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markmn
Inspiring
March 29, 2017
Answered

3 Decades and you still can’t right click copy cut or paste…lame lame lame and the beat goes on

  • March 29, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 2312 views

3 Decades and you still can’t right click copy cut or paste?…lame lame lame and the beat goes on

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer markmn

    follow this link in the adobe forums:

    Illustrator's weak right-click menu...

    Digcm   Jan 30, 2013 5:35 PM  (in response to Steve Fairbairn)      

      

    Because right-click to bring up a menu is:

    • Much faster and easier than keyboard shortcuts
    • Reduces cognitive load by having a consistent way to display what can be done with what you are right-clicking on
    • Would be more consistent with some other CS products

    Even when there are right-click menus available in similar places in CS products (such as the layers in Photoshop and InDesign), the menus are not the same.  Not even close, really.  This inconsistency with right-click menus matches the inconsistency with just about every other UI/UX aspect across the CS.  And that is inexcusable.  When working across multiple applications, these inconsistencies create a persistent cognitive load on the user, due to the need to keep in mind which application they are in and how to perform the same functions in this application as the other applications.  It is greatly complicated when one spends days or weeks working mostly in one application, then days or weeks working mostly in another application, and then switching back to the original one.  It is like learning it all over again.

    This prevents apps in the CS from every becoming natural and second-nature, where tasks are performed without concious thought on how to use the UI to accomplish them.  If a person was only ever in one application, this is not an issue. But it is sold and marketed as a suite, and even has "suite" in the name.  But the UI, UX, and workflows reflect the reality: it is a collection of individual applications that just happen to be sold as a package.

    2 replies

    K
    k9tag
    Participating Frequently
    September 30, 2022

    They have finally added right click copy and paste to Illustrator after a 30 year wait.  Used it by accident today, assuming that it was there since all other programs have had it since the beginning of time.  And .... holy %&$, it actually was there.  Our long international nightmre is over. 🙂

      Glen Charles Rowell7855424
      Glen Charles Rowell7855424
      Known Participant
      October 1, 2022

      I was doing something at work with Illustrator 26.5 and "group" didn't show up in the right click menu, as well as "copy" and "paste", but the options are almost always there now. Illustrator is so much easier to use. Thank you, GUI people. This should have been done ages ago, as it was an accessibility update. I hope they can also get rid of the bugs in this version. The top startup image with rounded corners sometimes gets black pointy corners as the screen behind it is black. Then it turns transparent again after the black box disappears. It is also difficult to create and edit tool pallets. Why can't we easily add and remove nested tools? I have to keep mousing over and clicking the icons for a long time. Only sometimes do they move up a level so they can be moved around.

      R
      Community Expert
      Rob de WinterCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 29, 2017

      Hey! I don't want to start a 'yes / no' discussion But I think the reason is that other right click options are more important. Of course people use cut/copy/paste a lot, but almost everyone uses (and knows) the shortcuts of those three options, and don't know the shortcuts of other options that are used a lot when right clicking.... When adding copy/cut/paste to the right click menu, the menu will be too big, I guess.

      So I think it will be the best solution to just learn the shortcuts and not use the right click menu.

      M
      markmnAuthor
      Inspiring
      March 29, 2017

      What other right click options are more valuable than basic Cut, Copy and Paste? Keyboard shortcuts are great, but work in any other program like InDesign or Photoshop using the right click function AND then switch over to an 'illustration' program like Illustrator and you can't perform the software's basic function...ridiculous...it's more efficient to right click and not think about it while working in Illustrator.  Sorry, I have been an Illustrator user and Instructor (ACE) since it's inception and it's still workflow interruption for my clients and myself. Tell clients oh by the way you can't do right click of these functions in Illustrator but you can every other Adobe program, baloney!

      R
      Community Expert
      Rob de WinterCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 29, 2017

      Your right that it's a basic function But I think we don't share the same opinion and experiences about/with this. I'm teaching Illustrator almost every week to a new group (adults) and really never had one complain about this. Just learn them to use the shortcuts, or use the Edit menu. Or, when copying use ALT/Option-drag. My experience is that almost everyone uses shortcuts. And, people who don't use shortcuts mostly use the Edit menu. But, maybe more people have this same problem... In this case you can always ask for a feature request of course

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