My New Mac, Lion Edition

Dragging the Pointer

Another common action is called dragging. Dragging the pointer occurs when you click, hold, and move the pointer over something on the screen. To drag with the mouse, hold the left mouse button down, move the mouse, and then release the left mouse button. To drag with the trackpad, press and hold your finger down on the trackpad, slide your finger across the trackpad surface, then lift your finger off the trackpad.

Dragging is often used to select multiple items, move or copy an item from one location to another, or, in many graphics programs, to draw lines on the screen or erase part of a picture, as shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2. Dragging ...