It would be very useful if one could configure the Mouse Wheel to switch between tabs in the current window. The UI for setting this would be in Preferences->Advanced->Mouse Wheel (proposed name for this behaviour:"Move between tabs").

spam: set your filter for "SeverusSnape" to avoid the influx of bugmail changing QA contact of open tabbed browser bugs from blake to me. if this bug requires a reassignment, however, feel free to change it!

Reassigning to new component owner.

-> future, helpwanted

bryner? since you're Mr Mousewheel ;)

*** Bug 135430 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 124341 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

bryner: did you declare a war on new mousewheel prefs?

I don't think this would be that useful, and certainly not worth adding an additional pref.

Why not useful and why ont worth? Some people (me) are browsing two-handedly (one hand on the mouse, second on the keyboard) and when tab-browsing there are 2 problems: 1. pointing mouse at a tab is a costly operation, because this is a relatively small area and much effort is needed to position the mouse properly (in his wonderful book, "User Interface design for programmers", Joel Spolsky points out that things placed at the borders of the screen have practically infinite width || height and thus it's easy to position mouse over them. Tabs aren't positioned at the top) 2. Pressing CTRL-PageUp or CTRL-PageDown (switching between tabs) requires aligning fingers in an unnatural way (RSI anyone?), in fact much more unnatural than when pressing Alt-TAB (switching between browser windows). So for someone equipped with a wheelmouse such pref would be a godsend.

This would be particularly useful in conjunction with (also wontfixed) bug #137664.

Can we atleast get a "futured" :)

*** Bug 144179 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

> I don't think this would be that useful, and certainly not worth adding an > additional pref. Several people think this feature will be useful (dupes and comments). I also see benefit of fixing this bug for users, which have problem with keyboard shortcut for tab switching (Ctrl+Tab vs Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn). Futhermore, Scrolling Wheel preferences have enough place for this. I'm REOPENing this bug. Brian: if you still won't implement this, reassign it to nobody@mozilla.org, but please don't resolve it as WONTFIX.

Brian has to agree to the feature in order for it to become part of Mozilla, since he is the module owner for this part of the codebase. If he says it's not going to be accepted, then it doesn't matter _who_ writes the code, it won't be accepted. If you _really_ _really_ want this, then fork the Mozilla codebase and implement it in your version, or petition the developer of your distribution of Mozilla to patch their version. WONTFIX. The module owner does not want this in Mozilla.

Amen. Does anyone seriously think that a localized mandate from "several people" in a bug is enough to increase the complexity of Mozilla's already bloated UI? It's a slippery slope, and we started sliding long ago.

I do apologize for reopening this bug (-> Ian, Brian). This RFE isn't break of any standard and isn't totally nonsense, on the contrary it should increase usability of Tabbed Browsing. Futhermore, Mouse Wheel preferences are in Advanced section of Preferences, so common users wouldn't be worried by it and power-users should satisfy their neeeds. On this preferences panel are already 4 options what scrollwheen should do and this RFE is a same level option as 3 of 4 already implemented (this function isn't worse or better than other one). There are also huge amount of free space... Also code for fixing this RFE shouldn't be so complicated (several lines of XUL, tiny backend for saving and several IFs for call up tab swithing action) - but I'm not C coder and situation could be more complicated. If Mozilla is set of technologies, Mozilla browser and other aplications are 'just' a demos of this technologies (words of Mozilla.org staff) and all features in Mozilla codebase aren't in all browsers with NGLayout/XPFE inside, then this RFE IMHO shouldn't be wontfixed, but should be implemented and should be in Mozilla codebase sometime in future. Yep, I could ask developers of my distribution, but you're them =) So, these were next reasons, why I (wrongly) reopened this bug.

Ok ... at the very least, would someone point to the relevant files one would need to modify to effect this change? I'd like to take a crack out of it. It's the only thing that keeps my mouse hand moving so much. I can post patches here if mozilla doesn't mind. Anyone else interested in helping?

