5 button mouse, as they do it in windows

[sjefen6]

I have just started using OS X on my brand new MacBook Pro. Being a long time windows user brings with itself some painful changes. But first I need to applaud the genius touch pad; it’s a joy to work with. However, there are situations where you need to use an external mouse. I have been a fan of the Logitech MX series of mice, and owns at least 7 of them. But the button configuration is not as I prefer:

Mouse button 3: In windows did I use it to close and open tabs in browsers, and autoscroll when the pointer was not located over anything clickable. In OS X does it bring up the dashboard.

Mouse button 4 & 5: In windows did I use these buttons to go forward and backward (like the 3 finger sideways swipe). In OS X does Mouse button 4 open expose (clever, but Mouse button 6 is the app switching button)

I have tried USB overdrive, Logitech Control Center (only compatible with the MX510 not MX518) and Steermouse. None of with solves the problem with Mouse Button 3, 4 and 5. Any suggestion for another mouse modification app? Are there setting I have missed in the apps I have tried?

 

[isaaclimdc]

Good god. 5 button mouse? That's far too complicated!!

 

[Scarlet Fever]

Are you using the MX Revolution? If you are, Logitech Control Centre works for that.

If you are using Safari, set one button to Cmd+W to close a window or a tab, and another to Cmd+T to create a new tab. To switch between tabs, set a button to Cmd+Shift+Left to move to previous tab, and Cmd+Shift+Right to move to the next one.

 

[sjefen6]

Are you using the MX Revolution? If you are, Logitech Control Centre works for that.

If you are using Safari, set one button to Cmd+W to close a window or a tab, and another to Cmd+T to create a new tab. To switch between tabs, set a button to Cmd+Shift+Left to move to previous tab, and Cmd+Shift+Right to move to the next one.

The action I want for tabs is the same as when you are holding down Ctrl or Cmd while clicking (mouse button 3) on links or tabs in firefox (clicking links works in safari, not clicking on tabs).

The forward and backward action I want is the same as cmd+[ and cmd+], but I cant find the [] buttons on the Norwegian MacBook Pro keyboard (typing this on a win pc btw).

 

[contoursvt]

Obviously its not complicated for him

Good god. 5 button mouse? That's far too complicated!!

 

[isaaclimdc]

Obviously its not complicated for him

Haha yeah. It's a matter of getting used to it then. I'm sure once you do, productivity will skyrocket..

 

[Signal-11]

I have just started using OS X on my brand new MacBook Pro. Being a long time windows user brings with itself some painful changes. But first I need to applaud the genius touch pad; it’s a joy to work with. However, there are situations where you need to use an external mouse. I have been a fan of the Logitech MX series of mice, and owns at least 7 of them. But the button configuration is not as I prefer:

Mouse button 3: In windows did I use it to close and open tabs in browsers, and autoscroll when the pointer was not located over anything clickable. In OS X does it bring up the dashboard.

Mouse button 4 & 5: In windows did I use these buttons to go forward and backward (like the 3 finger sideways swipe). In OS X does Mouse button 4 open expose (clever, but Mouse button 6 is the app switching button)

I have tried USB overdrive, Logitech Control Center (only compatible with the MX510 not MX518) and Steermouse. None of with solves the problem with Mouse Button 3, 4 and 5. Any suggestion for another mouse modification app? Are there setting I have missed in the apps I have tried?

I don't understand. I am using Steermouse on an MX and VX Revolution to do those functions. Can you screenshot your Steermouse preferences pane and post them here?

 

[jzuena]

Good god. 5 button mouse? That's far too complicated!!

Then you'd hate my Logitech MX 900 with 8 buttons!

Although I just use the extra buttons in exposé.

 

[XYZed]

Go get a Razer DeathAdder. I just got mine, and wow am I impressed. I switched from the Logitech G5 and Oh My is the DeathAdder better. I got the Mac version so it comes with Mac Drivers that let you mess with a the buttons to do whatever you want. Highly recommend this mouse.

 

[sjefen6]

Changing the OS X language to norwegian, set the shortcut combo for forward and backward to cmd+right/left arrow. I configured USB Overdrive with these settings and Ctrl+Mouse Button 3 for Mouse Button 3. Mouse Button 6 did I configure to Expose.app since USB Overdrive doesnt have a expose function.

