[Feature request] Option to disable or remap the terminal right-click context menu

[hernancollazo]

Hello everyone,

First of all, thanks for building Zync. I think it's a great product and I use it heavily every day, so I wanted to propose a feature that would make it even better for my workflow.

Problem

Right-clicking anywhere inside a terminal pane always opens Zync's context menu. There's currently no setting to turn this off or change it.

This gets in the way of terminal apps that use the right mouse button themselves. For example, herdr uses right-click to open its own menu. When it runs inside Zync, Zync's context menu opens on top of it, so herdr's right-click actions can't be used comfortably. The same applies to any TUI that enables mouse reporting (tmux, vim/neovim with mouse=a, htop, mc, etc.).

Proposed solution

Add a "Right-click action" setting under Settings → Terminal, with options such as:

• Context menu (current behavior, default)
• Pass to terminal: don't open Zync's menu, so the click reaches the running app
• Paste: paste the clipboard, like PuTTY or Windows Terminal

When the menu isn't on right-click, there should still be a way to open it, for example:

• Middle-click, or
• Shift + right-click (a common convention in xterm-style terminals for skipping the app's mouse handling), and/or
• A keyboard shortcut or the context-menu key

Hopefully this is something that can be added. Thanks again for all the great work on Zync!

[gajendraxdev]

Hello everyone,

First of all, thanks for building Zync. I think it's a great product and I use it heavily every day, so I wanted to propose a feature that would make it even better for my workflow.

Problem

Right-clicking anywhere inside a terminal pane always opens Zync's context menu. There's currently no setting to turn this off or change it.

This gets in the way of terminal apps that use the right mouse button themselves. For example, herdr uses right-click to open its own menu. When it runs inside Zync, Zync's context menu opens on top of it, so herdr's right-click actions can't be used comfortably. The same applies to any TUI that enables mouse reporting (tmux, vim/neovim with mouse=a, htop, mc, etc.).

Proposed solution

Add a "Right-click action" setting under Settings → Terminal, with options such as:

• Context menu (current behavior, default)
• Pass to terminal: don't open Zync's menu, so the click reaches the running app
• Paste: paste the clipboard, like PuTTY or Windows Terminal

When the menu isn't on right-click, there should still be a way to open it, for example:

• Middle-click, or
• Shift + right-click (a common convention in xterm-style terminals for skipping the app's mouse handling), and/or
• A keyboard shortcut or the context-menu key

Hopefully this is something that can be added. Thanks again for all the great work on Zync!

Thanks for the detailed suggestion,
and glad Zync is useful in your daily workflow :)
I was already planning to add a right click to paste option. So i can make it configurable including making passing it through to terminal apps.
Have you noticed any other issues with mouse actions or keyboard shortcuts while using herdr in Zync?
@projector22 , I think you mentioned a similar issue with tmux. Are you still running into it?

[hernancollazo]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

A configurable right-click with a pass-through option would fully cover my use case. If possible, it would be great to keep a way to open Zync's own menu when pass-through is on, like Shift + right-click, so the menu's actions stay available.

About herdr: so far the right-click is the only thing I've run into. Keyboard shortcuts and other mouse actions work fine.

Thanks again for taking the time to look into this. Really appreciate it!

[projector22]

Evening

The issue I've had is that copy never work in tmux through any of the conventional methods (Ctrl + Shift + C, Ctrl + Insert,Right Clicking, highlighting the text etc.). The context menu opens fine in tmux but those options are disabled. I don't have a problem with the context menu being in place here though I'd like it to work.

My own ideal preference would be Ctrl + Shift + C for copy and Ctrl + Shift + V for paste. The menu doesn't bother my workflow but if you want to get rid of it by default, my preference would be to put it behind the keyboard context button, though I know not every keyboard has that. Shift right click would be second choice. Middle click is reserved for paste in some terminals and workflows.

I do like the idea of options though so that proposal sounds good to me.

