Cursor (user interface): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:29, 8 June 2024

Revision as of 16:59, 9 June 2024

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{{see also|Text field}}

[[File: Windows Command Prompt.png|thumb|332px|The cursor for the [[Windows Command Prompt]] (appearing as an underscore at the end of the line)]]

In most [[command-line interface]]s or [[text editor]]s, the text cursor, also known as a '''[[Caret navigation|caret]]''',<ref>[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834271/en-us 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]</ref> 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111004160733/http://wwwpatents.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT4197590patent/US4197590 U.S. Patent #4197590]</ref> On [[text editor]]s and [[word processor]]s of modern design on [[bitmap]]ped displays, the vertical bar is typically used instead.

In a typical [[text editor|text editing application]], the cursor can be moved by pressing various keys. These include the four [[arrow keys|cursor 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.