Point-and-click: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Point and click describes the simple action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen (point) and then clicking a mouse button, usually the left one (click), or other pointing device.

A good example of point-and-click is in hypermedia, where users click on hyperlinks to navigate from document to document.

The time required to perform a point-and-click action can be quantitatively modeled with Fitts' law.

User interfaces, for example graphical user interfaces, are sometimes described as "point-and-click interfaces", often to suggest that they are very easy to use, requiring that the user simply point to indicate their wishes. These interfaces are sometimes referred to condescendingly (e.g. by UNIX users) as "click-and-drool interfaces".

The use of this phrase to describe software implies that the interface can be controlled solely through the mouse, with little or no input from the keyboard, as with many graphical user interfaces.

See also drag-and-drop and graphical user interface