Context Menus

Context menus are menus which open up under the mouse pointer and are therefore detached from the format graphical structure of the application. These menus provide an extra and convenient way to access Gnumeric commands. All of the commands in context menus are available through the regular menu system. Context menus provide different commands depending on the position of the pointer.

To activate a context menu, a user simply positions the pointer over the appropriate area and clicks one of the buttons on their mouse. Since this button is configurable and users have mice with different buttons, it may be a different button on any given machine or may even require the combination of a keyboard key and a mouse buttons. The user will have to find how to do this themselves.

Currently Gnumeric provides five different context menus. The context menu that is called in the central grid area is discussed next in Section 4.3.1 ― The Context Menu for the Cell Grid Area. The Context menu that appears when the pointer is over the row headers or column headers is presented in Section 4.3.2 ― The Context Menu for Column and Row Headers. Another context menu relates to the worksheet tabs and is explained in Section 4.3.3 ― The Context Menu menu for Worksheet Tabs. Yet another context menu applies to embedded objects or shaped components such as a plot. These are shown in Section 4.3.4 ― The Context Menu for Embedded Objects and Components.

4.3.1. The Context Menu for the Cell Grid Area

The context menu in the cell grid area appears when the pointer is over the cell grid area. This menu applies to the cells that have been selected, not necessarily the cell underneath the mouse pointer.

Figure 4-18The Context Menu for the Cell Grid Area.

The grid context menu merely provides an extra way to access Gnumeric commands. The Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste Special..., Delete..., and Clear Contents... commands are taken from the Edit menu and are explained in Section 4.2.3 ― The Edit Menu. The Insert... menu item is explained in the section on the Insert menu in Section 4.2.5 ― The Insert Menu. The Format Cells... is explained in the manual section on the Format menu in Section 4.2.6 ― The Format Menu.

4.3.2. The Context Menu for Column and Row Headers

The Context Menu for Column and Row Headers

Figure 4-19The Context Menu of a Row Header

The context menu which relates to column or row headers is similar to the context menu for the grid area. Both insert and delete operations are modified to operate explicitly on rows or on columns. An option is added which changes the height of rows or the width of columns. This context menu also provides a way to hide rows or columns and a way to reveal missing columns or rows.

4.3.3. The Context Menu menu for Worksheet Tabs

The Context Menu menu for Worksheet Tabs.

Figure 4-20The Context Menu.

The context menu for tabs provides the same functions as are provided in the Sheet menu item in the Edit menu. These options are explained at the bottom of Section 4.2.3 ― The Edit Menu. In addition, this context menu provides for two submenus to select any of the existing sheets, whether their tab is currently visible or not. The first submenu lists the sheets in their current order, the second submenu lists them alphabetically.

4.3.4. The Context Menu for Embedded Objects and Components

The Context Menu for Embedded Objects and Components.

Figure 4-21The Context Menu for Graphical Objects

All embedded objects, such as drawing elements, graphs and images, have a context menu which can be invoked by placing the mouse pointer over the element and clicking with one of the secondary mouse buttons.

The first menu entry, labeled Properties, will open a dialog specific to the type of element selected in which the user can configure the properties of the element.

The menu entry labeled Size & Position, will open a dialog that permits the user to adjust the size and position of the embedded object.

The menu entry labeled Snap to Grid, enlarges the object such that all of its corners are located at cell corners.

The menu entry labeled Order, opens a submenu which allows the user to change the visual order in which the graphical elements are placed. This order will affect the way in which the graphical elements obscure each other.

Figure 4-22The Context Submenu for Graphical Object Order

The remaining menu entries, labeled Cut, Copy, and Delete, allow the user to operate on the whole object at once. The Cut menu item allows the user to remove the element from its current position and then paste the object in a different location on the same sheet, in a different worksheet, in a different gnumeric file, or in a file from a different program entirely. The Copy menu item provides the same functionality while leaving the original item in place. The Delete allows the user to remove the graphical element entirely.

For certain types of objects, menu entry labeled Save As... allows the object to be saved as an image file. This menu item is not present in Figure 4-21 but is shown in Figure 4-23 .

Figure 4-23The Context Menu for Graphs and Images

Graphs also have a context menu with a menu entry labeled Open in New Window. That menu item shows the graph by itself in a window.