Microsoft KB Archive/29294

Thumbing with the Mouse Does Not Change Selection

PSS ID Number: Q29294 Article last modified on 11-02-1994

4.00 5.00 5.50 6.00

MS-DOS

Problem:

I have been using the mouse to thumb through my document and locate a specific portion of the text. As soon as I press any of the cursor-movement keys (for example, PGUP, PGDN, RIGHT ARROW, LEFT ARROW), Word updates the screen relative to where I started thumbing rather than to my current location.

In Word 5.50 “thumbing” is known as “scrolling”. The document is navigated with the mouse by clicking the vertical and horizontal scroll bars around the document. The behavior described above also occurs.

Response:

This is the design intention of the thumb feature. Scrolling or thumbing with the mouse does not destroy the selection (which means that if the cursor is the selection, its position is not changed). This can be disorienting at first, but is quite convenient as a means to explore other parts of the document, then return to the editing point with one keystroke by pressing the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW key.

Using a mouse to thumb through a document is explained on Pages 46 through 48 of the “Using Microsoft Word” version 3.x manual, on Pages 44 through 45 of the “Using Microsoft Word” version 4.00 manual, on Pages 50 through 51 of the “Using Microsoft Word” version 5.00 manual, and on Pages 25 through 27 of the “Using Microsoft Word” version 5.50 manual.

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================================================================ Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.