single button contextual menu callup
for a long time there have been continual and consistent requests from many mac users for apple to come out with a multiple button mouse, with a scroll wheel.
at the same time, from day 1 of os x 1.0, you could call up contextual menus 2 ways: control+click, or, just simply holding the single mouse button down for a while, and the contextual menu appears.
i myself dont like to always look for the control key to press, so i dont use that way. i often use the second way, however, and have noticed that there is less and less of time lag from when you need to hold the button down, to the time when the menu appears. it has almost been perfected, i think, in terms of not needing a great amount of time before it appears. i would like to see a sys pref panel, much like the mouse speed, etc, that simply lets the user adjust the amount of time s/he must hold the button down before the menu appears.
if apple can pull off a single mouse button approach, that is fantastic.
the scroll effect is a bit more involved to pull off, i think. although just depressing the single button and then moving the mouse could be acceptable maybe...
as the builds of X get faster each time, isnt there anyone who would like apple to succeed in creating a system where a single button mouse is all that is needed?
think different!
(sorry if this should be in hardware or somewhere else.)
at the same time, from day 1 of os x 1.0, you could call up contextual menus 2 ways: control+click, or, just simply holding the single mouse button down for a while, and the contextual menu appears.
i myself dont like to always look for the control key to press, so i dont use that way. i often use the second way, however, and have noticed that there is less and less of time lag from when you need to hold the button down, to the time when the menu appears. it has almost been perfected, i think, in terms of not needing a great amount of time before it appears. i would like to see a sys pref panel, much like the mouse speed, etc, that simply lets the user adjust the amount of time s/he must hold the button down before the menu appears.
if apple can pull off a single mouse button approach, that is fantastic.
the scroll effect is a bit more involved to pull off, i think. although just depressing the single button and then moving the mouse could be acceptable maybe...
as the builds of X get faster each time, isnt there anyone who would like apple to succeed in creating a system where a single button mouse is all that is needed?
think different!
(sorry if this should be in hardware or somewhere else.)
Comments
This feature came in 9 by means of FinderPop, a third party extension, x provides no similar functionality.
However, a FinderPop - like behaviour with regard to control-free context menus in x would be a nice feature IMHO. A user configurable part of the context menu would be great as well.
I heared, that the author of FinderPop now works for Apple, but he seems not to be eager to hack the new system to reintoduce this missing feature.
<strong>You are puzzeling me. Since when is a feature in X that allows for ctrl -free contextual menus?
This feature came in 9 by means of FinderPop, a third party extension, x provides no similar functionality.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually, I used it in OS 9 without ever having purchased FinderPop, and I use it in OS X. It doesn't work in all applications yet, but in those applications where I actually use them (and also in the Dock) the click-and-hold approach works fine.
As an experiment, I'd be interested in trying a contextual menu that pops up when I just click on a file/files to select it/them. No modifiers or additional buttons.
That way, it kinda fits into the UI paradigm, but saves travelling up to the menu or having to use a keyboard shortcut.
When dragging, it'd just get out of the way.
How to make sure it doesn't cover something you'd like to click next is a bit tricky, tho.
Nice challenge anyway, it'd make contextual menus an instant and obvious thing.
J
there is 1. dont know if it werks for all contextual menus, or just the dock (cuz i only use the contextual menus in the dock and nowhere else), but its in there in the mouse prefs. iirc, there are like 2 opts there and i think its the one on the right (not infront of a mac now, so cant confirm). it got really annoying 4 me, whenever i wanted to m.t. the trash and i had to wait, so i started pokin around the prefs and there is was, a godsend.
Some Mac simpletons would consider a 2-button mouse a "keyboard on wheels"!
:0)
[ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: PooPooDoctor ]</p>
<strong>
Actually, I used it in OS 9 without ever having purchased FinderPop, and I use it in OS X. It doesn't work in all applications yet, but in those applications where I actually use them (and also in the Dock) the click-and-hold approach works fine.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I do not consider the pop-up menu of Dock items to be the contextual menu...however, click-and-hold in Finder, Mail, Photoshop, BBEdit, Navigator does nothing for me. If I use control-click the contextual menu pops up.
Can you confirm that click-and-hold e.g. on the desktop brings your context menu up? This never worked for me from 10beta to 10.1.5. And there is no prefs pane for this assuming I am not demented yet....
you are certainly not demented yet.
there is no click+hold implemented on an OS level, in os x, as far as i can tell.
as one of the previous posters told us, this is software based. so, for example, click+hold DOES open a contextual menu in, for example, internet explorer, if you are pointing at something that microsoft thinks is contextual menu worthy.
my original point is/was: i think this should be apple os implemented, os-wide. i like the idea of a one button mouse very much. it needs more work. i think apple can do it, in jagwire, if the system just speeds up a little bit more.
thnx
[ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: niji ]
[ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: niji ]</p>
I do wish al apps had click-and-hold contextual menus, though I'm sure if they were able to do it, the finder would somehow screw it up. come to think of it, how would click-and-hold context menus affect spring-loaded-folders? Are there any other hyphenated terms I'm forgetting?
I'm basically with niji and Kate on this. A simple delay-until-pop-up choice would be ideal IMO. There for power users, not necessary for casual ones.
Three button mouse, with scroll pad.
Mac Guru
What's wrong with that?
If you have a right mouse button, use it.
That's because you're a silly Mac user and used to the Mac user way of doing things. When I use the Mac I think it's stupid that without the two-button mouse I can't just right-click on something to get the properties.
To me, the right-button on the mouse provides a new menu to do things faster and to easily access common tasks with a single button.
You can for everything except desktop items.
Open a folder, File -> Properties
Right-click -> Properties on My Computer on the desktop is just the System control panel.
There is also a key combo for getting Properties.
<strong>You can for everything except desktop items.
Properties isn't what I was thinking of, sorry if I gave that impression by my quote above. I can see it was a poor choice to reuse your example in that (dare I say it) context.
Actually, it's not even a Windows thing I'm thinking of so much but they're as a Windows program thing, that is, problems with developers not thinking things through. (I always have a hell of a time finding stuff in Microsoft apps, but it's just a matter of where every time, not if it's there or not. But I digress...) It's true for our CAD platform, our various billing, timekeeping, submittal tracking applications, etc. too. They have stuff scattered sometimes with right-clicks, sometimes with menu items, never consistently. It's not always true -- better developers do things right. But it can be a real crap shoot to guess.
Unfortunately, I think that's true to some degree with some Mac OS X apps (like, uh, the Finder and maybe some ported programs), though it seems more are falling in line as time goes on.
BTW, I pre-ordered that Kensington mouse. It's sweeeet!
[ 06-24-2002: Message edited by: gordy ]</p>
Nope, look at the great keyboard they ship. Isn't that taking sales away from 3rd parties, too?
I can understand them thinking their OS only needs one button, but they allow contextual menus and people like them so they need to bite the bullet and give us a second button and a scroll wheel. Or hell, just a scroll wheel that would act as a second button when you clicked down on it.