Long click display of a context menu
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:
by a computing system having one or more computer processors:
providing a user interface of a software application on a display device;
detecting a first click operation of a mouse;
determining, by accessing settings or configurations relating to an operating system, whether accessing a context menu by a second click operation of the mouse in the user interface is disabled by the operating system, wherein:
the mouse comprises at least a first button and a second button,
the first click operation is associated with the first button,
the second click operation is associated with the second button, and
the operating system is different from the software application; and
in response to determining that accessing the context menu by the second click operation is disabled by the operating system, and further in response to detecting the first click operation:
displaying in the user interface of the software application indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the first click operation is active, wherein said displaying is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since detecting the first click operation; and
in response to determining that the first click operation is active for at least the threshold time period, displaying the context menu in the user interface of the software application.
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 further comprising:
by the computing system having one or more computer processors:
further in response to determining that accessing the context menu by the second click operation is disabled:
in response to determining that the first click operation is deactivated before the threshold time period, terminating display of the indicia.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waiting period is proportional to the threshold time period.
6. 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.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display of the context menu and the display of the indicia overlap at least in part.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
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 first button and a second button; 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 activation of the first button;
determine, by accessing settings or configurations relating to an operating system different from the particular software application, a context menu operation in the user interface associated with the second button is disabled by the operating system different from the particular software application; and
in response to determining the context menu operation associated with the second button is disabled by the operating system, and further in response to detecting activation of the first button:
display in the user interface of the particular software application indicia indicating a portion of a threshold time period that the first button has been activated, wherein said displaying is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the first button; and
in response to determining that the first button has been activated for at least the threshold time period, display the context menu in the user interface of the particular software application.
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 instructions are further executable by the one or more computer processors to:
in response to determining that the first button has been not been activated before the threshold time period has elapsed, terminate display of the indicia.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.
13. The system of claim 12 , 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.
14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
15. 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;
detect a first click operation of a mouse;
determine, by accessing settings or configurations relating to an operating system, whether a second click operation of a mouse to access a context menu in the user interface is disabled by the operating system, wherein:
the mouse comprises at least a first button and second button,
the first click operation is associated with the first button,
the second click operation is associated with the second button, and
the operating system is different from the software application; and
in response to determining that the second click operation to access the context menu is disabled by the operating system, and that the first click operation is active for at least a threshold time period:
display in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the first click operation is active, wherein said displaying is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since detecting the first click operation; and
display the context menu in the user interface of the software application.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor to:
further in response to determining that the second click operation to access the context menu is disabled:
in response to determining that the first click operation is deactivated before the threshold time period has lapsed, terminate display of the indicia.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the waiting period is shorter than the threshold time period.