{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/mouse--family-wheel","type":"mechanic","id":"mouse--family-wheel","lang":"en","title":"Wheel and scrolling","summary":"The wheel scrolls or changes a parameter. In Preview scrolling moves the visible document region and helps navigate a long PDF.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/mouse--family-wheel/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/mouse--family-wheel.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/mouse--family-wheel.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Mouse interactions","Input and gestures"],"sourceIds":["source-2aa43929eb995c4c"],"sources":[{"id":"source-2aa43929eb995c4c","title":"Preview (macOS)","url":"https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/view-pdfs-and-images-prvw11470/11.0/mac/26","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The direction and amount of scrolling are used as steps, an axis, or a continuous controller."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n\n\n- Vertical scrolling. Action: Rotate the wheel forward and backward. Application: Read a list, move a magazine, view inventory. Conditions: Direction and magnitude depend on settings and device. \n- Horizontal scrolling. Action: Provide horizontal scrolling or its available equivalent. Application: Timeline, wide map, table, item feed. Conditions: Not every mouse has a tilt wheel and a horizontal sensor. \n- Step by step search. Action: Each accumulated scroll step selects an adjacent option. Application: Weapon, tool, slot, floor, catalog page. Conditions: Do not count any event as one physical click of the wheel. \n- Scaling to pointer. Action: Spin the wheel; the point below the pointer remains the scale reference. Application: Map, diagram, 3D scene, level editor. Conditions: Limit the scale and maintain user orientation. \n- Adjusting the value. Action: Use the wheel to increase or decrease the parameter. Application: Brush size, volume, quantity, playback speed. Conditions: Do not change the value accidentally when scrolling the page normally. \n- Rotating an object with a wheel. Action: Use the wheel to change the angle of the selected object. Application: Rotate a building, puzzle piece, object before installation. Conditions: Show the angle and step of rotation. \n- Rewind time. Action: Scroll to move a position along the timeline. Application: Editing, replaying a battle, viewing animation, managing time in a puzzle. Conditions: Separate rewinding a position and changing the playback speed. \n- Depth control. Action: Scroll to zoom in or out of the captured object. Application: 3D location, capture distance, layer depth. Conditions: The input remains one axis, the depth is assigned by the program. \n- Rewinding and tension. Action: Rotate the wheel to feed or select length. Application: Fishing, winch, cable, manual mechanism. Conditions: Set the effect through the input value, not through the frequency of events. \n- Middle button dragging. Action: Hold the middle button and move the mouse. Application: Pan the canvas or map, move the view. Conditions: This is a wheel button press, separate from the wheel rotation. \n- Autoscroll by deviation. Action: Enable mode; the distance of the pointer from the reference point sets the speed. Application: Viewing a long document, panorama of a large map. Conditions: A neutral zone and an obvious exit are needed; Platform support varies. \n- Wheel with modifier. Action: Hold down a key or mouse button while scrolling. Application: Fine tuning, second axis, other parameter, changing zoom mode. Conditions: Shortcuts may be occupied by the browser or OS. "},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"mouse","id":"family-wheel","title":"Mouse interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/mouse/#family-wheel","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Wheel and scrolling","description":"The wheel scrolls or changes a parameter. In Preview scrolling moves the visible document region and helps navigate a long PDF.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/control-macos-preview.webp","width":788,"height":750,"game":"Preview (macOS)","sourceUrl":"https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/view-pdfs-and-images-prvw11470/11.0/mac/26","originalUrl":"https://help.apple.com/assets/67DB77BFAE89A3DDC700A869/67DB77C0E2208881620C3D38/en_US/918f957676bf215f21f57328147e8435.png","credit":"Apple","rights":"© Apple. Official support screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Preview: a document page and a scrollable thumbnail sidebar","alt":"Preview: a document page and a scrollable thumbnail sidebar","markers":[{"x":13,"y":67,"label":"Thumbnails relate scrolling to the position in the document"}]},"tips":["Bound the zoom range and check wheel and trackpad sensitivity."],"examples":[{"title":"Preview (macOS)","url":"https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/view-pdfs-and-images-prvw11470/11.0/mac/26"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/mouse"}}