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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing Desktop
This is a pretty minor hint, but it saves a lot of frustration for people like me who still can't keep the crayon between the lines. It used to be that whenever I was trying to select an item in a submenu (like "Recent Files" menus) and the menu was extra wide because one of the items in it had a really long name, I would move the mouse too far up or down, and the submenu would disappear before I got over to it.

The solution is very simple. Single click on the menu you want (don't hold down the mouse button after you have selected it). This will open the menu, and leave it displayed. Now move to the menu item containing the desired submenu. Here's the tricky bit -- hold down the mouse button while you move to the submenu. This will keep the selected menu item active until you reach its submenu.
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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing | 12 comments | Create New Account
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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: ether on Sep 20, '04 12:08:25PM

Cool. Now if only there were a way to get it to
work with sub-sub-menus.



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sub-sub-...-sub-menus
Authored by: mkhaw on Sep 20, '04 04:09:00PM

Once I click to get the main menu, I can roll into arbitrarily deep sub-sub-...-sub-menus. The only problem occurs when I inadvertently tap the touchpad while moving the cursor, which of course the system interprets as a menu selection.



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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: maddys_daddy on Sep 20, '04 12:37:07PM

YOU GET TO USE CRAYONS???? LUCKY !!!! Seriously, though, I am often plagued with this, especially with this stupid trackpad on my PB, so this hint was helpful to me. Thanks.



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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: MJCube on Sep 20, '04 03:26:48PM

At first I thought this wasn't working for me, because I confused the issue with a similar one: When you're on a submenu, if you accidentally move back into its parent menu for even an instant, you lose the submenu. This hint doesn't address that problem; just the problem of getting across to the submenu in the first place without losing it.

And that issue is more forgiving because there's a delay: If you move horizontally or even diagonally across the main menu, the submenu stays put for a full second after you leave the main menu item. The System seems to allow movement within 45° of horizontal from the main menu item; if it's any more vertical than that, the submenu disappears immediately.

So this hint is helpful if it takes you much more than one second to get over to a submenu.



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Actually, it doesn't work after all
Authored by: MJCube on Sep 20, '04 03:50:42PM

On further investigation of the hint, turns out it makes no difference whether you press the mouse on the main menu item. My rule above applies the same as without the mouse button: If you move within 45° of horizontally, you have 1 full second after the mouse leaves the main menu item to get to the submenu before it disappears.

So I guess the Anonymous tipster was staying within that angular range and only thought the persistence of the submenu was due to holding the mouse button. Anyone have a different response?



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Yes, it does (for me at least)
Authored by: gourls on Sep 20, '04 05:32:28PM
I have been doing that for awhile. It never fails me. Anyone who reads this comment should click on my username and be surprised. I figured it out all myself.

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School is a hard life.........you had better believe it.

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It does work, kinda.....
Authored by: masjones on Sep 20, '04 11:16:18PM

If you hold down the button like the tipster suggests and then mouse over the sub-menu you want open, it will stay open as long as you keep the button pressed, no matter where you go on the screen or how long you are off the sub-menu. Just be careful you don't mouse over the parent menu, that will cause the sub-menu to close immediately!



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Re: It does work, kinda.....
Authored by: MJCube on Sep 20, '04 11:58:27PM

... Or to the menu bar, because then you get a whole new menu. So how is that any different from just rolling the mouse over to the submenu?



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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: prk on Sep 20, '04 03:53:44PM

I hate it that the industry has done away with click->menu->click->submenu->click...

It was so much easier to click on what you wanted than to roll over what you want.



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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: romulis on Sep 21, '04 04:32:52AM

There is one other way to stop the menus disappearing.

Hitting ctrl-f2 puts the CURSOR focus in the menu bar. You can then use the arrow keys AND THE MOUSE to move around as much as you like. Combining the two you can use the mouse to get close to where you want to be, and then use the cursor keys for the fine-grade hand-eye co-ordination.

On a similar note ctrl-f3 puts the cursor in the dock by the way.

Steve
PS: The 45° angle thing was new - good tip. Easy once you know how :-)



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Stop neurotic submenus from disappearing
Authored by: osxpounder on Sep 22, '04 01:02:48PM

I'm not sure, but I believe you have to turn on full keyboard access for those keyboard shortcuts to work.

Moreover, you can change these CTRL F2-type keyboard shortcuts [in Panther's Keyboard & Mouse prefs panel, under Keyboard Shortcuts.]

I changed mine to CTRL m for Focus on Menu, and CTRL D for Focus on Dock, since that's easier to remember and seldom conflicts with anything else I'm running [thought it could be a prob if you are using a terminal app with a command prompt at the time].


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osxpounder



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Full Keyboard Access does even more
Authored by: MJCube on Sep 23, '04 01:00:39AM

Nope, actually the menus, dock, windows, etc. work with Full Keyboard Access off. These functions are listed (and can be turned on & off individually) in System Prefs > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts, under "Keyboard Navigation". Full Keyboard Access gives you other, even more specific controls.



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