184152 - Make it easier/faster to print selections (context menu -> Print Selection)

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 140718

(Core :: Printing: Output, enhancement)

Description

[Thomas Winzig]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.2.1) Gecko/20021130
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.2.1) Gecko/20021130

I believe Mozilla should make it easier to print. This would be a two-step process.

1. Add a preference in Mozilla that tells it to print with the default settings
every time. This should default to 'off'.

2. Add "Print Page" to the context-sensitive popup menu when you right-click on
a webpage. If text has been selected on the page, and they are right-clicking on
that selection, an addition option should be available "Print Selection."

If the "use default printer settings every time" option is turned OFF (the
default), then those two menu dialogs would be written as "Print Page..." and
"Print Selection..." since they should popup a printer settings dialog window in
this case. 

Implementing either of these options would make it easier/faster to print than
it is right now. Implementing both would add even more speed. I do not think
this would make Mozilla any more complex to use. However, if the powers that be
think adding something to the context menu would be annoying, perhaps a hidden
preference could be made available, ala "printing.show_in_context_menu", true/false.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

Comment 1

[Prognathous]

Confirming bug, with the following reservations:

(In reply to comment #0)
> 1. Add a preference in Mozilla that tells it to print with the default 
> settings every time. This should default to 'off'.

There's a general consensus that Mozilla has far too many prefs and hidden prefs
for utter trivialities. There is no need to add more, especially when smarter
solutions can be implemented (e.g. just reuse the last option the user had
selected).

> 2. Add "Print Page" to the context-sensitive popup menu when you right-click 
> on a webpage. If text has been selected on the page, and they are 
> right-clicking on that selection, an addition option should be available 
> "Print Selection."

"Print Page" is wontfixed, see Bug 24221.

"Print Selection", on the other hand, is a good suggestion. The context menu for
text selections is currently very short and could definitely benefit from this
option and without ending up too cluttered.

As a workaround, it should be pretty quick to press Ctrl+P -> Alt+S -> Enter.

Prog.

Comment 2

[Thomas Winzig]

"There's a general consensus that Mozilla has far too many prefs and hidden
prefs for utter trivialities."

Most programs (where printing is common) offer a way to print to the default
printer with the default settings with a single click. Word, for example, has a
print button and if you click it, the document prints. If you want more options,
you go into File >> Print.

"There is no need to add more, especially when smarter solutions can be
implemented (e.g. just reuse the last option the user had selected)."

There is no way to apply this idea to my idea. My idea is to give a user a way
to print with a single click. You are saying, apply their last choices. But they
never have this choice in the first place, how can this work?

"Print Selection, on the other hand, is a good suggestion. The context menu for
text selections is currently very short and could definitely benefit from this
option and without ending up too cluttered."

I agree. I keep wanting to use this function, all the time, and there are only 4
options on that context menu... very simple to fit this in I would think. But I
filed this in 2002 and no one else has commented on it.

Comment 3

[Peter Dennis]

Amen! Adding "Print selection" to the right mouse button click over selected 
text would make a world of difference!

Comment 4

[Jean-Pierre Matsumoto]

I voted for this bug. If it was resolved, I would gain much time because I often
select text to print it with images or publicity around.

(In reply to comment #1)
> As a workaround, it should be pretty quick to press Ctrl+P -> Alt+S -> Enter.

There is no such workaround on Mac.

Comment 5

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

We don't have print in the context menu in Firefox, so this really isn't a 1.1
blocker.

Comment 6

[Peter Weilbacher]

AFAIU this has to be implemented in the UI (in XPFE and Toolkit), so shouldn't this be moved to AppSuite and another bug filed for the Aviaries (or the other way around)?

Comment 7

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

This has been morphed a great deal since it was filed.  This is really an app-level choice (i.e. mail exposes printing UI far more than browser) and its not something I think we want/need to do for Firefox 2, but splitting this up into app-appropriate bugs is a good start towards getting app owners to make decisions.

Comment 8

[Irene]

I have recently migrated from a pc to a mac. On the pc I was able to print a highlighted selection on a web page.  I found this VERY useful for pulling specific information off a site without having to print all the ads or additional unneeded info. The Safari browser did not allow me to do this and it was suggested that Firefox would allow me to do this and other things with ease.  Not so? Was I led astray?  I can't believe Microsoft is the only folks who can offer this amenity.  Say it isn't so!!!

Comment 9

[Nick_Jenkins]

Re: comment 8 - you can print a selection by selecting, then going File -> Print -> click "Selection". This bug is about being able to right-click on the selection, and have "Print" as an available choice (without using the pull-down menus) - i.e. just making it a bit more convenient.

Comment 10

[Robert]

related to bug#191892 (print selected/boxed region)

Comment 11

[Alain Viret]

(In reply to comment #9)
> Re: comment 8 - you can print a selection by selecting, then going File ->
> Print -> click "Selection". This bug is about being able to right-click on the

This feature is not more available, so it could be very useful to have the "Print-selection" in the context menu.