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
Applications
Desktop
Preferences
Mouse
.
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
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
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.
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 Cursor and Pointer
To change the size of the cursor and pointer that is displayed on the
desktop, perform the following steps:
Click on the
Cursors
tab in the
Mouse Preferences
dialog.
Select one of the following
Cursor Size
options:
Small
Medium
Large
To complete this change, you must log out of your session
and log in again.
To Locate the Mouse 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
Cursors
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
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 are physically moving 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 sensitive the mouse pointer is to movements of your mouse.
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
The following sections describe 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
Applications
Desktop
Preferences
Keyboard
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 manual for more
information.
Configuring the Keyboard
Use the
Keyboard Accessibility
preference
tool, also known as
AccessX
, to configure the keyboard
accessibility options. To start
AccessX
, choose
Applications
Desktop
Preferences
Accessibility
Keyboard
.
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
.
Before You Can Use AccessX on the
Solaris
Operating System
If you are using the GNOME Desktop for the
Solaris
8 operating
system or the Solaris 9 operating system, you must enable XKB on your system
before you can use the
AccessX
preference tool.
XKB is not currently supported on
Sun Ray
systems.
To enable XKB on a non-Sun Ray Solaris system, perform the following
steps:
Log in as root.
Check if the path and file
/etc/dt/config/Xservers
exists on your system.
If the
/etc/dt/config
directory does
not exist, enter the following command:
mkdir -p /etc/dt/config
If the
Xservers
file is not present,
enter the following command:
cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers /etc/dt/config/Xservers
Open the
Xservers
file in a text editor
and scroll to the end of the file.
Append the following to the command line at the end of the
file:
+kb
Save and close the file.
Enter the following command at a command line:
pkill -HUP dtlogin
Log out of your GNOME session and log in again.
To verify if XKB is running, enter
xdpyinfo
and search for XKEYBOARD in the extensions list.
To Activate the Keyboard Accessibility Options
To activate the keyboard accessibility options, perform the following
steps:
Select the
Enable keyboard accessibility features
option.
Click on the
Basic
tab to display the
Basic
tabbed section.
Select the
Beep when features turned on or off from
the 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.
If you are a GNOME for Linux user, you must log out and log
in again before the accessibility settings take effect.
To Enable the Keyboard to Emulate the Mouse
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:
Click on the
Mouse Keys
tab to display
the
Mouse Keys
tabbed section.
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 Functions Mapping on Solaris Systems
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 double-click
.
Mouse button press
/
Mouse button 1
*
Mouse button 2
-
Mouse button 3
Numeric Keypad to Mouse Functions Mapping on Linux Systems
Numeric Keypad Keys
Function
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Move the mouse pointer around the screen
5
Mouse button click
+
Mouse button double-click
0
Mouse button 3
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 Keys to Mouse Functions 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
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:
Click on the
Filters
tab to display the
Filters
tabbed section.
Select the
Enable Slow Keys
option.
To select or deselect this feature from the keyboard, press-and-hold
Shift
for eight seconds. This 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, after four seconds the
system beeps three times to indicate that the system is about to select or
deselect the feature. If you enable this feature from the keyboard, you must
press-and-hold
Shift
for eight seconds again to disable 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 keypress
after x msecs
setting.
To Enable the Bounce Keys Feature
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:
Click on the
Filters
tab to display the
Filters
tabbed section.
Select the
Enable Bounce Keys
option.
Use the
Ignore duplicate keypresses within
slider or spin box to specify the duration after the first keypress for which
the system ignores repeated keypresses of the same key. For example, if you
select a duration of 500 msecs, the system ignores all repeated keypresses
of the same key that occur within 500 msecs 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 wish to enable the bounce keys feature, please 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, the system does not
accept your input unless you deselect the
Enable Slow Keys
option.
To Enable the Sticky Keys Feature
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:
Click on the
Basic
tab to display the
Basic
tabbed section.
Select the
Enable Sticky Keys
option.
To enable the sticky keys feature from the keyboard, press
Shift
five times. This 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. If you
enable this feature from the keyboard, press
Shift
five times
again to disable the feature.
Select the
Beep when modifier is pressed
option to receive an audible indication each time you press a modifier key.
This option is useful to remind you whether a modifier key is active or inactive.
To automatically disable the sticky keys feature when a user
presses two keys simultaneously, select the
Disable if two keys
pressed together
option.
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 stays active
until...
Latch mode
Once.
You press
a non-modifier key.
Lock mode
Twice in quick succession.
You press the modifier key again.
For example, if you want to press
Alt
F1
, you should 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.
As another example, if you want to press
Ctrl
Alt
Tab
, you should do the following.
Press
Ctrl
twice to lock the modifier key.
The
Ctrl
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
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.
To enable accessible toggle keys, select the
Enable Toggle
Keys
option in the
Filters
tabbed section.
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
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:
Click on the
Basic
tab to display the
Basic
tabbed section.
Select the
Enable Repeat Keys
option to enable the repeat keys feature.
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 Applet
The
Keyboard Accessibility Status
applet
shows the status of the keyboard accessibility features. The applet displays
icons to indicate which keyboard accessibility features are enabled in the
Keyboard Accessibility
preference tool.
To add the applet to a panel, right-click on the panel, then choose
Add to Panel
Accessories
Keyboard Accessibility Status
.
