Mouse hover over context menu

Help & Support
1

I don't use the mouse much, I mainly use the keyboard. In particular I use the Menu Key to bring up the current context menu (aka as right click menu) and the arrow keys to traverse the menu.

My problem is the that mouse keeps taking focus from where I put the it with the keyboard direction keys to wherever it is - assuming its over the context menu
I thought keyboard events took precedence over mouse event - especially hover events. Here's how to repeat

  1. Put the mouse pointer outside the Opus window, eg over the taskbar - let go of the mouse
  2. Navigate using the keyboard, to folder or file item in the lister, anyone will do
  3. Press the menu key - its probably between right alt and right ctrl - ie the mirror of the Windows key
  4. Use the arrow keys to traverse the context menu list - notice how the highlight goes up and down, and how the arrow keys will take you into flyout menus
    5 Hit Esc to dismiss the context menu

Now

1 Put the mouse pointer (don't click anything) in the region where you just had the context menu - let go of the mouse
2. Press the menu key - check to ensure the mouse is hovering over the menu - if not then move it and let it go
3 Now try to traverse the menu with the arrow keys - on my system the mouse keep putting the focus back to its hover point
4. Now move the mouse away from the context menu, now you should be able to use the arrow keys to traverse the context menu

If you normally use the mouse to do things, then your reaction will probably be so what - just move the mouse.
If your keyboard centric then MenuKey+a sequence of arrows+Enter, becomes ingrained
Having the mouse take way focus is a lot like having an invisible someone take control of the steering wheel when you're driving.

I think its related to the displaying infotips in context menu's
I would be quite happy to turn it off - if there's a place to do it
I don't get infotips on context menu's in other programs - tested explorer, chrome, firefox, word, excel, photoshop, calibre
I can navigate their context menus with the keyboard whilst the the mouse pointer is hovers over the content menu.

If there is a global windows setting then it appears to be already off, but I have no recollection of ever doing anything special

I don't have any special mouse drivers (e.g. Logitech), I have terminated Katmouse and rebooted without it

I have CP->Mouse->pointer Options->Hide Pointer when typing turned on, turning it off made no difference

I have set show infotips off in File Display Options, but that is about file infotips, not about the context menu infotips

Thanks BR

2

I think this problem has gone up in smoke - and I've no idea why - I did turn the machine off for a couple of hours

3

I also noticed many times that when context menu is shown, DO selects menu entry that is under mouse cursor when menu appears.
It seems that the menu item is also selected each several seconds which is very annoying when using keyboard to navigate through context menus.
This issue does not affect Explorer.

Please let us know if you, developers, know what we mean or you need more details.

4

Thanks daroc - nice to know I'm not the last person remaining who uses the keyboard

My solution seems to have been a reboot

If I see it again I'm going to exit the DO Tray task and restart DO from the task bar. If that doesn't work then I'll reboot.

But at least I now know I wasn't seeing things

Thanks BR

5

@daroc - have you come to grips with the Mouse Button Behavior in Preferences->File Display Modes->Power Mode - I haven't

Might it have something to do with this - I did change file selection/highlighting system to "Full row" - its wasn't an idle choice it's what I want, so I went looking for it.

Also I still cant repeat it the behaviour I was getting earlier today

BR

6

I think that Power Mode settings have nothing to do with it. It happens to me when using List and Large Icons view.

7

I had this problem again, closing DO didn't solve it, but a reboot did - is dopus.exe the only component that runs

Was happening on DO menu & Explorer menu (via shift) - but not in native Explorer or my old file manager :sigh:

Thanks BR

8

Restarting Opus or rebooting would not make any difference.

Ignoring the mouse position when file/folder context menus are opened via the keyboard has simply been overlooked until now.

It is done when opening toolbar menus, and it may also be done for menus in particular places (or special items, like "Computer" in the Desktop folder) which are handled via the system rather than Opus's custom menu code. Maybe one of those is the source of confusion about reboots appearing to change things. But if you're comparing the same menu every time then you should always get the same behaviour.

We'll aim to fix it for the file context menus.

9

Solved - Park Cursor Aside

Xerox Star had a Mouse Park, we used to make jokes about it - the kids from Cupertino and Seattle forgot to copy it.

Thanks BR

10

This is now fixed for the next update.

11

Great - meantime Park Cursor Aside solves the problem.

I'll probably keep it, should have got it ages ago . Wheres the mouse? Where it always is middle left edge.

I forgot we had it on Star, I worked at Parc Place for a while in the '80's, I have a suspicion the Visicorp crew copied it into Visi-On.

cheers BR