iPhone Safari hidden "Action" popup

[photobiker]

I haven't seen this described anywhere so...

- Open Safari on the iPhone
- Visit a page with some margins, like most pages have (the pictures below were taken with http://news.yahoo.com and http://dpreview.com)
- Tap-and-hold inside the margin, the screen is dimmed
- Hold your finger perfectly still for 2 seconds
==> An "Action" popup menu appears

I did not get the "Action" popup to do anything but it sure looks like the prototype of a UI that could be used for copy/paste. Maybe one of you will find a way to associate an actual action to it?

On some pages where the margin is fairly narrow (like the left margin of dpreview.com), you have to tap completely to the left of the screen, maybe with half the finger out of the screen.

Here are the pictures....

[Okiewan]

I've never seen that one... mine does. Looks like it'll have a drop down?

[Flowbee]

Not working for me. Maybe because I've updated to 1.0.2? What version of iPhone software are you running?

[arn]

Originally Posted by Flowbee

Not working for me. Maybe because I've updated to 1.0.2? What version of iPhone software are you running?

I can reproduce it on iPhone 1.0.2. I have to hit the very edge of the physical screen for it to happen

arn

[boss1]

What's interesting to me is that it happens on "blank" portions of the web interface.

I think this is probably going to develop into options similar to what you get if you right click on blank portions of a web browser on a destkop? Maybe even cool options like "take a screenshot and save to photos".

[CyberGeek]

I'm afraid there's nothing special about it, and it existed since the iPhone came out.

With the iPhone web browser, if you press and hold on a link you will eventually see one of those bubbles telling you the url that the link points to. If an element has a Javascript event rigged up to occur on click, you will get the word "Action" instead of a URL.

Basically, that bubble is just letting you know that the space you're clicking on is set up to perform some sort of Javascript event if you click it.

[Flowbee]

After much tapping, I finally got it to work on news.yahoo.com. Haven't had any luck on other sites. My finger is now numb from repetitive tap syndrome.

[puckhead193]

(that first picture looks like a butt; plumber butt )

[s1zeRo]

go to a news site click and hold on a link... it pops up with the name of the link.

[paulyras]

Yeah, I remember a post on MR way back in the day (1.0.0), and I was able to get it to work on google news, so it's been there all along. I always wondered if it was a copy / paste, etc... (right click stuff) that wasn't ready for prime time so was cut, but somehow slipped in under certain situations.

Paul

[ventro]

It might be one of those google analytics click overlays where site admins can view heatmaps of where people are clicking on their sites. Clicking somewhere on the page triggers a javascript function which maps out the location of the click, so the 'Action' is triggered.

[boss1]

I understand some here are saying that it's pretty much the same function that occurs when holding on a link. but it's curious that the word is "action" implying just that. I'm having trouble swallowing the javascript explanation for the "action" pop up. But that maybe due to my lack of in depth working knowledge in javascript and html.

[smccostlin]

I think this is something that is completely overlooked, and everyone will be surprised when apple comes back and fixes the problem by adding some new stuff that no-one ever imagined (which apple tends to do all the time).

[chr1s60]

Perhaps this is something that will have a use for copy/paste or saving pictures from safari to the iPhone in the near future.

[crees!]

Originally Posted by CyberGeek

I'm afraid there's nothing special about it, and it existed since the iPhone came out.

With the iPhone web browser, if you press and hold on a link you will eventually see one of those bubbles telling you the url that the link points to. If an element has a Javascript event rigged up to occur on click, you will get the word "Action" instead of a URL.

Basically, that bubble is just letting you know that the space you're clicking on is set up to perform some sort of Javascript event if you click it.

If this is the case then maybe there is an onload event handler on the body of the page, Javascript this is.

[MBHockey]

The iPhone has always done this in Safari for me. For example, if you do it over a link, it will display the URL.

I do recall seeing "Action" before and just thought the page was messed up.

[bdj21ya]

This is a lame article (and yet here I am posting a reply). I do think it is related to javascript, as I've come in contact with it myself when adding javascript events to elements in my iPhone apps. Specifically, I was trying to get the focus function to actually work (I can see why they disabled it for browsing, but it would be really useful for web apps). I'm still bitter about this lame lame solution for 3rd party apps.

[Daiden]

It's presumably for future features, like Copy & Paste.

[mozmac]

Originally Posted by bdj21ya

This is a lame article (and yet here I am posting a reply). I do think it is related to javascript, as I've come in contact with it myself when adding javascript events to elements in my iPhone apps. Specifically, I was trying to get the focus function to actually work (I can see why they disabled it for browsing, but it would be really useful for web apps). I'm still bitter about this lame lame solution for 3rd party apps.

I think this is a representation of how pathetic some iPhone news is. We want to talk about it so much, but we run out of things to say because Apple hasn't given us very much.

[photobiker]

Originally Posted by mozmac

I think this is a representation of how pathetic some iPhone news is. We want to talk about it so much, but we run out of things to say because Apple hasn't given us very much.

"mozmac", given your username I thought you could see why an event handler attached to the Canvas in the UA stylesheet (which is probably what we see here) could have interesting ramifications. :-)

[badtzmaru]

as others have said, safari has displayed this behavior since the iphone came out. It typically happens when you touch javascript links. I noticed it after someone pointed out that holding down a link shows a popup with the URL. So I did this on as many links as possible and saw the "Action" popup.

[Bob Knob]

I tested this on a blank web page and there was no "action" popup. This confirms that it is not the same function as a right/control click in a blank section of a web page.

[kbrain2929]

Looks a future copy and paste to me! Don't you think so?

[ben5959]

For some reason i cant get it to pop up in portrait view, but as soon as i flip it to landscape, it pops up, anybod else experience this?

[JMax1]

Originally Posted by Flowbee

After much tapping, I finally got it to work on news.yahoo.com. Haven't had any luck on other sites. My finger is now numb from repetitive tap syndrome.

RTS.. very sad desease. There are some excellent therapies out there now for you!