The KMouseTool Handbook

# The KMouseTool Handbook

Jeff Roush `<jeff@kmousetool.com>`

Revision 1.12 (Applications 17.08) (2017-07-06)

Copyright © 2002 Jeff Roush

Legal Notice

KMouseTool clicks the mouse whenever the mouse cursor pauses briefly. It was designed to help those with repetitive strain injuries, for whom pressing buttons hurts.

Chapter 1. Introduction
Introduction

# Chapter 1. Introduction

KMouseTool clicks the mouse whenever the mouse cursor pauses briefly. It was designed to help those with repetitive strain injuries, for whom pressing buttons hurts. It can also drag the mouse, although this takes a bit more practice.

KMouseTool can eliminate the pain caused by clicking the mouse, and helps many people to use the computer without pain. Unfortunately, some pain can also be caused by simply moving the mouse around the table. If you are experiencing computer-related pain and haven't yet seen a doctor, please do so.

Just to make it absolutely clear: while KMouseTool can help reduce the pain caused by clicking the mouse, it cannot help any pain caused by moving the mouse. And, like all ergonomic tools, your mileage may vary.

Chapter 2. Using KMouseTool
Using KMouseTool

# Chapter 2. Using KMouseTool

Using KMouseTool is simple: KMouseTool watches as you move the mouse, and when you pause briefly, it clicks.

KMouseTool's Smart Drag mode allows you to drag the mouse.

When Smart Drag is enabled, KMouseTool pauses after it clicks down; if you move the mouse, it waits until you stop moving before it clicks up. This way, you can both click and drag the mouse. Smart Drag takes a bit more practice, but becomes natural once you get used to it.

Chapter 3. Command Reference
Command Reference

# Chapter 3. Command Reference

## The Main KMouseTool window

KMouseTool's options are accessed mostly via the mouse.

Start/Stop

  Starts (or stops) KMouseTool.

Minimum movement:

  The minimum movement in pixels before KMouseTool will attempt to click the mouse.

Dwell time (1/10 sec):

  The time the mouse has to pause before KMouseTool clicks. Try increasing this time if it is hard getting used to KMouseTool

Smart drag

  Enables or disables Smart Drag. Disabled use is easier, so this is the default.

  If you enable Smart drag the Drag time (1/10 sec): field becomes available. This is the time KMouseTool waits, after it clicks down, before it clicks back up if you don't move the mouse.

Enable strokes

  KMouseTool now supports strokes. When you enable strokes, a slow move to the right and back, followed by a pause, will generate a right click. A slow move left and back will generate a double click. (Strokes are specified in `$`KDEHOME`/share/config/kmousetool_strokes.txt`. This file is generated by KMouseTool the first time it is run, but can be modified afterwards.)

Audible click

  Plays a sound when KMouseTool clicks down. This helps, especially with Smart Drag.

Start with desktop session

  When this is enabled, KMouseTool will start each time the session of the desktop starts.

Defaults

  Reset all settings to their defaults.

Reset

  Reset all settings to their state when you opened the dialog, or, if you have already saved a setting with the Apply button, reset all settings to the state when you last pressed Apply

Apply

  After changing any settings, you must click this button.

Help

  Opens the User manual (this document).

Close

  Close the dialog without saving any settings.

Quit

  Quit KMouseTool

Chapter 4. Tips
Tips

# Chapter 4. Tips

These tips can help shorten KMouseTool's learning curve a bit.

- You can modify the time delays KMouseTool waits, for both clicking and for dragging.

- It's best to practice clicking with KMouseTool using its defaults first. You may especially want to leave Smart Drag disabled at first. Then, once you are comfortable clicking, move on to practicing Smart Drag.

- When using Smart Drag, it may help to enable the Audible Click

- When using the Audible Click, you may need to speed up KDE's audio response.

Chapter 5. Questions and Answers
Questions and Answers

# Chapter 5. Questions and Answers

5.1. Help! KMouseTool keeps dropping spurious clicks all over the screen!
5.2. My mouse sticks when I move it. Can I still use KMouseTool?
5.3. KMouseTool clicks down and never clicks up. What's happening?
5.4. KMouseTool moves the cursor when I am trying to type.
5.5. I'm trying to use Smart Drag, but I cannot get the hang of using it to edit text.

5.1. | Help! KMouseTool keeps dropping spurious clicks all over the screen!

When you are using KMouseTool, you do have to learn new mousing habits.

First, keep in mind where it's safe to click — clicking on gray parts of windows or non-link areas of web browsers won't hurt anything, so you can safely rest the mouse over those areas until you need it.

Second, you need to know where you're going to click before you move the mouse. Most of the time, when we know we're going to use the mouse, most of us grab the mouse and start moving it around randomly until we figure out where we want to click. With KMouseTool, you need to know where you're going to click before you move the mouse in the first place. It is also a good idea to keep your hands off the mouse when you're not using it.

5.2. | My mouse sticks when I move it. Can I still use KMouseTool?

Yes. If your mouse sticks, it means you need to clean your mouse. This is usually easy to do; the trick is that you have to clean not just the mouse's ball, but the rollers that the ball rolls against inside the mouse.

First, you have to remove the ball. The method for doing this varies from mouse to mouse, but it's usually pretty clear how to do this if you look at the bottom of the mouse.

Once you've removed the ball, you should be able to see the rollers on the sides of the hole that contained the ball. The dirt and grime on them can be easily scraped off with a flat blade or with a fingernail.

5.3. | KMouseTool clicks down and never clicks up. What's happening?
| In some rare situations, the system suspends KMouseTool when a drag starts; if you are using Smart Drag, this means that KMouseTool can never finish the drag by clicking up. This happens when you use KMouseTool under a non KDE window manager and then use it to move a window. The solution is to simply click manually; this resets KMouseTool, and you can then continue to work normally again.
5.4. | KMouseTool moves the cursor when I am trying to type.

Problem: When you're typing text, KMouseTool keeps dropping clicks and moving the cursor away from where you want to type.

Solution: Use the mouse to place the cursor where you want it, but when you're ready to type, park the mouse on a neutral area on the screen. Then, if you bump the mouse, or if it moves a few pixels, any random clicks that it sends won't matter. Safe places to park the mouse include the gray areas around toolbars and menus, and on the title bars of windows.

5.5. | I'm trying to use Smart Drag, but I cannot get the hang of using it to edit text.

Smart Drag is an advanced feature of KMouseTool, and takes some getting used to. It is very possible to use it to select text, to cut and paste, and use it in almost any situation where you would normally want to drag the mouse. But you probably won't be able to do this at first. Here are some suggestions:

- Don't use Smart Drag while you are first learning to use KMouseTool. Instead, to select text, click at one end of the text, and hold down the shift key while you click at the other end of the text.

- Use the Audible Click. This will play a “click” sound when KMouseTool clicks down, and this will tell you when the Smart Drag delay is beginning. With practice, you can use Smart Drag without the Audible Click, but it does take a fair amount of practice.

- Know where you're going to click the mouse before you begin moving it.

Chapter 6. Credits and License
Credits and License

# Chapter 6. Credits and License

KMouseTool

Program copyright 2002 Jeff Roush `(jeff AT mousetool.com)` and 2003 Gunnar Schmi Dt `(gunnar AT schmi-dt.de)`

Contributors:

- Jeff Roush `(jeff AT mousetool.com)`

- Gunnar Schmi Dt `(gunnar AT schmi-dt.de)`

- Olaf Schmidt `(ojschmidt AT kde.org)`

Documentation copyright 2002 Jeff Roush `(jeff AT mousetool.com)`

This documentation is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

This program is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.