middle button to open a new tab

[David Prieto]

Binary package hint: firefox-3.0

1- If you left-click on the dropdown button to the left of the URL bar, and then click on an URL, you're taken to that address.

2 - If you click on the button, then MIDDLE-CLICK on the URL, firefox opens it on a new tab.

Something I usually do is clicking the dropdown button and keep pressed, then release the button when I'm over the desired URL that allows me to perform operation no.1 with just one click.

I would like to be able to perform operation no.2 with just one click too, that is, MIDDLE-CLICKING the dropdown button and keep pressed, then release when I'm over the desired URL to open it on a new tab. But it seems middle-clicking the dropdown button has no effect at all.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. middle click and hold the dropdown history button at the right of the URL bar

Actual Results:
nothing happens

Expected Results:
a. History shows (as if left mouse button was clicked).
b. Pointer can be moved down to chosen URL in the history shown, while holding
middle button.
c. Releasing middle button at chosen URL opens URL in new tab.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 05:57:57AM -0000, David Prieto wrote:
> Public bug reported:
>
> Binary package hint: firefox-3.0
>
> 1- If you left-click on the dropdown button to the left of the URL bar,
> and then click on an URL, you're taken to that address.
>
> 2 - If you click on the button, then MIDDLE-CLICK on the URL, firefox
> opens it on a new tab.
>
> Something I usually do is clicking the dropdown button and keep pressed,
> then release the button when I'm over the desired URL that allows me to
> perform operation no.1 with just one click.
>
> I would like to be able to perform operation no.2 with just one click
> too, that is, MIDDLE-CLICKING the dropdown button and keep pressed, then
> release when I'm over the desired URL to open it on a new tab. But it
> seems middle-clicking the dropdown button has no effect at all.
>
> ** Affects: firefox-3.0 (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Undecided
> Status: New
>

Please look in bugzilla.mozilla.org and use the advanced search page
to search the "Firefox" Product and the "History" Component for
eventual duplicates.

If you dont find any, please file a new enhancement bug against that
component in bugzilla and give us your bug id.

 affects firefox
 status incomplete
 importance wishlist

 affects ubuntu/firefox-3.0
 status incomplete
 importance wishlist

Thanks,

 - Alexander

[nine (niin-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008061015 Firefox/3.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9) Gecko/2008061015 Firefox/3.0

1- If you left-click on the dropdown button to the right of the URL bar, and then click on an URL, you're taken to that address.

2 - If you click on the button, then MIDDLE-CLICK on the URL, firefox opens it on a new tab.

Something I usually do is clicking the dropdown button and keep pressed, then release the button when I'm over the desired URL that allows me to perform operation no.1 with just one click.

I would like to be able to perform operation no.2 with just one click too, that is, MIDDLE-CLICKING the dropdown button and keep pressed, then release when I'm over the desired URL to open it on a new tab. But it seems middle-clicking the dropdown button has no effect at all.

This bug was originally filed by David Prieto on the ubuntu bugtracker at https://launchpad.net/bugs/239926.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. middle click and hold the dropdown history button at the right of the URL bar

Actual Results:
nothing happens

Expected Results:
a. History shows (as if left mouse button was clicked).
b. Pointer can be moved down to chosen URL in the history shown, while holding middle button.
c. Releasing middle button at chosen URL opens URL in new tab.

[nine (niin-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Filed upstream bug. Added it as a bugwatch to project ask.

[nine (niin-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

Easily reproduced. In my opinion this wish would improve usability. Assuming the incomplete status was because of a wait for the bug being forwarded upstream (which is done now): setting status to confirmed.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

Middle clicking on drop down buttons or menu items doesn't activate items in UI atm. But location bar has a special middle mouse semantic anyway, so I don't think this is an invalid request. confirming.

[Mike Connor (mconnor)]

Not sure I have a reason to WONTFIX outright, but certainly nowhere near a priority.

[Adam Dane (unusualtears)]

Created attachment 524711
Proposed, exceedingly simple patch

All this does is adds a duplicate XBL:handler that specifies button="1". This allows the history popup to be displayed while holding, and on release over an item it opens in a new tab.

[Gavin Sharp (gavin-sharp)]

Comment on attachment 524711
Proposed, exceedingly simple patch

Rather than doing this, I'd just remove the "button" attribute on the existing handler in favor of code that checks (event.button == 0 || event.button == 1).

But I'm not sure it makes sense to do this at all, it doesn't seem like a common or discoverable UI behavior. Do any other dropdown lists behave this way on any platform or in other browsers?

[Adam Dane (unusualtears)]

Both Nautilus and Epiphany behave this way for their Bookmarks menus. They also respond to ctrl+click, which the awesome bar already supports. I'm not aware of this behavior on other platforms or browsers, however.

The feature fits well with the semantics of using middle-mouse to create new tabs, as well as adding consistency to the interface (wherever a user can ctrl+click, they should be able to middle-click).

There is a general need for better discovery for UI generally (as evinced by frequent user discussions about features found by chance), but this feature does not seem to make that problem better or worse.

[Differcookie (differcookie)]

Bug 505236 is related if it resolves with a patch. Maybe.