context-sensitive menu

1 definition found

context-sensitive menu - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  context-sensitive menu
  
     <operating system> A menu which appears in response to a
     user action (typically a mouse click) and whose contents are
     determined by which application window was clicked or has
     the input focus.
  
     Most GUIs use a secondary mouse button (right or middle) to
     call up a context-sensitive menu as the primary mouse button
     is normally used to interact with objects which are already
     visible.
  
     The context-sensitive menu often contains functions that are
     also available in a menu bar but the context-sensitive menu
     provides quick access to a subset of functions that are
     particularly relevant to the window area clicked on.
  
     The RISC OS WIMP uses only context-sensitive menus (always
     invoked using the middle mouse button).  This saves screen
     space and reduces mouse movement compared to a menu bar.
  
     (1999-09-22)