Keyboard shortcut for context-sensitive menu/right-click?

Question

Keyboard shortcut for context-sensitive menu/right-click?

Long-time Windows power user/Java developer/Mac envier, new Mac OS X user (finally!).

OK, so a nice feature in Windows that I used all of the time was the context-sensitive menu key. This key allowed me to not have to use the mouse to right-click something in order to get the pop-up context-sensitive menu wherever focus happened to be. There is no equivalent key that I can see on my MacBook Pro.

Not only is there only one button for the Mac, I have to hold ctrl or option in order to do the equivalent of a Windows mouse right-click.

Can anyone tell me how I might find or assign a keystroke to get the context-sensitive menu to pop-up based on wherever the current focus is? It is driving me crazy having to back and forth between the keyboard & mouse.

Thanks,
Matthew

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Nov 6, 2007 11:50 AM

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Answer 1

joshz

Level 4

3,290 points

Nov 6, 2007 2:47 PM in response to matthewadams12

hold one finger on the trackpad while 'clicking' with the other.
(if it doesn't work, go to >System Preferences...>Keyboard and Mouse>Trackpad.)
Good luck!

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Answer 2

Nov 7, 2007 9:22 AM in response to joshz

Thanks, but I want to be able to do it without using the mouse (or trackpad -- same thing).

Any ideas?

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Answer 3

joshz

Level 4

3,290 points

Nov 7, 2007 11:57 AM in response to matthewadams12

if you want, you can use the trackpad as the cursor, but there is no way that i know of to assign a keyboard shortcut to the contextual menu.

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Answer 4

Nov 21, 2007 10:43 AM in response to joshz

So I found out some more information. Check

http://blog.matthewadams.org/2007/11/mac-os-x-mouse-follows-focus-not-focus.html

If Apple (or someone) could add an option in System Preferences somewhere to allow me to reassign the keystroke for the contextual menu (from Fn-NumPad-5 or Fn-Option-I on portables) and to allow me to specify whether the virtual click is at the current mouse location or the current focus, I'd be good to go.

Anyone from Apple listening?

-matthew

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Answer 5

joshz

Level 4

3,290 points

Nov 21, 2007 2:59 PM in response to matthewadams12

Apple generally doesn't look at these forums, but you can fill out the feedback form at http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html/

Good luck!

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Answer 6

Nov 21, 2007 3:27 PM in response to joshz

Thanks for the pointer! I did what I could and gave my feedback. I hope someone's listening...

-matthew

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