[gajendraxdev]

Evening

The issue I've had is that copy never work in tmux through any of the conventional methods (Ctrl + Shift + C, Ctrl + Insert,Right Clicking, highlighting the text etc.). The context menu opens fine in tmux but those options are disabled. I don't have a problem with the context menu being in place here though I'd like it to work.

My own ideal preference would be Ctrl + Shift + C for copy and Ctrl + Shift + V for paste. The menu doesn't bother my workflow but if you want to get rid of it by default, my preference would be to put it behind the keyboard context button, though I know not every keyboard has that. Shift right click would be second choice. Middle click is reserved for paste in some terminals and workflows.

I do like the idea of options though so that proposal sounds good to me.

Thanks for clarifying!
The tmux input improvements shipped in v2.34.0, and v2.35.1 adds more shortcut customization. Terminal-first lets tmux receive its keybindings unless they’re reserved for zync. ctrl+shift+c/v are supported in both Terminal-first and Zync-first modes.
could you confirm your zync version and whether Terminal-first is enabled?
That would help identify a separate selection issue.

[projector22]

I'm on 3.35.1 and it's set to terminal first mode. Copy is always disabled in the right click menu but this may be because any highlighted text immediately gets dropped. Perhaps what I need here is a highlight to copy option

Evening
The issue I've had is that copy never work in tmux through any of the conventional methods (Ctrl + Shift + C, Ctrl + Insert,Right Clicking, highlighting the text etc.). The context menu opens fine in tmux but those options are disabled. I don't have a problem with the context menu being in place here though I'd like it to work.
My own ideal preference would be Ctrl + Shift + C for copy and Ctrl + Shift + V for paste. The menu doesn't bother my workflow but if you want to get rid of it by default, my preference would be to put it behind the keyboard context button, though I know not every keyboard has that. Shift right click would be second choice. Middle click is reserved for paste in some terminals and workflows.
I do like the idea of options though so that proposal sounds good to me.

Thanks for clarifying! The tmux input improvements shipped in v2.34.0, and v2.35.1 adds more shortcut customization. Terminal-first lets tmux receive its keybindings unless they’re reserved for zync. ctrl+shift+c/v are supported in both Terminal-first and Zync-first modes. could you confirm your zync version and whether Terminal-first is enabled? That would help identify a separate selection issue.

[gajendraxdev]

tmux.mp4

Hi @projector22
With tmux mouse mode enabled, tmux handles text selection and normally clears the highlight when you release the mouse.
tmux documents: Mouse copying behaviour.
To use Zync’s text selection instead, hold Shift while dragging on. If Copy on selection is enabled in Zync, that selection will also copy to your system clipboard.

Could you please update Zync (v2.36.0) try Shift + drag and confirm whether the selection stays visible?

[projector22]

Hi @gajendraxdev

Thank you, just did and it worked a treat, that will make quite a bit of my work significantly easier. I've tested it on both a local and a remote terminal through tmux, mouse mode on and off, and I've been able to extract the text each time. Appreciate the work you've put in.

tmux.mp4
Hi @projector22 With tmux mouse mode enabled, tmux handles text selection and normally clears the highlight when you release the mouse. tmux documents: Mouse copying behaviour. To use Zync’s text selection instead, hold Shift while dragging on. If Copy on selection is enabled in Zync, that selection will also copy to your system clipboard.

Could you please update Zync (v2.36.0) try Shift + drag and confirm whether the selection stays visible?

[projector22]

Also enabled copy on selection, which works even better imo - at least for my workflow. Thanks again bud

[gajendraxdev]

herdr.mp4

Hi @hernancollazo
Zync 2.36.0 adds Settings -> Terminal -> Mouse & clipboard -> Right-click action -> Pass to terminal / Paste.
With this enabled, right-click reaches mouse-enabled apps like herdr, at a normal shell prompt, it pastes instead and Shift + right-click still opens Zync’s menu.

[hernancollazo]

It works perfectly! Thanks so much for implementing this and for the quick response. Really appreciate it!

[gajendraxdev]

Thanks @hernancollazo and @projector22 for testing and confirming!
I’m closing this as completed. Please open a new issue if you encounter any further problems.