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April 17, 2010
And when should I use the Right Click?
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I facilitate a fair number of public classes as well more private, focussed sessions. One topic that inevitably turns up is “When do I Right Click?”
Sometimes, it’s brought up surreptitiously. Sometimes it’s brought up with some trepidation and a whisper. But sooner or later, there it is.
What can be worse is, if the participant / old friend / colleague looks exasperated and annoyed-like, with puzzlement. When they double click on something, what next happens isn’t what they intend or want. They proceed pin me down.
It takes a while to explain. I try:
- You Right Click to Inspect / View the Properties of an Object – then I have to explain what’s an Object and what are Properties
- You Right Click to take a different action to one that is caused by a Double Click
- Some of my favourite things are on the Right Click menu
The enormity and significance of the Right Click slowly dawns and everyone smiles happily. Until. I get the next question. The next question is:
“If I Right Click, see the menu panel, then, do I Left Click or Right Click on an item in the menu panel?”
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Posted by Anandasim at April 17, 2010 08:26 PM
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Comments
I also teach novices and I avoid discussing right-clicking until we're up to slightly more advanced stages.
The first think I tell them is that right-clicking is entirely optional and that there's hardly anything in the right-click menu that can't be accessed by other means.
As a rule-of-thumb, I tell people it's always a left-click in a menu, but on the right-click menu it really doesn't matter.
I've also had a couple of people who, when I've asked them to "right-click," have misunderstood and and typed C-L-I-C-K.
Posted by: Bill at April 18, 2010 03:44 PM