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Context menu hotkey to open in new tab is different for links (T) & bookmarks (W); using T for bookmark deletes bookmark!--why?

  • 2 replies
  • 6 have this problem
  • 5 views
  • Last reply by almightymat

fastauntie
fastauntie
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When I want to open a link in a new tab, I right-click and press T. I think that the same key used to work for opening bookmarks in new tabs, also. At least I developed a reflex that always chose T for a new tab, whatever I was right-clicking on. Then a while ago, probably after one of the updates I automatically install (some time in version 3.x), I started noticing something different and extremely frustrating: not only is the hotkey for opening bookmarks in new tabs now different (W instead of T), which is just poor design--but to add injury to insult, when my still-stubborn reflexes pressed T, the bookmark was deleted. Gone. I have thousands of bookmarks, and I make them so I don't have to remember things. If one is lost, there may be no finding the page again.

EDITED: Having posted this problem, I just realized that I've answered the why-it-happens part of the question. We're left with the why-was-it-allowed-to happen, but that's unimportant if we can put an end to the confusing behavior.

T in the bookmark panel and menus is Cut, which is standard in all kinds of software, and that my lost bookmarks could be restored IF I remembered to paste them again immediately. (I swear I checked it out just before originally posting, and Cut didn't appear, though Copy did. Maybe I was hallucinating.) Anyway, knowing this will help with the long-term problem, but it's still a bad idea to have two different hotkeys for the same operation. Hence what needs to change is using T as the hotkey in the links context menu.

Here's my proposal: Change the hotkeys for "Open in new window" and "Open in new tab" in both the right-click menu for links and the right-click menu for bookmarks. Right now we have: 

    Links
    * Open Link in New Tab (T)
    * Open Link in New Window (W)
    Bookmarks
    * Open Link in New Tab (W)
    * Open Link in New Window (N)

N0te that the bookmarks menu is mnemonically backwards; Window should be W. Both menus should be: 

    * Open Link in New Tab (N)
    * Open Link in New Window (W)

Can someone take care of this in an update, please?

When I want to open a link in a new tab, I right-click and press T. I ''think'' that the same key used to work for opening bookmarks in new tabs, also. At least I developed a reflex that always chose T for a new tab, whatever I was right-clicking on. Then a while ago, probably after one of the updates I automatically install (some time in version 3.x), I started noticing something different and extremely frustrating: not only is the hotkey for opening bookmarks in new tabs now different (W instead of T), which is just poor design--but to add injury to insult, when my still-stubborn reflexes pressed T, the bookmark was ''deleted''. Gone. I have thousands of bookmarks, and I make them so I don't have to remember things. If one is lost, there may be no finding the page again. EDITED: Having posted this problem, I just realized that I've answered the why-it-happens part of the question. We're left with the why-was-it-allowed-to happen, but that's unimportant if we can put an end to the confusing behavior. T in the bookmark panel and menus is Cut, which is standard in all kinds of software, and that my lost bookmarks could be restored IF I remembered to paste them again immediately. (I swear I checked it out just before originally posting, and Cut didn't appear, though Copy did. Maybe I was hallucinating.) Anyway, knowing this will help with the long-term problem, but it's still a bad idea to have two different hotkeys for the same operation. Hence what needs to change is using T as the hotkey in the links context menu. Here's my proposal: Change the hotkeys for "Open in new window" and "Open in new tab" in both the right-click menu for links and the right-click menu for bookmarks. Right now we have: Links * Open Link in New Tab (T) * Open Link in New Window (W) Bookmarks * Open Link in New Tab (W) * Open Link in New Window (N) N0te that the bookmarks menu is mnemonically backwards; Window should be W. Both menus should be: * Open Link in New Tab (N) * Open Link in New Window (W) Can someone take care of this in an update, please?

Modified by fastauntie

All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
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  • Top 10 Contributor
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See also this bug report:

  • Bug 301888 – Bookmarks cut instead of opened in new tab from Bookmarks Toolbar Folder

(please do not comment in bug reports)

almightymat
almightymat
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This also drives me nuts, I work in research online and use firefox as its tabbed browing is so good, and I ofetn have to open lots of links in rapid succession from web-pages - obviously I use right click T as the fasterst method of doing this, and I use it so ofetn that it is now a reflex.

But, whenever I try to open a bookmark from my toolbar (much less often) I tend to deletye it, and if I am lucky enough to notice before I do anything else I have to go through a laborious process to undo the delete...

Interesting to read the reason above, but I would suggest that this is something that needs to be standardised across all of a browser's context menus, otherwise browsing becomes jarring.

I am all in favour of 'T' opening in a new tab from all context menus, but if this is not do-able I think you should consider picking a different letter. The N & W proposal above is good.

Thanks!