cursor

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Flashing cursor in an input field
Start screen of the C64 with blinking cursor

A cursor [ kɜːɹsəɹ ] ( English cursor from latin cursor , "runner") (also insertion point , input marking , input pointer or cursor ) marked in a computer program , the actual machining position on the screen . In a word processing program or editor, it shows the point on the screen where keystrokes are inserted. This cursor is usually displayed as a vertical or horizontal line or as a rectangular block.

Cursors exist in two different forms: Either they mark a position between two dates (often symbolized by a narrow vertical or horizontal line) or the position of a date itself (hence the block representation).

Also, the mouse cursor on the desktop , which with a pointing device is moved and used, is sometimes called "Cursor" in the Windows documentation English mouse cursor , but otherwise predominantly pointer mouse . With touch screen , the cursor is often not visible or is visible to the touch. The pressure point of the finger or stylus is sometimes referred to inconsistently as the touch or focus point.

In the Windows command line , the cursor is displayed as a flashing underscore by default, which indicates the active insert mode. In overwrite mode, the cursor is displayed as a block.

The copy cursor is a special feature for easy copying of text content.

Caret as a name for a cursor

Caret as a cursor in Xfig

In some programs (e.g. Xfig ) or within some window managers such as the Common Desktop Environment , a circumflex ( English caret ) is used as a cursor. The advantage is that the cursor does not cover the actual text and therefore does not have to be very narrow or blink "nervously".

Even if the circumflex is rarely used, some users still generally refer to the keyboard cursor as a “caret” in order to make it easier to distinguish it from the mouse cursor. Others use the terms "mouse pointer" and "text cursor" for the same reason.

Database cursor

The term cursor is not only used in computer science for word processing, but in network databases and relational databases it describes the data structure that indicates the current position when reading or writing data records (see iterator ).

Web links

Wiktionary: Cursor  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Cursor  - collection of images, videos and audio files