Computer mouse triple-click is a convenient feature

Computer mouse single- and double-clicks are widely used in modern software applications. Less known is the mouse triple-click option, which could increase the convenience and overall productivity of computer operations (you could try it right now while reading the first paragraph and see the effect).

For the clarity, let's specify that in a context of this article we refer to the mouse left button clicks: single, double or triple.

In most popular text-editors, such as Microsoft Word™ or WordPad™, single mouse click moves the caret (blinking vertical line within the text) at the cursor point; double-click will select the entire word. Correspondingly, triple-click will select the entire paragraph. Please note that the cursor could point at any place within the paragraph or at the right margin. If you triple-click at the left margin, then the entire document will be selected (analogous to the Ctrl+A combination on PC keyboard).

Useful tips regarding mouse clicks in MS Word: single mouse click within the text document in conjunction with keyboard Ctrl button will select the entire sentence. If the cursor is positioned at the left margin of the document, then the single click combined with Ctrl button will select the entire document (analogous to the Ctrl+A combination).

Triple-click feature is implemented in the majority of modern web browsers, like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari; it’s functionality is essentially identical to the one described above for word processor applications. The tricky part is the selection of hyperlinks on the web page; in this case you should perform the triple-click while pointing the cursor slightly to the right of the hyperlink's “hot spot” in order to avoid the page redirection.

Also, be aware that the Ctrl+single-click event is handled differently by word processors and web browsers. In word processors (such as Microsoft Word™ or WordPad™), this combination will cause the entire sentence to be selected. Web browser will react differently: in Microsoft Internet Explorer it selects the entire paragraph, similar to the triple-click technique discussed above.

Happy mouse clicking, folks! But before please read the following:

Warning: Continuous repetitive mouse operations (single, double or triple-click, drag-n-drop, etc.) and/or keyboard typing could cause muscle fatigue, wrist pain and even certain medical conditions, such as tunnel carpal syndrome. To reduce the risk of such complications use the ergonomically-designed keyboard/mouse sets and try to limit computer operation time to the safe level. For better user experience, adjust the mouse click responsiveness (delay). Also, as an alternative or complementary solution to the computer keyboard/mouse, consider speech-enhanced applications, enabling voice command and dictation mode operations.