What is "To Click" with the Mouse?
To click something with the mouse means to place the mouse cursor over it on the screen and then press a mouse button, typically the primary mouse button (left mouse button). When the secondary mouse button (right mouse button) should be used, we call it "right-clicking" instead.
For example: "click on the icon" means to left-click on it. For middle-clicks and right-clicks, the words "middle" and "right" are used.
Note: which button is the primary left button can be configured in the operating system, e.g. if you're left-handed.
In general, a left click activates or selects an interface element, such as a graphical button, menu, or icon on the screen. A right click opens a context menu. Middle-clicks may be used to close tabs in some applications such as web browsers.
Act on Press vs. Act on Release
Most graphical user interface elements are "act on release." This means that if you "click" on a graphical-button on the screen, the graphical-button doesn't do anything unless you release the mouse-button while the mouse cursor is over the graphical-screen button. In other words:
- If you press the mouse-button on the graphical-button, then move the cursor away from it, the operation is "canceled," i.e. graphical-button won't activate.
- If you press the mouse-button somewhere else, then move it inside an graphical-button, then release the mouse-button, it won't activate.
- If you press the mouse-button while the cursor is inside the graphical-button, move it away from it, then move it back to inside of it, then release the mouse-button, the graphical-button WILL activate.
For this reason, the term "click" often means to press and release on the same target.
One exception could be the phrase "click and drag," as it often means to press and hold a button and then move the cursor away from the target. However, in this case whatever was "clicked" on tends to be displayed as being "dragged" by the cursor across the screen, so I guess you could say you are still pressing and releasing on the same target because the target follows the cursor around.
Context Menus Out of Context
When a context menu opens on release, it may open based on which element the mouse-button was pressed rather than on which element the mouse-button was released. This means you could press the right mouse button on an icon, hold it, move the cursor away, and when you release the context menu for that icon would open.
As one would imagine this requires the program to keep track of which virtual object was the last one to have been right-pressed in order to open the associated context menu on release. Consequently many programs simply open the context menu on button-press, as that's simpler to do.
Double-Clicks
A double click refers to clicking (pressing and releasing (the left mouse button) on the same target) twice in quick succession. How quick the double click needs to be depends on the operating system and may be configured. A double click is used with interfaces where a single click merely selects a virtual object, and the double click activates it.
Often this is the case with file managers, where a single click selects a file or folder, and a double click opens the file or folder.
Another case are lists of virtual objects in general, such as layers in an image editor, where a double click on the item's name will let you rename the item, or it will open a properties dialog for the item.
To my knowledge, all double-clicks are left clicks. I've never heard of an application with right double-clicks.
Triple-Clicks
Some applications also support "triple-clicks." I don't think I've ever used this, so I don't know of any application that supports it, but I'm pretty sure this is a concept.
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