Signal-11: Guess I colud have done that with Steermouse (and LCC if it recognized my MX518) also, but closing tabs in safari would still have been a lost cause?

XYZed: If you can close a tab in safari, by pointing at it and clicking Mouse Button 3, will I order it asap!

 

[Signal-11]

Changing the OS X language to norwegian, set the shortcut combo for forward and backward to cmd+right/left arrow. I configured USB Overdrive with these settings and Ctrl+Mouse Button 3 for Mouse Button 3. Mouse Button 6 did I configure to Expose.app since USB Overdrive doesnt have a expose function.

Signal-11: Guess I colud have done that with Steermouse (and LCC if it recognized my MX518) also, but closing tabs in safari would still have been a lost cause?

XYZed: If you can close a tab in safari, by pointing at it and clicking Mouse Button 3, will I order it asap!

I still don't understand what you're saying and how you have things configured. Mouse3 to close tabs works for me and always has. Thus, the question.

 

[sjefen6]

I still don't understand what you're saying and how you have things configured. Mouse3 to close tabs works for me and always has. Thus, the question.

Mouse 3 opens the dashboard for me (Mouse 4 expose), how do I disable this if it is not the default action?

Edit: To change this setting: Sys.Pref./Exposé and Spaces/Exposé . However, Mouse 3 still doesn't close tabs in Safari
Edit2: Mapping cmd+right/left arrow is stupid, becouse in iTunes the back button is cmd+8, Finder cmd+(

 

[sjefen6]

I still don't understand what you're saying and how you have things configured. Mouse3 to close tabs works for me and always has. Thus, the question.

I find this to work in firefox, not in safari 4.0.1. Am I alone?

 

[Signal-11]

I find this to work in firefox, not in safari 4.0.1. Am I alone?

I had to unbork my Safari and completely reinstall to check but you're right. Mouse3 does not close tabs in Safari 4.

Are you using LCC?

Under SteerMouse, you can customize back/forward for each application. Its been a while since I stopped using LCC but there should be an option for that as well.

 

[sjefen6]

I had to unbork my Safari and completely reinstall to check but you're right. Mouse3 does not close tabs in Safari 4.

Are you using LCC?

Under SteerMouse, you can customize back/forward for each application. Its been a while since I stopped using LCC but there should be an option for that as well.

Did Safari 3 or that thing that borked your Safari allow you to use Mouse 3 to close a tab?

I see I have put my head into a rathole of huge dimensions:

Looking through my applications did I find as many shortcuts for forward and backward as different applications. Trying to make it simple did I make the universal keyboard shortcut (Sys. Pref./Keyboard and mouse/Keyboard shortcuts) "all modifyers"+f and "all modifyers"+b point to the words forward and backward in the menu. This worked in all Apple OS X applications (Finder, iTunes, Safari).

Firefox was another chapter. They had managed to misspell the norwegian version of forward (frem istead of fram), and using the clever menu workaround I had made did not work even if I spelled the words according to the firefox translation. So I ended up creating a application unike shortcut thingie for firefox in LCC(or SteerMouse/USB Overdrive if I want to use my MX518) cmd+right/left arrow, but it does not work when a text box is highlighted as on google.com/firefox.

 

[TEG]

Apple does not believe in the middle-click to close a tab.

To get the middle click to open a tab, all you have to do is disable it as the way to open dashboard.

Also, if this is a M$ mouse, you may want to download their preference pain to get it working.

TEG

 

[sjefen6]

Apple does not believe in the middle-click to close a tab.

To get the middle click to open a tab, all you have to do is disable it as the way to open dashboard.

Also, if this is a M$ mouse, you may want to download their preference pain to get it working.

TEG

So you are able to close the tab you mouse howering ower in safari 4 (on OS X) with middelclicking your mouse?

Have you modified safari or your mouse settings in any way? what have you modified?

Edit:Re-read what you wrote, and I have managed to get middel click to open in a new tab working...

 

[Signal-11]

Wow, sounds like you're one of those guys who needs his mouse layouts exactly the way he likes it.

I had a version of Safari 3.? that went funny after too many rounds of installing and uninstalling Saft and Glim. I haven't used it in many a moon and the only working Safari I had was 4.?b with the tabs on top so that wouldn't have been a good test case.

Now that I think about it, I think its likely that mouse3 close tab was never there and I only got it on 3 by screwing around with Saft. Sorry if I lead you to believe otherwise.

