double click : Java Glossary

Double clicking is hitting the left mouse button rapidly, twice in succession. It can leave you babbling and drooling trying to get the cadence just right. If you do it too rapidly, it will be interpreted as jitter or hand tremor attempting a single click. If you do it too slowly, it will be interpreted as two separate clicks. I personally only get double click to take about 30% of the time. It drives me crazy.

The trick is being completely consistent in your timing. You can go into the Control Panel ⇒ Mouse to speed up or slow down the expected double click rate. Alternatively, right click the desktop ⇒ Personalise ⇒ change mouse pointers. Click apply after each change to make it stick.

What is Double Click Used For?

It is used in Windows to launch programs. It is used in Java as an accelerator shortcut. It is not used in browsers.

Disadvantages of Double Clicking

I detest double clicking things.

• I can never remember when to single and when to double click.
• Double clicks are sometimes mistaken as two single clicks and vice versa.
• To me right click is the most natural way to find out what you can do with something. It requires no memorisation or manual dexterity and is always discoverable. I have always felt dragging something to the trashcan was sort of a waste of effort (especially when the trashcan is buried) rather babyish and not easily discoverable. My arm always aches from mousing. I want to avoid every mouse movement possible.
• Double click just introduces wobbly unpredictability into the interface.
• I know others have no problem, especially Mac users who are skilled even in triple clicks. Fine, let them use double click as a short cut, but it should never be mandatory to get the job done.
• Sun too recommends this reserving double click for this use.
• Over the years in my work with various charities I have discovered that technopeasants and the elderly have more trouble with double clicks than any other aspect of GUI (Graphic User Interface) UIs.

Fixes for Double Click

• Programmers should always provide a right-click alternative. When they fail to, send in a bug report.
• Use software that comes with the mouse (SetPoint or third party software) to commandeer one of the auxiliary mouse buttons to simulate a double click. Clicking the scroll wheel for double click does not work well because you also always inadvertently spin the scroll wheel in the process of clicking it causing you to double click north of where you intended. You could use a middle mouse button, a thumb button, or left/right scroll-wheel tilt. Some of Logitech’s mice such as the M510 support assignment to double click, where others such as the M525 do not. The ROCCAT Kone Pure Color Inferno Orange Gaming Mouse that I use myself, has four suitable buttons to configure as double click.
• Spend a long time fine tuning the control panel click speed option to find a setting that works best in practice.
• Practice double clicking in a mechanical identical way each time.
• Try slowing down on speeding up your natural click rate and adjust the control panel to find the best combination. Here is a strategy for finding the best setting. Try putting it on the fastest setting, the doing a number of sample clicks, varying as you would in real life. If the book does not open and close relibly each time, try a slower setting until you a setting that always works. Now put it on the slowest setting and work you way up until it starts working reliably. Once you have found the too fast point and the too slow point, then set it in the middle between them to give you the most slack in your timing.
• Talk a programmer into writing the Double Click toolkit which contains a number of solutions.

Third Party Solutions

• Autelic: use a keyboard key to double click, not the middle mouse button.
• Use control panel ⇒ Accessibility to configure hovering over an icon to double click it.
• X-Mouse Button Control: a very elaborate program
• Double-Click: installs a raft of unrelated junk along with it that are hard to get rid of.
• Some Mice such as the Logitech M560 has a button mounted near the scroll wheel. It would be a good candidate for co-opting to act as double-click.

mouse double click middle button Search for similar solutions.

You can check if the third party software is running with the task manager. Typically it starts itself when you boot and does not advertise its presence.