A window in current use, which appears in front of any other open windows on the screen.

A small selectable box on the screen that is a shortcut for a command. A button may have an icon that indicates what it does; for example, a picture of a fax machine which can be clicked on to activate fax software.
 

 

A horizontal strip of buttons across the top of a window which can be clicked instead of entering the equivalent keyboard commands. Some applications allow the user to custom program some of the buttons, and choose whether to hide or display the button bar.

 

Check Box  

A check box is selectable box which turns a function on if ticked, or off if left un ticked.

 

 

A chevron identifies a mail merge field within a mail merge document.

 

To use a mouse or other pointing device to grab an item on the computer screen and move it to another location. To click and drag, point to an item, click the pointer and hold the button down while dragging the item to the desired location; then release the button.

 

A combo box is a selectable box which contains a combination of options.

 

A box on the computer screen that lets the user communicate with the computer. A dialog box can be used to enter information, set options, or give commands to the computer. The dialog box gives the user choices (such as open file, delete, save) which can be selected by clicking with the mouse.

 

To move an object around on the computer screen, first point to it, press the mouse button and hold it down, and then move the mouse.

 

Moving an object on the computer screen by selecting and dragging it with the mouse, and then dropping it onto another icon, such as the trash, or a floppy disk, or an application program. In certain programs, sections of text can also be selected, dragged to another area, and dropped in.
 
 

DropDownList
     

A selection field which only displays one choice at first; the rest of the list is revealed when the user clicks and holds the mouse button down, or takes some other action.
 
 

To select text or graphics for moving, editing, or deletion. Text can be selected by dragging the cursor over it; an image by clicking on it. A highlighted area of text appears in a different color from the other text; for example, white with a black background. Highlighted graphics show in other ways.
 
 

In a graphical user interface, a small picture on the screen which represents something. Files and programs have icons, and open when the user clicks twice on the icon. There is an icon to show which program is currently running. Moving and copying files is done by dragging their icons to the desired location. A file is deleted by moving its icon to the picture of a trash can.
 
 

Option Button 

Sometimes known as a radio button. A circular selectable button which turns a function on if highlighted, or off if left blank, used for selecting options in interactive forms; only one can be chosen at a time. If an option button is selected by clicking on it, all the other buttons are automatically deselected. 
 
 

A portion of a window usually separated by a horizontal column.
 
 

A portion of a window usually separated by a vertical column. 
 
 

The symbol on the screen that is moved with the mouse. Within text, the mouse pointer appears as a cursor, but it changes shape depending on its location on the screen and the program in use. The mouse pointer can take the form of a hand, an arrow, a cross, and other symbols. It is also called a mouse cursor.
 
 

A menu that expands when clicked on with a mouse or other pointer. A list of options appears, and the user can select one by scrolling through the menu with the mouse button held down, and releasing the mouse button at the desired option.
 
 

A menu that expands downward when its title is selected with the mouse. A list of options appears as long as the mouse button is held down, and the user can select an option by scrolling through the menu and releasing the mouse button when the desired option is highlighted.
 
 

Scroll Arrow 

An arrow on the side or bottom of a file that helps in scrolling. The mouse can be used to click on the arrow and move one line at a time; holding down the mouse button produces continuous scrolling.
 
 

A bar at the bottom or side of a window which is used to scroll through a document. It has a little movable box inside it (called a thumb, or elevator).Clicking inside the scroll bar moves the screen in jumps. Sliding the little box along the bar makes it possible to move quickly move up, down, left, or right, to a chosen point in the document.
 
 

A window that is not fully displayed on screen but can be scrolled up, down, or sideways to reveal its contents
 
 

Displaying two or more independent areas of data on screen at the same time. The split screen may be used to have two or more separate files open in the same program or different programs; or it may be used to view different sections of the same file, in a database. For example, the area may be too wide to see all the columns at one time; a split screen can be used to show a right-hand column at the same time as columns from the left side of the document.
 
 

A key, often labeled with both a left-pointing and a right-pointing arrow, that traditionally (as in word processing) is used to insert tab characters into a document. In other applications, such as menu-driven programs, the Tab key is often used to move the on-screen highlight from place to place. Many database and spreadsheet programs allow the user to press the Tab key to move around within a record or between cells. The word tab is short for "tabulator," which was the name given to this key on typewriters, where it was used in creating tables. 
 
 

The bar that contains the Start button and appears by default at the bottom of the desktop. You can click the taskbar buttons to switch between programs. You can also hide the taskbar, move it to the sides or top of the desktop, and customize it in other ways.
 
 

In a dialog box, a box in which you type information needed to carry out a command. The text box may be blank or may contain text when the dialog box opens.
 
 

A horizontal bar at the top of a window, dialogue box or toolbar that displays the name of the document, item, program or toolbar.
 
 

In a program in a graphical user interface, a row, column, or block of on-screen buttons or icons. When clicked, these buttons or icons activate certain functions, or tasks, of the program. For example, the toolbar in Microsoft Word contains buttons for, among other actions, changing text to italic or boldface, and for saving or opening a document. Users can often customize toolbars and move them around on the screen. 
   

A division of a computer display screen, which has boundaries and is usually a rectangular area. In a full-featured graphical interface, windows can be opened, closed, and moved around on the screen. The user can control the size and shape of the windows; also windows can be overlapped, and overlapping windows can be brought to the front or sent to the back. The active window is the one in which the user is currently working, and appears in front. Windows can usually be scrolled to view different areas. Different applications or files can be displayed on the screen at the same time in different windows. A portion of the screen where programs and processes can be run. You can open several windows at the same time. For example, you can open your e-mail in one window, work on a budget in a spreadsheet in another, download pictures from your digital camera in another window, and order your weekly groceries on the Web in another window. Windows can be closed, resized, moved, minimised to a button on the taskbar, or maximised to take up the whole screen.