Stenocon

A UI input concept that enables 4 selections from a single icon pair using only left and right mouse buttons.

The Concept

Stenocon displays two icons (L and R) side by side. By combining mouse button press sequences, users can select from 4 different options without moving the cursor:

Action	Selection	Color
LMB click	L	Blue
RMB click	R	Red
LMB down → RMB down → RMB up	LR	Green
RMB down → LMB down → LMB up	RL	Yellow

Key Benefits

• 4 selections per icon - Quadruples information density
• No cursor movement required - Selection happens in place
• Drag & drop compatible - Hold button(s) and drag to target
• Undo by release order - Cancel by releasing first button before second

Demo

Live Demo - Interactive RPG inventory example

Documentation - Explanation with videos and pseudocode

Try It Locally

git clone https://github.com/maribotto/stenocon.git
cd stenocon
# Open demo.html in your browser

# For index.html with embedded videos:
python -m http.server 8000
# Open http://localhost:8000/

How It Works

When you press a mouse button on a stenocon icon:

1. Single button press → Shows the primary selection (L or R)
2. While holding, press second button → Combo option appears highlighted (LR or RL)
3. Release second button → Confirms the combo selection
4. Release first button instead → Cancels (returns to neutral)

Modifiers

• Shift - Swaps L↔LR and R↔RL while held
• Tab - Toggles the swap persistently
• Number keys 1-4 - Select target slot directly

Files

File	Description
demo.html	Interactive browser demo
index.html	Documentation with videos and pseudocode
diagram.svg	Concept diagram
PSEUDO.md	Selection logic pseudocode

Video Demonstrations

• Demo Video 1
• Demo Video 2

Use Cases

• Game hotbars - 4x more abilities per slot
• Tool palettes - Compact toolbars with sub-tool access
• Emoji pickers - Related emoji variants
• File managers - Primary action + alternatives
• Any UI with limited space - Increase density without sacrificing usability

Selection Logic

IF only LMB pressed and released → L
IF only RMB pressed and released → R
IF LMB first, then RMB, release RMB → LR
IF RMB first, then LMB, release LMB → RL
IF buttons released in wrong order → Cancel

See PSEUDO.md for detailed pseudocode.

License

ISC