Bug 87460

Summary:	Snap mouse pointer to menu corner
Product:	[Plasma] kwin	Reporter:	Pandu Rao <pandu_rao>
Component:	general	Assignee:	KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Severity:	wishlist
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Debian testing
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments:	rmb_normal(Normal position of context menu) rmb_too_low(Position of context menu when rmb click is too low)

Description Pandu Rao 2004-08-18 21:36:38 UTC

Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.3.0)
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages
OS:                Linux

One common annoyance in all desktop environments is the pseudo-unpredictability of the location of the context menu.

See rmb_normal.png for a case where the right-mouse-button was clicked at a point sufficiently high from the bottom of the window.

See rmb_too_low.png for an example of the problem.

In both cases the window size or position had not changed. The only change was the point at which I clicked the right-mouse-button. When the user clicks and expects a menu to pop-up, they also expect it to popup at an exact point. This is normal and application menus and Kmenu(to some extent) follow this convention. But the context menu is different. Its pseudo-unpredictable.

I say pseudo-unpredictable because normally, the context menu appears to the right and to the botton of the mouse pointer. But it will appear to the left and/or to the top of the mouse pointer. If the pointer is too close to the right and/or bottom boundary.

My suggestion is that the mouse pointer should automatically snap to the left-top(rather, locale specific, in case of right-to left reading population) corner. This will work even with the dynamic sizing of the context-menu.

Thanks,
Pandu

Comment 1 Pandu Rao 2004-08-18 21:37:56 UTC

Created attachment 7168 [details]
rmb_normal(Normal position of context menu)

rmb_normal(Normal position of context menu)

Comment 2 Pandu Rao 2004-08-18 21:38:58 UTC

Created attachment 7169 [details]
rmb_too_low(Position of context menu when rmb click is too low)

rmb_too_low(Position of context menu when rmb click is too low)

Comment 3 Lubos Lunak 2004-08-23 16:38:04 UTC

I'm not sure I comprehend. Are you suggesting that instead possibly slightly confusing the user by sometimes showing the popup to the top-left from the cursor, the popup should be shown to the top-left from the cursor and then the cursor should be moved to confuse the user even more?

Comment 4 Pandu Rao 2004-08-23 17:59:23 UTC

No, I'm suggesting that there be consistency when a user brings up the context menu. The popup menu would appear in the same position it does now, only the cursor snaps to the menu's top-left corner.

Here's my reasoning:
Users navigate the menu system more by position than by reading the menu text. Initially, a user may read the text, but they soon graduate to the locate-entity-by-position methods.

Consider how expert users use the regular menu system in Konqueror. They know from usage that the Location Menu is the leftmost, next is the Edit Menu and so on.

One cannot gain this kind of familiarity with the context menu. Simply because the context menu keeps changing in size and in the number of menu items.

This may help alleviate another problem commonly observed in the case of System Tray items. I click the right mouse button and the bottom-most item is "Quit". And I release the mouse button. The small motion of releasing the mouse button moves the highlight "Quit" and then mouse button event is sent to "Quit" item. I exited a system tray application without intending to!

One solution to the system tray accidental quit problem is that system tray menu be padded at the bottom by an empty entry preventing accidetal exits. Or the cursor could snap to the left-top corner of the menu. Let me know if the padded entry is a good idea, then I can create another wishlist request for that.

In any case, if the snap-to-menu-corner feature were configurable (and turned off by default), then it won't confuse users and still be available to people who need it.

I've also recommended, in another kde wishlist request, the-snap-cursor-to-default-button in dialog boxes. This was a very useful feature available in the Logitech mouse driver in Windows 3.1.

Hope this clarifies my reasoning.

Regards,
Pandu

Comment 5 Lubos Lunak 2004-09-22 17:35:29 UTC

And here's my reasoning against:
The fact that the popup menu sometimes doesn't appear to the bottom-right of the cursor is unfortunate, but if there's no space for it there, then it simple doesn't fit there. However, I consider moving the cursor under the user's hands even worse than this. The same applies for the default button in dialog, especially in the case the dialog was unexpected.
If in some case you get a popup placed under the mouse cursor so that releasing the mouse activates an option, then that's a bug in the application, and please report it to the application.
You can discuss this e.g. on the kde-usability mailing list if you want, and if you find support there, please reopen this bugreport, but for now -> closing.