How to filter menu options when the user selects multiple items

Question

So we have an app which lets the user multi-select items from a long list. If the user selects one item we filter the right click menu options to be those available to the user.

If the user selects multiple items should we:

• Remove all the options from the menu that can't be applied to ALL the selected items.
• Offer all the options that might be applicable to any item, but only carry them out for the subset of selected items to which they apply.
• Something entirely different.

An example might make it clearer.

Imagine we have 100 items selected and 80 of them can be printed, and all but one can be downloaded.

Do we display PRINT and DOWNLOAD in the menu, or neither?

Answer 1

I would suggest that you show both, but indicate how many will be either printed or downloaded. This could ex. be done by writing:

"Print (80 items)"

Another solution could be to write how many is selected..

"You have 80 items selected"

On the same line you then show the PRINT and DOWNLOAD CTAs but then indicate how many of them will be printed.

"Print (25/80)"

You could also launch a modal telling the user that only 25 of the 80 selected could be printed due to....