I Need to Select Something First

Have you ever frustratedly wondered why a button didn't work, or wasn't 'available' in an application when you suddenly realized…

"Ah, I need to select something first!

The 'something' may have been an icon on a layout, some numbers in a spreadsheet, or a section of an image. Your software expected you to select the object, and THEN apply a function in a noun>verb type action. In your head you were thinking verb>noun, with the action in mind first.

Are there interfaces which handle both verb>noun and noun>verb actions nicely?
To date I've seen:

• Disabling buttons/menu options (clearly enough so the user notices)
• Showing a dialogue box "You need to select an item first"

Is there a better way to handle this?

Have the software re-select the most recently selected object and apply the function to this object and rely on Undo if it's incorrect?

[This post was inspired by this recent video demo by TUAW of QuickKeys 4. At about 1:35 into the movie (loud intro music, quiet voice) the demo-er find himself unable to apply any functions until he selects part of the image.]

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