Mouse Controls

MacPyMol And PyMolX11 Hybrid

We strongly recommend (require?) use of a three-button mouse with MacPyMOL and PyMOLX11Hybrid. However, it is possible to use MacPyMOL in a limited way on Macs that have a single button mouse thanks to some built-in mouse remapping in the Mac OS X GLUT implementation. Her is how that works...

If the Mac is hooked up to a 1-button mouse (only) when MacPyMOL or HybridX11PyMOL are launched, then Mac OS X itself will furnish translations as follows:

Rotate:       Click & Drag
XY-Translate: Option-Click & Dreg
Zoom:         Control-Click & Drag
Select:       Click & Release
Box-Select:   Shift-Click & Drag
Box-Deselect: Shift-Option-Click & Drag
Clipping:    Control-Shift-Click & Drag with...
 * near plane controlled by vertical motion
 * far plane controlled by horizontal motion

Note that not all mouse actions are possible with a one-button mouse. For example, I don't think molecular editing is possible with a one-button mouse.