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Cursor (user interface)

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Not to be confused with Pointer (user interface).

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A blinking text cursor while typing Wikipedia.

In computer user interfaces, a cursor is an indicator used to show the current position for user
interaction on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or
pointing device. The mouse cursor is also called a pointer,[1] owing to its resemblance in usage to a
pointing stick.

Contents

1 Origin of the term

2 Text cursor

2.1 Bi-directional text

3 Mouse cursor

3.1 I-beam pointer

4 3D cursor
5 See also

6 References

7 External links

Origin of the term

Cursor is Latin for 'runner.' A cursor is the name given to the transparent slide engraved with a hairline
that is used for marking a point on a slide rule. The term was then transferred to computers through
analogy.

Text cursor

Further information: Caret navigation

See also: Text field

The cursor for the Windows Command Prompt (appearing as an underscore at the end of the line)

In most command-line interfaces or text editors, the text cursor, also known as a caret,[2] is an
underscore, a solid rectangle, or a vertical line, which may be flashing or steady, indicating where text
will be placed when entered (the insertion point). In text mode displays, it was not possible to show a
vertical bar between characters to show where the new text would be inserted, so an underscore or
block cursor was used instead. In situations where a block was used, the block was usually created by
inverting the pixels of the character using the boolean math exclusive or function.[3] On text editors and
word processors of modern design on bitmapped displays, the vertical bar is typically used instead.

In a typical text editing application, the cursor can be moved by pressing various keys. These include the
four arrow keys, the Page Up and Page Down keys, the Home key, the End key, and various key
combinations involving a modifier key such as the Control key. The position of the cursor also may be
changed by moving the mouse pointer to a different location in the document and clicking.

The blinking of the text cursor is usually temporarily suspended when it is being moved; otherwise, the
cursor may change position when it is not visible, making its location difficult to follow.

Some interfaces use an underscore or thin vertical bar to indicate that the user is in insert mode, a mode
where text will be inserted in the middle of the existing text, and a larger block to indicate that the user
is in overtype mode, where inserted text will overwrite existing text. In this way, a block cursor may be
seen as a piece of selected text one character wide, since typing will replace the text "in" the cursor with
the new text.
Bi-directional text

A vertical line text cursor with a small left-pointing or right-pointing appendage are for indicating the
direction of text flow on systems that support bi-directional text, and is thus usually known among
programmers as a 'bidi cursor'. In some cases, the cursor may split into two parts, each indicating where
left-to-right and right-to-left text would be inserted.[4]

Mouse cursor

Main article: Pointer (graphical user interfaces)

The common cursor roles for a cursor set.

The pointer or mouse cursor echoes movements of the pointing device, commonly a mouse, touchpad
or trackball. This kind of cursor is used to manipulate elements of graphical user interfaces such as
menus, buttons, scrollbars or any other widget. It may be called a "mouse pointer," because the mouse
is the dominant type of pointing device used with desktop computers.

I-beam pointer

The I-beam pointer.

The I-beam pointer (also called the I-cursor) is a cursor shaped like a serifed capital letter "I". The
purpose of this cursor is to indicate that the text beneath the cursor can be highlighted, and sometimes
inserted or changed.[5]

3D cursor

An example of a 3D cursor in a 3D modelling environment (center).

The idea of a cursor being used as a marker or insertion point for new data or transformations, such as
rotation, can be extended to a 3D modeling environment. Blender, for instance, uses a 3D cursor to
determine where future operations are to take place.

See also

Susan Kare, designer of several of the common cursor shapes

Mouse Pointer Behaves Erratically If Mouse Pointer Speed Is Set Above Level Five

FIX: The caret shape appears as a thick rectangle after you switch from the Korean Input Method Editor
(IME) to English in Visual FoxPro 8.0

U.S. Patent #4197590

ATSUI Programming Guide: Caret Handling, page 32.

ComputerHope.com

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cursor.

Creating and controlling browser cursors

Cross-browser CSS custom cursors

Installing A Cursor On Your Computer

Categories: Graphical user interface elementsUser interfacesUser interface techniquesVirtual

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