which the keyboard repeats the keypress as input.
Using the Keyboard Accessibility Status Panel Application
Keyboard Accessibility Status panel application
The Keyboard Accessibility Status
panel application shows you the status of the keyboard accessibility features.
This panel application displays icons to indicate which keyboard accessibility
features are enabled in the Keyboard Accessibility
preference tool.
To add the Keyboard Accessibility Status
panel application to a panel, right-click on the panel, then choose Add to Panel and select the Keyboard Accessibility Status.
The following table describes the icons that the panel application displays
and the status that each icon represents.
Keyboard Accessibility Status Icons
Icon
Keyboard Accessibility
Status
Keyboard Accessibility Features enabled icon
Keyboard accessibility in general
is available but none of the individual key features are enabled.
Bounce keys enabled icon
The bounce keys feature is
enabled.
Mouse keys enabled icon
The mouse keys feature is enabled. The dot in the mouse button shows which button is currently associated with the Mouse button click key.
Slow keys enabled icon
The slow keys feature is enabled.
Alt key latched icon
The sticky keys feature is
enabled and the Alt key is latched.
Alt key locked icon
The sticky keys feature is
enabled and the Alt key is locked.
Ctrl key latched icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Ctrl key is latched.
Ctrl key locked icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Ctrl key is locked.
Shift key latched icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Shift key is latched.
Shift key locked icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Shift key is locked.
Super/Windows key latched icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Super/Windows
key is latched.
Super/Windows key locked icon
The sticky
keys feature is enabled and the Super/Windows
key is locked.