[Patch] Allow selection of relations in relation membership table via middle click

[Woazboat]

Allow selection of parent relations in relation membership table via a single mouse click, without having to go through the context popup menu

​https://github.com/JOSM/josm/pull/97
​https://github.com/JOSM/josm/pull/97.patch

[taylor.smock]

Stupid question:
Are there any other programs (besides internet browsers) where this is the expected behavior? It seems kind of odd to me that middle click would do that.

I can see how this would be a nice to have, but the behavior seems non-obvious, so I'd like to see some UI hints somewhere that indicates that middle-click will select the relation.

Failing that, some kind of notification indicating that the relation was selected due to a middle mouse click would be nice.

[Woazboat]

I would have loved to use the normal left mouse click for that, but pretty much all other options except middle click are already used for other actions:

• Single left click (+ modifiers) is used for selection of items in the list itself.
• Double left click (which would be the most obvious choice for this) is already used for opening the relation editor window. Changing this is obviously not really an option as it would break the existing workflow that users are used to and most of the time opening the relation editor is what people want to do anyway.
• Right click is used to open the popup context menu.

Double left click in combination with a modifier like ctrl would be an option, but that means the normal selection modifiers (shift to add to existing selection, ctrl to toggle selection) would no longer be possible. Using alt as the modifier key would work, but that's just as unintuitive and more awkward to use.
Middle click is already used for cyclic selection of multiple overlapping objects in the map view, so there's some precedent there.

[skyper]

+1, maybe use Shift + "middle click" for "select relation (add)"

Replying to taylor.smock:

I can see how this would be a nice to have, but the behavior seems non-obvious, so I'd like to see some UI hints somewhere that indicates that middle-click will select the relation.

The context menu currently only shows F1 as shortcut, so "middle click" and "double click" (open relation editor) could be added. I do not know why the other existing shortcuts are missing. For sure it should be documented under Help/Dialog/TagsMembership and Help/Menu/TagsMembershipMenu

Tooltips are currently disabled but I'd prefer a tag list instead of instructions.

[skyper]

By the way, why do we have two shortcuts for "Delete" (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D and Del)?

[Woazboat]

Replying to skyper:

+1, maybe use Shift + "middle click" for "select relation (add)"

The usual selection modifiers (shift to add to selection, ctrl to toggle) are already included in the patch for middle click.

[skyper]

Replying to skyper:

By the way, why do we have two shortcuts for "Delete" (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D and Del)?

I got it: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D is global like Alt+A for "Add" and Del does only work with focus of the panel.

Replying to Woazboat:

Replying to skyper:

+1, maybe use Shift + "middle click" for "select relation (add)"

The usual selection modifiers (shift to add to selection, ctrl to toggle) are already included in the patch for middle click.

Thought the selection actions are covered by left click. Why do you duplicate the actions with middle click?

[Woazboat]

Replying to skyper:

Thought the selection actions are covered by left click. Why do you duplicate the actions with middle click?

No, left click only allows you to select entries in the list itself (like in any other list), not the corresponding primitives. Selection of primitives is what this patch adds.

[Woazboat]

Currently the only way to select the corresponding relations is via the right click context menu

[skyper]

Oh, sorry, I was thinking about selecting the entries with left click and then middle click but your approach is directer. How does it work, if I want to select several blocks of entries?

[Woazboat]

Replying to skyper:

How does it work, if I want to several blocks of entries?

I don't see a straightforward (user experience friendly/intuitive) way how that could be done unfortunately. You can still select them individually via shift-middle click or fall back to the right click context menu. Selection via middle click is more suited for single/a limited number of relations.