In this section:
Just as you can use a pen to put words on paper, you need some method for inputting data into a computer. Traditionally, computer users have used a mouse and a keyboard to provide input. For example, you might use a mouse to select and move an object or text or to display a menu of commands and select one. You use your keyboard to enter text in a memo or spreadsheet or to implement a command, such as deleting selected text with the Delete key.
In Windows 8, one very interesting input method has been added: your own fingers. If you have a touchscreen computer or computing device such as a tablet, you can use a finger or a stylus to input onscreen gestures and to type on an onscreen keyboard.
This section provides information about the three input methods and how to use them to control various interactions with your computer. Because touchscreen computers are still relatively rare, the rest of this book assumes the use of the mouse and keyboard methods of input.
Touchscreen devices have arrived in the form of tablet computers such as iPad and Kindle Fire, and touchscreen computer models are a growing trend. Windows 8 has therefore been designed to take advantage of this input method. However, because many people are more comfortable with traditional input methods, Windows 8 also lets you use a mouse and keyboard to accomplish any task. In the following task, you can compare three methods of initiating the Search feature.
With a touchscreen device, you use your finger to tap buttons or objects, swipe across the screen to display toolbars, swipe up and down in a document or on a webpage to move through the content, and more. Here’s an overview of touch gestures to get you started.
With the Start screen displayed, tap a tile.
Swipe from the right side of the screen inward.
Tap another tile.
Swipe from the top of the screen downward to close the app and go back to the Start screen.
Swipe from right to left across the Start screen to display more tiles.
Swipe your finger up and down the page to scroll through its content.
In Windows 8, you can use the corners and edges of the screen to take three important actions. You can display charms, which give you access to various settings and the Start screen; you can display recently used and open apps to move among apps; finally, you can swipe down from the top of the screen to close an app.
You can use your fingers to reduce the size of the current display in certain apps, such as on a webpage in Internet Explorer or in a document in Microsoft Word. You can also use a new feature called Semantic Zoom to reduce the tiles on the Start screen. This is useful if you have pinned several apps to the Start screen and want to get an overview of all the apps you have available.
With the Start screen displayed, press your thumb and forefinger apart on the screen and swipe them toward one another.
Press your thumb and forefinger together on the screen, and swipe them away from one another.
Tap the Internet Explorer tile.
Press your thumb and forefinger together on the screen, and swipe them away from one another.
Press your thumb and forefinger apart on the screen, and swipe them toward one another.
The ability to snap apps isn’t new with Windows 8, but the ability to snap by using a touchscreen adds an interesting dimension. Snapping helps you to organize more than one app on your screen to view their contents side by side. You can also snap an app to display it full screen with a single swipe of your finger or drag of your mouse on an app’s title bar. This action takes a bit of getting used to, and, of course, it requires that you have a touchscreen, so if you do, you can get some practice here.
On the Start screen, tap the Desktop tile.
Tap the Internet Explorer shortcut on the taskbar.
Press your finger on the Internet Explorer title bar (the top of the window), and “snap” it to the right edge of the screen.
Tap the File Explorer shortcut on the taskbar.
Press your finger on the File Explorer title bar, and snap it to the left edge of the screen.
Press your finger on the Internet Explorer title bar, and snap it to the top edge of the screen.
Tip
To snap using a mouse, simply click an app’s title bar and drag it to the right, left, or up. Left or right changes a reduced window to full screen and changes a full screen to half screen. Dragging up displays an app full screen. You can also press the Windows logo key along with the Right key or Left key to snap an open window.
You might need to get used to the way an onscreen keyboard works if you’ve never used one. The biggest difference with the default settings for the onscreen keyboard is that you have to change to an alternate keyboard to access numbers and most punctuation; on a physical keyboard, these items occupy a row near the top of the keyboard. You should also know how to display and hide the onscreen keyboard.
Charms are buttons for accessing common device settings. For example, there is a charm that displays the Start screen, as well as one that displays the Search feature. You can use these settings to change system volume, put your device to sleep or turn it off, and connect to a network. You can display the charms by using your mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen.
You can display the charms by using any of the following three techniques.
Swipe your finger inward from the right edge of the screen.
Press Windows logo key+C on your keyboard.
Move your mouse to the upper-right or lower-right corner of the screen.
Your keyboard also provides a great way to get things done with keystroke shortcuts. This involves pressing one key and then, while holding down that key, pressing another key or two. By using these special keystroke combinations, you can access the Search feature, move from one open app to another, display the charms, and much more.
Press Windows logo key+C to display the charms.
Press Windows logo key+Q to display the Search feature for apps.
Press Windows logo key+R to go to the desktop, and enter a program or file name to run.
Tip
See Appendix B, for a more complete listing of useful keystroke shortcuts.
Right-clicking has traditionally been a way to display command menus that are contextually relevant to where you click. For example, if you right-click selected text in a Word document, you can see commands such as Cut and Copy. In Windows 8, right-clicking can also display tools on the Start screen to help you find apps or apply settings to individual app tiles. When you access Internet Explorer 10 from the Start screen, right-clicking is one way to display the Address bar.
From the Start screen, right-click a tile to display a set of tools.
Right-click the tile again to deselect it.
Right-click the Start screen background.
Right-click the page to display the address bar.
In Windows 8, you don’t really close apps from the Start screen. You open apps and then return to the Start screen or search for another app or file to open. You can display all open apps and jump back to one by using a new feature. By moving your mouse to the upper-left edge of the screen, you can go to any recently opened app quickly.
