What is a cursor and why is it important in computing? (2024)

FAQs

Why are cursors important? ›

Cursors are often used to highlight text or objects on the screen so that they can be selected. For example, in a word processor, the cursor can be used to select text, format it, and insert new text.

A cursor is a moveable icon (generally moved with the mouse) that shows the user where any input into the computer will be placed or where an action will occur. For example, if the cursor is moved on the screen to a button in a program or application and the mouse left button is clicked, it will action.

Cursors allow a client application to access individual rows within a result set, rather than merely retrieve a complete set of data rows. A single connection can have multiple cursors open at the same time.

Cursors allow us to perform operations such as updating, deleting, or inserting records based on some condition or criteria. Cursors are especially useful when processing data from multiple tables where the relationships are not straightforward.

A cursor keeps track of the position in the result set, and allows you to perform multiple operations row by row against a result set, with or without returning to the original table. In other words, cursors conceptually return a result set based on tables within the databases.

Cursors are used by database programmers to process individual rows returned by database system queries. Cursors enable manipulation of whole result sets at once. In this scenario, a cursor enables the sequential processing of rows in a result set.

The Cursor Tools provide easy access to a number of closely related sub-features. They are located at the top-middle part of the user interface. There are additional cursors available by clicking and holding on the cursors with a small arrow to their right. Cursor Tools can also be activated by keyboard shortcuts.

You can declare a cursor, open it, fetch rows from it, perform operations on each row, and close it when you are done. Cursors are useful when you need to perform row-level logic, such as updating, deleting, or inserting data based on some conditions.

It's important to use the appropriate tool based on the task you want to perform. If you need to type or make changes to text, the text cursor is the correct choice. If you want to click on buttons, select items, or perform other actions within an application, the mouse pointer is more suitable.

A cursor is a graphical element on your computer screen that shows your position in a software interface. Typically, it's represented by a blinking vertical line in text editors or a pointer arrow on your desktop.

What happens if cursor is not working? ›

If you have a wired mouse, unplug it from the computer and then plug it back in, maybe even in a different USB port. For wireless mice, remove the attachment in the USB port and shut the mouse off, and then plug it back in, wait a minute, and switch it back on.

The following example uses a cursor to select employee_id and last_name from the employees table where department_id is 30 Two variables are declared to hold the fetched values from the cursor, and the FETCH statement retrieves rows one at a time in a loop to retrieve all rows.

A mouse pointer is a small, graphical symbol or icon that appears on your computer screen and moves in response to your physical mouse movements. It serves as a visual representation of the position and actions of your mouse.