[Solved] Moving Cursor Highlights Text

[kenmorgan]

A strange thing has been happening. Not often, but it has occurred several times.

When correcting typos in a document, I use the mouse to click where I need to move the cursor to make the next correction. All of a sudden, no matter where I click to place the cursor, several lines become highlighted. If I then click in a different location, the highlighting moves also. Sometimes three for four lines are highlighted, sometimes more, but always near where I put the cursor. I'm afraid to try typing because the highlighted lines could disappear.

I have found no way to stop this. I have to save the document and reload it. But there's a problem here too! When I go to File --> Save, it doesn't immediately save the document like it should. It opens the window for giving it a name. The name of the document is already there, but when I click the button to save without giving the document a new name, it asks me if I want to overwrite the file! Why doesn't it just save the document I'm working on immediately like it always does when this highlighting business isn't happening?

And--how do I get this highlighting to stop? What caused it to start? When you highlight some text the way you're supposed to by holding the left mouse button down, a simple, single click of the mouse turns the highlighting off. It's rather infuriating when a single click creates random, unwanted highlighting.

Thanks so much.

Ken

[RoryOF]

Possibly change the mouse sensitivity settings, allowing more mouse movement within a double click, and a slightly longer delay between the clicks.

[kenmorgan]

Hi, Rory. It's been a while!

I don't quite understand. I don't know how to change sensitivity settings on a mouse, but also at no point during the strange behavior do I ever double click the mouse. In fact, I never double click the mouse at all when working with a document.

[RoryOF]

In Xubuntu the Mouse adjustments are on Settings, Mouse and touchpad. There one can also select a specific mouse type - it may be that CentOS has chosen a generic mouse type for your mouse but you may be able to select a specific mouse type which might be a closer fit and better behaved. Whether they are double click settings or not is not particularly relevant - I think you'll find that adjustment of mouse settings will help.

[John_Ha]

See Re: having difficulty with open office writer on Windows 10

[kenmorgan]

I found the settings. In Gnome, at least the version I get from CentOS repos, its

System --> Preferences --> Mouse

When the "Mouse Preferences" window opens, under "Pointer Speed" there are two sliders, "Acceleration" and "Sensitivity." The sensitivity slider goes from low to high, and the setting was about a third of the way up to high. I moved to about two thirds up to high.

"Under "Double-Click Timeout," the slider goes from short to long. It was near short, so I moved it up fairly close to long.

So maybe I'll never see the problem again. But it's only in the last few months that it started happening, and I'm still running OO 4.1.2, so there's been no change there. But if the strange highlighting happens again, is there a way of getting it to stop without saving and reloading the document?

Also, when trying to save the file, why does it open the window to give it a title and pick the directory to save it in? That should only occur when File --> Save As is selected, not ctrl-s.

[kenmorgan]

The Status Bar already says STD.

[robleyd]

Wild guess here - check that one or another of your Shift keys isn't getting stuck. What you are describing exactly matches holding the shift key whilst moving mouse pointer.

[kenmorgan]

Rob, guess what! You were absolutely right! One of my shift keys does occasionally stick. I use an old, true blue, IBM keyboard--those keyboards that have that characteristic tactile click when you strike a key. If this keyboard gives out completely, I sure hope I can find another!

But, yes, I held down the shift key and reproduced all of the strange results I described. Three cheers for all those Down Under! Just because I'm so thankful, I want to share a Youtube video with you. In case you haven't heard Andre Rieu's super great rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" live in Australia, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UFmwArST-I

Thanks so much.

Ken

[robleyd]

Glad you got the problem sorted.

Model M keyboard? Hope you have deep pockets if it comes time to replace it I found http://clickykeyboards.com/ with prices in the hundreds of dollars! But they have new old stock.

Thanks, but A Rieu isn't my cup of tea - guess I'm not old enough yet notwithstanding my 3 score and ten

[maryou]

Hi,
I had the same problem and uninstalled the Dell Touchpad driver through Device Manager. After restart a new driver was installed automatically and everything was right.