Keyboard and Mouse

Keyboard and Mouse

Keyboard (works almost everywhere)

Newer examples read:

• Arrow keys — move a highlight
• Enter — activate
• Space — often an alternate activate key
• Letters — game controls (WASD) or menu shortcuts (W/S, J/K on the ESP dashboard)

If arrows do nothing:

1. Click inside the terminal window so it has focus.
2. Confirm you are not in a mode where the terminal captures arrows for scrolling.
3. Try Enter/Space — some demos accept those even when arrows fail.

Mouse (optional)

ANSITerm can listen for SGR mouse reports (a common xterm feature). When it works, clicking a drawn button feels natural.

When mouse usually works

• Some network/telnet clients
• Full-featured terminal emulators with mouse reporting enabled

When mouse usually does not work

• PuTTY connected to a serial COM port
• Many simple serial monitors

That is why Examples such as Basic, Advanced, Buttons, and ANS files also accept keyboard activation.

Releases vs presses

A full mouse click sends a press and a release. ANSITerm treats them separately so a single click does not fire your action twice. Sketches typically react to press only.

Practical advice

Goal	Do this
Reliable demos for workshops	Design for keyboard first
Kiosk / desktop telnet UI	Enable mouse in the client and test clicks
Games	Turn mouse reporting off if unused (Graphic)