Left button should drag map!! Please!!

[anonymous]

Hi,

There is a discrepancy between JOSM's dragging action and *every other mapping application in the world*. In JOSM we must right-click and drag to move the map around. *Everyone else* uses the left button.

I find it very difficult to switch between the OSM Mapnik view on the OSM web pages and JOSM. It's utterly frustrating.

Please consider making the functions for selecting and dragging configurable. I wouldn't ask for these functions to be changed for everyone, but please make a configuration setting where I can select 'Left button drags map'. Please. I have been using JOSM for 6 months and it's fabulous *but* this L&R button swap is driving me crazy.

In my opinion the left button click should do the same as it currently does. A left button drag should move the map (it currently draws a rubberbanding selection box). A left button drag with the shift key should do the rubberbanding selection. A right click should bring up a context menu. Again, this should be configurable, especially not to annoy current users who are used to, or even like, the current operation.

Thank you,

An enthusiastic OSM contributor.

[bastiK]

I know what you mean, I don't like it either. However I wouldn't use shift+left-button-drag for box selection. To be consistent with the OSM website, this should zoom to the selected box!

I'm not sure what to do about box selection.

• Extra tool for box selection on the left
• ctrl-left-button-drag
• right-button-drag

Btw., the context menu does work already (see slippy map plugin). But there is currently nothing to show in that menu...

[anonymous]

Replying to bastiK:

I know what you mean, I don't like it either. However I wouldn't use shift+left-button-drag for box selection. To be consistent with the OSM website, this should zoom to the selected box!

Operation doesn't have to be entirely consistent with OSM. The only thing that really bothers me is left-click-and-drag to move the map. *Every* mapping website uses that operation, so it messes with my head when going from JOSM to another website (and vice versa).

It is true that shift-left-click-and-drag will zoom in OSM, but that's not the point. The point is that shift-left-click-and-drag will draw a rectangle. What happens next is application-specific (and even mode specific within an application).

As I said, changing the function to drag the map should be user configurable, so that users who are happy with it are not inconvenienced. If such a configuration were available I would use it immediately!! :)

Thank you.

[anonymous]

Actually, Merkaartor does this. It has a 'single-button' mode which does, in my opinion, the Right Thing. Please incorporate a similar, switchable, mode in JOSM.

[Zverikk]

This should be optional (and RMB by default). It will help tablet users (like me), but with mouse I think it's better to stick with the right button. Many people are already used to it.

[anonymous]

Replying to Zverikk:

This should be optional (and RMB by default). It will help tablet users (like me), but with mouse I think it's better to stick with the right button. Many people are already used to it.

Many people are already used to it *in JOSM*, but the rest of the world uses left-click to drag, including Google, and OSM slippy map. I don't disagree that the default in JOSM should be right-click, but I desperately want the option to choose left-click!! Please!!

[tomashpilshchik@…]

Here is another reason for making dragging with the left button an option: if there is an image background layer, clicking the right button brings up a popup menu. Or at least it does unless one presses the mouse button in some specific way which I cannto figure out. This is super frustrating.

[anonymous]

Also - please, please: make it configurable. Even by obscure config file.

[akks]

I tried to change dragging button in my code. Dragging works, but it seems to be real pain or unsolvable problem for programmers to implement it correctly: there are behavior conflicts with all left-dragging actions in different mapmodes (drag node, box-select, draw line, extrude, parallel, plugins, etc.)

Did you try TouchScreenHelper plugin, by the way? Maybe there is a way to improve it?