*** Bug 159376 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

I'd help, but as has been pointed out, unless bryner changes his mind, the patch won't be accepted.

Hey, I'd be willing to patch my local copy. I'd setup build scripts and let people download. I want this. I really do. Ctrl+F4 works, why not Ctrl+tab? Having one and not the other is like File -> Open without -> Save! The mousewheel works too. I reset alt to be back and forth, ctrl to be scale up/down. Shift+wheel for between tabs would be brilliant (I don't care about really smooth scrolling since it's so uncommon in my sessions). So, even if this patch won't go into the official, I'll host a build machine which'll do it. I want it that much, baby!

Guys, please, vote for this bug to voice your support for it being included in base Mozilla distro. Maybe Brian will change his mind then?

Yes, please vote for this bug. Using up your votes on a wontfixed RFE will prevent those votes from being used to mislead owners of other bugs that those other bugs are important when (judging by your misguided support for this RFE) they really aren't. Verified wontfix.

You know Dent, your a jerk, a real kneebiter

anyone worked on this since july 26? i just installed mozilla (finally found the time to) and i'm really fascinated. i would really enjoy such a feature. i wouldnt mind patch sources and recompile, but i'm not a programmer neither do i know the affected files to alter..

*** Bug 187101 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Judging by the reaction, one would think the request was for an advanced spam-sending function, or perhaps an innovative new way to slaughter house pets. If adding more to the Advanced Preferences is such a big deal, why not just make it (yet another) hidden preference?

I agree with the Wontfix decision, but for perhaps a different reason: logically, this would be consistent with a horizontal scroll wheel, not the standard vertical one. If mice began to be manufactured with both, I'd be in favor of it. Otherwise, no.

Tab switching is already bound to CTRL-PgUp and CTRL-PgDn, which are distributed vertically. The key binding is OK for me and it is consistent with MS Excel (where it is used for switching between worksheet tabs). Also, mouse wheel can be currently already used fo navigating back and forward in visited pages history, which corresponds to the "Back" and "Forward" buttons (look at their icons, isn't that a horizontal layout?) and ALT-LeftArrow, ALT-RightArrow keybindings. So I don't see such thing illogical (binding tab switching to mouse wheel). I'd see it as a great usability gain for Mozilla'a tab browsing. Besides, the Mouse Wheel section in the preferences dialog has much more unused space than other sections...

*** Bug 214019 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

You've got to be kidding bryner... you'll seriously stand in the way of this being integrated if someone provides a patch, and yet 2 of the 4 things you can bind the mouse wheel to are scrolling?! (ooh, one is pages the other is lines... oooohhh.... big freakin' difference.) And a third one is (in theory) a rare action (font zooming). On the other hand, switching between tabs is (for users of tabbed browsing anyway) a very frequent activity.

I must say, that it's beyond all comprehension how impossible it was to get this RFE implemented. What makes it all the harder to understand is that an extension for something *very* similar to this exists for phoenix! Right click (& hold) on a page and then scroll the mouse wheel and the pop-up menu changes to one that lists all tabs. Also comment #27 talks of the one-day left-right scroll wheel. Well I've got one and have had one for *years*. I've got a track-ball and a 4th button that makes my track ball the "scroll wheel" when depressed. As it's my entire track ball that's doing the scrolling, left & right (and all other directions) work too. fantastic for *large* spreadsheets. Ignoring the fact that I've got this mouse already, isn't this is what modifier keys are supposed to be for?

*** Bug 219763 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 229208 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

This feature has just been implemented in Konqueror in KDE 3.3. I suggest at least admitting that the feature is useful and reopening this bug.

The functionality to move up and down the list of tabs is already in (via ctrl-pgup and ctrl-pgdn). There's also a way to configure mouse events in the preferences window. Could someone at least point me out to the relevant files and I would gladly try to figure it out and submit a patch which DOES NOT HAVE to be checked in to the repository but that at least people who want it could use?

*** Bug 336014 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***