Bug 169041 - Opening the context menu by right click for some object doesn't work the context menu being still active for different object (comment 10)
Summary: Opening the context menu by right click for some object doesn't work the cont...
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
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Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Selection
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Reported: 2025-10-24 18:57 UTC by Telesto
Modified: 2025-11-12 02:17 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

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Description Telesto 2025-10-24 18:57:33 UTC
Description:
Shape keeps being selected, if object being selected by Right Click and left clicked outside the shape

Steps to Reproduce:
Use-case scenario
1. Open Draw
2. Insert a circle (in principle any shape)
3. Insert a square
4. Right Click the Circle -> Circle selected, context menu opens; fine
5. Change your mind, right click the square (nothing happens)

Simplified
1. Open Draw
2. Insert a circle (in principle any shape). Deselect it
3. Right click the circle -> Circle selected, context menu opens; fine
4. Click somewhere outside the shape 

Not specific to Draw (also in Writer)


Actual Results:
Closing the context menu is separated from deselecting

Expected Results:
If I wanted to close the context menu, and having the shape still being selected I would click on the shape. If I click outside the shape I would expect it to close the context menu + deselect.

So the opposite of the Right Click selecting the object + opening the context menu.

Reason: 
* additional effort (2 clicks) 
* it breaks the 'flow'
* it's consistent behaviour


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
Version: 26.2.0.0.alpha0+ (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: d60ff8c8bd4e3ebf8f84f53448ead3c838332ea9
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 10 X86_64 (build 19045); UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: nl-NL (nl_NL); UI: en-US
Calc: CL threaded

already in OpenOffice 2.2.0
Comment 1 Telesto 2025-10-24 18:59:01 UTC
Valid request or just me finding this annoying?
Comment 2 Eyal Rozenberg 2025-10-24 19:10:38 UTC
It's not an outlandish suggestion.

In fact, there is some inconsistency about this choice between different applications, and usage scenarios in those applications.

For example: in Telegram, right-clicking and even choosing an action on the context menu of one message does not clear a selection in another message.

In CLion/IntelliJ IDEA, if you have one file selected in the file list but right-click another - the right-clicked file is selected.

In Inkscape, if you select one shape and right-click another - the right-clicked shape gets selected.

My question to you would be: Within selecting the right-clicked shape, how would the user know _which_ shape it is that they selected? That's not as trivial a question as you might imagine, because you may have, for example, two squares which intersect; if you show the selection rectangle, you know you have one rather than the other; but otherwise - you might be guessing. And since your action is relevant to the right-clicked object, it's a problem if you don't know which one it is.
Comment 3 Telesto 2025-10-24 20:22:35 UTC
(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #2)
> My question to you would be: Within selecting the right-clicked shape, how
> would the user know _which_ shape it is that they selected? That's not as
> trivial a question as you might imagine, because you may have, for example,
> two squares which intersect; if you show the selection rectangle, you know
> you have one rather than the other; but otherwise - you might be guessing.
> And since your action is relevant to the right-clicked object, it's a
> problem if you don't know which one it is.

There is surely an interdependency between your question and mine. So the solution for your problem might affect the solution for mine. However your question sounds like a different topic.

I'm quite familiar with the matter of Right Click Selecting an object + opening context menu (the Inkscape behaviour). As 'shortcut' of having to select the object first (say be left click) followed by right click to open the context menu. I do actually like it

I struggle more with (a) closing the context menu and (b) deselecting the object. I see this too as single action (at least from mouse user perspective). It might be technically two different things, but I don't see why this not having the same 'shortcut' as when opening the context menu for a deselected shape
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2025-10-27 09:43:26 UTC
If you are in the context of a pull down menu any click outside closes the popup. You should not expect the selection to change. Imagine you do the same with text in Writer. To close the context menu on right click somewhere else is just standard behavior.
Comment 5 Eyal Rozenberg 2025-10-27 11:24:19 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4)

Heiko, I believe you've misunderstood Telesto's complaint

> You should not expect the selection to change. 

But the bug is about how the selection _does_ change: Right-clicking a shape switches the selection to that shape, even though the user may only have wanted to trigger the context menu.
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2025-10-27 11:45:23 UTC
(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #5)
> But the bug is about how the selection _does_ change: Right-clicking a shape
> switches the selection to that shape, even though the user may only have
> wanted to trigger the context menu.

Double checked on Windows: clicking apart from the popup closes it.
Comment 7 Eyal Rozenberg 2025-10-27 13:50:45 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #6)
> Double checked on Windows: clicking apart from the popup closes it.

That's not what this bug is about, Heiko.
Comment 8 Telesto 2025-10-28 19:37:07 UTC
(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #5)
> But the bug is about how the selection _does_ change: Right-clicking a shape
> switches the selection to that shape, even though the user may only have
> wanted to trigger the context menu.

Nope this was not what I intended to convey. Right-clicking a shape switching the selection to that shape. I personally like that.
Comment 9 Eyal Rozenberg 2025-10-28 19:39:41 UTC
(In reply to Telesto from comment #8)
> (In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #5)
> > But the bug is about how the selection _does_ change: Right-clicking a shape
> > switches the selection to that shape, even though the user may only have
> > wanted to trigger the context menu.
> 
> Nope this was not what I intended to convey. Right-clicking a shape
> switching the selection to that shape. I personally like that.

Ah, so it was me who was misunderstanding. I now don't get what this bug is about, so re-resolving to Heiko's resolution.
Comment 10 Telesto 2025-10-28 20:07:02 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4)
> If you are in the context of a pull down menu any click outside closes the
> popup. You should not expect the selection to change. Imagine you do the
> same with text in Writer. To close the context menu on right click somewhere
> else is just standard behavior.

Hmm.. there is some ambiguity here. You are talking about the Context Menu. Not the menu bar pull down. That are two different ways of interacting..

---
 
I squeezed two subtle different problems in in one bug. Lets limit this bug to the first one

1. Two shapes (A & B) both deselected
2. Right Click shape A: shape A gets selected & right click context menu opens (expected). 
* Conclude you selected the wrong shape, by being imprecise within a complex drawing 
* Keep in mind that closing a context menu without action by (left) mouse click can be tricky, as you need to find some empty space to click on
3. Try to correct: Right Click Shape B without closing the context menu): right click context menu for Shape A closes... Expected: Shape B selected + Context Menu (as in step 2)

It feels weird that you need to double right click. First Right Click to close the context menu. Second Right Click to Select & Open the Context menu.

Yes, this is not specific to Draw. Other parts of the suite do the same.

However this different from other apps I'm used to. Say Word or Evernote
Comment 11 Telesto 2025-10-29 01:21:24 UTC
Fascinating. LibreOffice on macOS does what I would expect. Only glitchy regarding the selected shape handles. The don't show or worse, handles show for different shape. compared to the object actually selected. So where the action actually applied to

Version: 26.2.0.0.alpha0+ (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 18bde21b1d700bbf97e001a13ba9389dc7f9efc7
CPU threads: 8; OS: macOS 14.7.4; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: osx
Locale: nl-NL (nl_NL.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded
Comment 12 GJord 2025-11-12 02:17:54 UTC
Tested on Windows 11 using LibreOffice 25.8.2.2 (x86_64). Behavior as described. Right-clicking a second shape closes the previous context menu but does not immediately open a new one. Appears to match standard Windows UI handling.