Datasheet

Chapter 1: Mac OS X Lion 101 (Prerequisites: None)

✓ Control+click: Hold down the Control key while single-clicking. Control+

clicking is the same as right-clicking a Windows system and displays a

menu (called a contextual menu) where you Control+clicked. In fact, if

you’re blessed with a two-or-more-button mouse such as the Apple Magic

Mouse, you can right-click and avoid having to hold down the Control key.

✓ Drag: Dragging something usually means you have to click it first and

hold down the mouse button. Then you move the mouse on your desk

or mouse pad so that the cursor and whatever you select move across

the screen. The combination of holding down the button and dragging

the mouse is usually referred to as clicking and dragging.

✓ Choosing an item from a menu: To get to Mac OS menu commands, you

must first open a menu and then pick the option you want. Point at the

name of the menu you want with your cursor, press the mouse button

down, and then drag downward until you select the command you want.

When the command is highlighted, finish selecting by letting go of the

mouse button.

If you’re a longtime Mac user, you probably hold down the mouse button the

whole time between clicking the name of the menu and selecting the com-

mand you want. You can still do it that way, but you can also click the menu

name to open it, release the mouse button, drag down to the item you want

to select, and then click again. In other words, OS X menus stay open after

you click them, even if you’re not holding down the mouse button. After you

click a menu to open it, you can even type the first letter (or letters) of the

item to select it and then execute that item by pressing the spacebar or the

Return or Enter key.

A menu remains open until you click something else.

Go ahead and give it a try . . . I’ll wait.

The terms listed above apply to all Mac laptop, desktop, and tower systems.

If you use a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or Apple Magic Trackpad, however,

there are a few more terms — such as tap, swipe, rotate, pinch, and spread —

you’ll want to add to your lexicon. You can read all about them in full and

loving detail in Chapter 3.

Not Just a Beatles Movie: Help and the Help Menu

One of the best features about all Macs is the excellent built-in help, and Mac

OS X Lion doesn’t cheat you on that legacy: This system has online help in

abundance. When you have a question about how to do something, the Help

Center is the first place you should visit (after this book, of course).

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