Macintosh Learning Center
by Shell Weinberg
May 2004
For Beginners: When do you single click? When do you double click?
Third Floor, Southeast corner
Leisure World Community Center
Laguna Woods Town Centre
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Seems to me there was a time, many years ago when I began the computer learning process, that single click and double click was pretty much standardized. A single to select, a double to open.
But nowadays it is not so predictable any more. Apparently many software writers don't really care how much confusion they may generate because of single or double click default actions their programs contain. And to tell the truth, I'm not so sure uniformity throughout the industry could ever be accomplished.
So what I am going to present today is a mixed bag of various single and double-click actions intended to help clarify what happens when you tap the mouse button to activate something.
These actions are while using versions of Operating System 10:
when active Application is Finder/Desktop:
icon on Desktop, single click will select (highlight)
icon on Desktop, double click will activate or open window
icon is on Dock, single click will activate or open window
when a Finder window (shows files only) is open:
single click on icon will select (highlight)
double click on icon will open window
when active Application is AppleWorks:
icon is in Starting Points, or on Button Bar
single click opens new document, or activates button
when active Application is iTunes:
single click on a song will select it
double click on a song will select and play it
single click on a Source file will select it and open window
double click on a Source file will select it and highlight title
buttons shown on iTunes window frame activate w/single
when active Application is iPhoto:
re Sidebar, single click on a file displays photos in that file
single click on a photo will highlight that photo
double click on a photo will enlarge and put it in Edit mode
The three colored buttons (red, yellow, green) in the top left corner of any window will need only a single click to activate.
The Menu bar words need a single click to drop the menu. To select and activate a command, either hold mouse button down, drag to select, then release mouse button to activate... or, do not hold mouse button down and simply drag cursor to your selection to highlight and then single click mouse button.
To change the title of a file...move the cursor over the title (not the icon), and click once. Wait a few moments, title will highlight and is now ready for you to immediately type in a new name or title. If you keep cursor over title and click again, it will set the insertion point to allow for editing. If you move the cursor to a neutral area and click once, it will deselect the title.
Close Window