Long click display of a context menu
View Patent ↗In cases where the right mouse click operation to access a context menu is disabled, the techniques described in the disclosure may provide access to the context menu through a long click of the left mouse button. For example, the user may click and hold the left mouse button for at least a threshold period of time, and in response thereto, the user interface is updated to display the context menu. To indicate to the user how long it would take for the context menu to appear, an icon can be displayed next to the cursor, or as a part of the cursor. The icon can show the relative time left before the context menu is displayed (e.g., an elapsed and/or remaining portion of the threshold period of time, etc.).
1. A method of providing a context menu in a user interface, the method comprising:
providing a user interface of a software application on a display device using one or more computer processors;
determining, by a computing system having one or more computer processors, whether accessing a context menu by right click operation of a mouse is disabled by an operating system, website, or other software application,
wherein the mouse comprises at least a right button and a left button, the right click operation being associated with the right button; and
in response to determining that accessing the context menu by the right click operation of the mouse is disabled, performing by the software application:
detecting activation of the left button;
displaying in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the left button has been activated, wherein said displaying is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the left button;
in response to determining that the left button has been activated for at least the threshold time period, displaying the context menu in the user interface; and
in response to determining that the left button has been deactivated before the threshold time period has lapsed, terminating display of the indicia.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicia depicts one or more of: a clock that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, a cursor that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, or a circle that indicates the portion of the threshold time period.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mouse comprises at least one other button different from the left button and the right button, and the at least one other button is located left of the left button.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waiting period is proportional to the threshold time period.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold time period is longer than a duration of a click of the mouse for selecting an item in the user interface or for opening a menu in the user interface.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display of the context menu and the display of the indicia overlap at least in part.
9. A system comprising:
computer hardware comprising one or more computer processors;
a mouse in communication with the one or more computer processors and comprising at least a right button and one other button, wherein a context menu operation associated with the right button is disabled by an operating system, website, or software application; and
a storage device storing instructions executable by the one or more computer processors to:
provide a user interface of a particular software application on a display device;
detect, by the particular software application, activation of the one other button;
display, by the particular software application, in the user interface indicia indicating a portion of a threshold time period that the one other button has been activated, wherein the displaying of the indicia is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the one other button;
in response to determining, by the particular software application, that the one other button has been activated for at least the threshold time period, display the context menu in the user interface; and
in response to determining that the one other button has been deactivated before the threshold time period has lapsed, terminate display of the indicia.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the indicia depicts one or more of: a clock that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, a cursor that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, or a circle that indicates the portion of the threshold time period.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one other button is a left button.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the mouse comprises a left button, and the one other button is a button that is different from the left button and the right button.
14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the threshold time period is longer than a duration of a click of the mouse for selecting an item in the user interface or for opening a menu in the user interface.
16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by a computer processor to:
provide a user interface of a software application on a display device;
determine whether right click operation of a mouse to access a context menu is disabled by an operating system, website, or other software application,
wherein the mouse comprises at least a right button and one other button, the right click operation being associated with the right button; and
in response to determining, by the software application, that the right click operation of the mouse to access the context menu is disabled:
detect, by the software application, activation of the one other button;
display in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the left button has been activated, wherein the displaying of the indicia is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the left button;
in response to determining, by the software application that the one other button has been activated for at least a threshold time period,
display the context menu in the user interface; and
in response to determining that the one other button has been deactivated before the threshold time period has lapsed, terminate display of the indicia.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the one other button is a left button.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the mouse comprises a left button, and the one other button is a button that is different from the left button and the right button.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.