The mouse pointer can be locked into an area of the screen so the pointing device is free for other tasks. For example, this capability allows a powerchair user to control both the powerchair and the mouse pointer with a single powerchair joystick.
The Pointer Capture panel applet creates such an area on the panel, into which the user can lock the pointer until released in a determined way.
The Pointer Capture panel applet can be installed by right-clicking the GNOME Desktop menu bar / system panel, selecting Add to Panel, choosing Pointer Capture and clicking the Add button.
Preferences may be set by choosing Preferences in the context menu of the Pointer Capture applet:
In the Capture Pointer section, the user can specify under what circumstances the pointer gets captured when it moves into the capture area. For example, if the Ctrl modifier key is checked, the pointer gets captured when it is over the capture area and the user presses the Ctrl modifier key. If no modifier is checked and the mouse button is set to 0, the pointer only has to move into the capture area to get locked. It is also possible to specify a combination of modifiers and mouse button.
In the Release Pointer section, the user can specify what modifier or mouse button releases the pointer. It is also possible to specify a combination of modifiers and mouse button.
In the Size of Capture Area section, the user can specify the width of the capture area on the GNOME panel.