Scroll Bars and Scrolling
 
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This help page covers:


What Is a Scroll Bar?

A scroll bar is a tool that allows you to move the contents of a window up or down, to the left or to the right. This action is called scrolling. A window may have one or two scroll bars displaying at a time, or none. If a window has more information than can be displayed in the vertical direction (up and down), a vertical scroll bar appears automatically (as in the figure below). If a window has more information than can be displayed in the horizontal direction of the window (side to side), a horizontal scroll bar displays.

In the figure below you can see parts that make up a vertical scroll bar (up and down).

scrollbars.gif

Up scroll button - Selecting the Up scroll button moves the window's contents up towards the top of the list.


Down scroll button - Selecting the Down scroll button moves the contents of the window down.


Scroll box - Unlike the two scroll buttons, you don't just select the scroll box. You drag it up and down the scroll bar. The practice steps below can show you how to use the scroll box and scroll buttons.


Hint - As you use scroll bars on different screens notice that the scroll box varies in size. Imagine that the scroll bar represents the whole list of text. The scroll box size represents how much of the list you can see in the text window. If the scroll box is big like it is in the above figure, then the list is short and you are seeing most of it. But if the scroll box is small then you are only seeing a small part of a long list.



Practicing with Scroll Bars

The best way to understand how scroll bars work is to spend a few minutes practicing with them.

  1. Point to the Down scroll button, and select it several times to see the information in the window scroll downwards.


       •   Selecting the Down scroll button tells the computer that you want to see farther down the list.


  2. Select the Up scroll button several times.


       •   Watch the scroll box move upward in the scroll bar as you select the Up button.


       •   Another way to use the scroll bar is to drag the scroll box along the bar. To drag an object on the computer you place your mouse on it, hold down the left mouse button, move the object, then release the mouse button. On a tablet, select and keep pressure on it, as you drag. Let's practice that now.


  3. Either, point the mouse at the scroll box and hold down the left mouse button - don't release the button!
          OR
On your tablet, press down on the scroll box and don't let up pressure.


  4. While still holding down on the scroll box, move it up and down the scroll bar.


       •   As you move the scroll box, your view of the window moves up and down with it.


  5. When you can see the information you want you should release pressure, do that now.


       •   Notice that you can get to the top or bottom of a list quickly and easily by dragging the scroll box. Many people prefer it to repeatedly selecting the scroll buttons.


Continue practicing with the scroll bar until you are comfortable with it. You will sometimes see scroll bars on the A+LS screens and will need to be comfortable using them.

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