Right mouse click in web applications: good or bad

Question

I'm currently working on a web application and the powers above have decided that overriding the browser's right-click menu with our own application-specific one is the way to go.

I totally disagree. I feel that when someone is using a web browser they have certain expectations about what should happen when they use the right-click functionality of a pointing device, and violating these expectations by purposefully supplanting this functionality is very disconcerting (annoying?) to the user.

What do you think? Have you ever seen right-click done well in a web app? I mean in a way that you actually thought, "Yes, this right-click functionality was a great decision."?

Answer 1

It's generally not a good idea:

Expectations

Users, especially power users, expect to be able to right-click on elements in desktop applications in order to get a menu of element-specific actions. This expectation does not exist for web applications - indeed, the expectation is that right-clicking in a web page will give you the standard web-page menu where you can print, open links in new windows, view source, etc.

Reliability

Because the ability to override built-in menus has been so abused in the past (mostly by naive programmers attempting to disable saving images), many browsers prohibit it or make it difficult for client code to override in a reliable fashion.

The Exception

If you are creating a web app that closely simulates the behavior of an existing and well-known desktop app, it may be appropriate to put the effort in required to implement sensible right-click menus. However, you should then also follow the usual recommendation for these menus in desktop apps: use them to provide quick access to context-specific operations, but also provide another means of accessing the same features.

Answer 2

Right click menus work well in web apps. As long as your users understand what is going on. There are several context menu implementations available. Outlook Web Access provides a context menu for working with email.

Answer 3

No, because it's simply not discoverable. Of course, this depends on the application, but likely users won't have a clue to right click.

When a user is on the Web ("the Internet") they expect to use one button. Think about all the Apple Mighty Mouse users who will have trouble using your site.

Easiest way to prove to your boss whether the idea will work or not: test on real users. You should be doing this anyway.

Answer 4

I think it heavily depends on what type of app it is.

For example, it makes sense in Google Spreadsheets - where the right-click acts more like Excel, and gives you options such as allowing you to copy the highlighted range of cells - you would not be able to do this with the regular right-click menu.

But unless your webapp really calls for it, it's probably just going to annoy users.

Answer 5

I've noticed FCKeditor has a right click context menu... it might make sense in this example, as the WYSIWYG editor is generally given to people with no HTML experience, and more Microsoft Word experience, and in that case, they expect the right click to do something to their text they're typing.

I would, generally, say it is bad practice though. Could a floating modal suffice?

Answer 6

This would depend on the context. For a public web site, I would be against it. For a web application, especially an internal company application, I would be more accepting.

As for apps that handle this well, one that comes to mind is the web version of Outlook. I use it on a regular bases to access company email, and I find the right-click menu functionality bery useful.