Switching to a left-handed mouse

By default, your mouse is configured for use by right-handed users. The left mouse button assumes the behavior of mouse button 1, the middle button behaves as mouse button 2, and the right button behaves as mouse button 3. If you are left-handed, however, you can reverse the button order of your mouse so that the mouse button on the right is treated as mouse button 1, and so forth.

To switch your mouse for left-handed use, perform the following steps.

1. Use one of the following configuration tools:

   • Run the scomouse client by double-clicking on the Mouse icon, located in the Preferences Editor, in the Controls window, and click on the Left Handed button.

   • Run the xmodmap command from a scoterm window:
     
     xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"

2. List the new mouse button mappings to verify that your mouse is now configured for left-handed use:
   
   xmodmap -pp

Step 1: Configuring the mouse for left-handed use

The scomouse client is very easy to use and is generally the preferred method for configuring your mouse for left-handed use. When the client is running, simply click mouse button 1 on the Left Handed button. The remapping of the mouse buttons is immediate, and you can now use the right mouse button as mouse button 1. This setting stays in effect until you change it.

The scomouse client stores this configuration information in a file called ScoMouse, located in $HOME/.odtpref. If you examine this file after you make your selection, you see:

   scomouse -s 2 -t 4 -l

You can also switch to a left-handed mouse using the xmodmap command with the -e option.

The scomouse client is more intuitive to use than the xmodmap -e command, and is the preferred method for configuring your mouse for left- or right-handed use for multiple sessions.

To configure the mouse for left-handed use with xmodmap, enter:

xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"

The mouse button mappings are now reversed so that the button on the right behaves as mouse button 1, and so forth.

To return to a right-handed mouse using xmodmap, enter:

xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3"

See also:

• xmodmap(X) manual page

Step 2: Listing the new mouse button mappings

If you used the scomouse client to configure your mouse, you know that your selection worked because the behavior of the mouse changes automatically.

However, if you switched your mouse with the xmodmap command, you may want to verify that the mouse buttons are now mapped correctly for left-handed use. Run the following command:

xmodmap -pp

If your configuration succeeded, you should see:

   There are 3 pointer buttons defined.

       Physical        Button
        Button          Code
           1              3
           2              2
           3              1

The example indicates that the mouse is now configured for left-handed use. The left button, or physical button 1, performs the function of mouse button 3, and so forth.