1.1: Of Mice and Menus

This section provides basic information about interacting with the Librarian Interface. If you are familiar with programs such as Internet Explorer or Microsoft Office and are comfortable with mouse clicks and menus, skip to the next section.

Contents

Simple Instructions: Basic concepts Mouse actions Keyboard Exiting the program Advanced Instructions: Quick keys

Simple Instructions:

The Librarian Interface follows Microsoft Windows conventions and draws upon ordinary knowledge of Windows.

Any part of the screen that you interact with, such as a button or text field, is called a "control". At any given time one control, called the "focus", is highlighted and responds to the keyboard. Several controls allow you to select parts that are highlighted in dark blue. Some controls are greyed out to indicate that they are disabled.

You can move and left- or right-click the mouse in the usual way. Many components also allow you to "drag" them, by clicking and holding the left mouse button, move them with the mouse, and "drop" them elsewhere by releasing the button. Potential drop targets alter their appearance when a component hovers over them.

You can use the keyboard to type into text fields. Keyboard alternatives are available for many controls, indicated by a key name in square brackets -- for example, [Tab] alters the focus. The plus sign shows if other keys must be pressed at the same time.

Exit the Librarian Interface program by choosing "Exit" from the "File" menu. Your collection will be saved first.

Advanced Instructions:

To access a menu, hold down [ALT] and press the corresponding letter (underlined). For example, for the "File" menu press [ALT] + [F]. To choose an item, press the corresponding key. For example, while in the File menu press [S] to "Save" a collection.