Entoutcas, fresh, clean install of Safari 4 with all previous preferences nuked, doesn't work and I don't know Safari 4 well enough to get it to work.

As for mouse3/middle click opening tabs, this is default behaviour if you don't have mouse 3 bound to the dashboard.

Which MX are you talking about?

 

[Drag'nGT]

Good God. I have this mouse and you people are confusing the hell outta me with the button things. Logitech's control center always seemed to work for what I wanted.

 

[sjefen6]

Solution for safari middle click issue: http://joeygibson.com/2008/01/23/middle-click-close-for-safari/

Im not that picky on my mouse setup, im just expecting it to be a common interface. Deamanding mouse button 4 and 5 to go back and farward in my browsing history (finder, safari, spotify, firefox, opera) is not to much to ask. Windows have done it for 6 years now, with the the exact same mouse I am using today (blue Logitech MX510).

 

[colourfastt]

Solution for safari middle click issue: http://joeygibson.com/2008/01/23/middle-click-close-for-safari/

Im not that picky on my mouse setup, im just expecting it to be a common interface. Deamanding mouse button 4 and 5 to go back and farward in my browsing history (finder, safari, spotify, firefox, opera) is not to much to ask. Windows have done it for 6 years now, with the the exact same mouse I am using today (blue Logitech MX510).

I love OS X, but I have to admit I do miss having button 4 to "go back" without having to right-click and select it from the pop-up.

 

[Drag'nGT]

My back and forward button works.

 

[colourfastt]

My back and forward button works.

Unfortunately there's no OS X driver for the Razer Lachesis mouse.

 

[madog]

It's pretty typical. You can argue about Windows supporting them for 20 years or whatever, but it doesn't change the fact that up until ~6 years ago Apple still sold a 1 button mouse with their desktops.

After that, does Windows XP nativly support a 5+ button mouse? Or is it just that the developer only made the drivers for Windows, and not Mac? I could be wrong but I imagine that is the case. And if so, then you should be upset at the manufacturer for not supporting Macs, and not Apple for not supporting the thousands of different types of mice out there (they already have enough bloat with their added printer drivers ).

Apple can't make up their minds on what to do with some mice. I used to have the Microsoft tilt mouse (the scroll wheel tilted left/right and acted as their own buttons), and one update it worked without drivers to navigate through the Finder and Safari (back and forward). Then a few months later after another update it no longer worked (this was 5 years ago). There was a big stink for a while, but it might have been some good ol' fashion MS bashing (being singled out by Apple, who knows).

 

[sjefen6]

It's pretty typical. You can argue about Windows supporting them for 20 years or whatever, but it doesn't change the fact that up until ~6 years ago Apple still sold a 1 button mouse with their desktops.

After that, does Windows XP nativly support a 5+ button mouse?

Yes, infact the native support is better than the drivers.

Or is it just that the developer only made the drivers for Windows, and not Mac?

Macs does nativly support mice with even more than 5 buttons. Its just lack of configuration options that buggs me

I could be wrong but I imagine that is the case. And if so, then you should be upset at the manufacturer for not supporting Macs

I have sent them an e-mail, but as all hardware vendors, creating drivers for old hardware is the least of their worry

, and not Apple for not supporting the thousands of different types of mice out there (they already have enough bloat with their added printer drivers ).

Sorry if you missunderstood, I am looking for a solution, not blowing of steam. I love my new mac, and I am learning how to use it (and indeed, printers are lame)

Apple can't make up their minds on what to do with some mice. I used to have the Microsoft tilt mouse (the scroll wheel tilted left/right and acted as their own buttons), and one update it worked without drivers to navigate through the Finder and Safari (back and forward). Then a few months later after another update it no longer worked (this was 5 years ago). There was a big stink for a while, but it might have been some good ol' fashion MS bashing (being singled out by Apple, who knows).

Ok, so I think you got my point. I need a solution for making mouse button 4 and 5 act the same way the horisontal 3 finger swipe works. Be it apple script, hardware emulation, software or new hardware (and hardware that only works with mac is fine too)...

I made a call to apple, to see if they had a possible solution for my trubble. The custumer representative was very friendly, an told that after having an apple mouse connected to the computer, does aditional settings appair in system pref. She did not know if it would solve my spesific issue, but if I had access to one, would it be worth a try. I do not have an apple mouse, can anyone confirm/unconfirm this?