Address bar does not get focus when adding a new tab

[Kugi Eusebio]

Expected Result:
When adding a new tab via the button or Ctrl + T, the address bar is automatically focused so that users can immediately type the URL.

Current Result:
When opening a new tab, the new tab page is shown with bookmarks and top sites but the user can't type immediately the URL they want to go to.

This might be more appropriate in windowed mode since most likely a physical keyboard exists thus making it easier for the users to input the URL when adding a new tab. In staged mode, focusing the address bar will show the OSK which might not be desirable if the user wants to select from the bookmarks or top sites instead of inputting its own URL.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Thanks for the detailed report!

This is the intended behaviour: as you point out, on a phone form-factor, focusing the address bar would pop up the OSK, which would partially hide the new tab view. On a desktop, in windowed mode, the address bar gets focused.

Currently the "desktop mode" detection is clunky and won’t work well on unity8, but that’s a separate issue. As far as focusing the address bar, the behaviour is correct.

[Kugi Eusebio (kugi-igi)]

The behavior isn't correct based on my experience.
The address bar doesn't get focus when adding a new tab on my Nexus 7 rc-propose image #335.
Is it something fixed on Xenial builds? or probably only works in actual desktop installs?

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Can you please specify exactly what setup you’re using? A Nexus 7 without additional input/output devices will not focus the address bar of a new tab, that’s the expected behaviour. Have you plugged in an external monitor to have unity8 running in windowed mode? If so then indeed the address bar should get focus and currently doesn’t, but as I wrote above it’s a bug in the "desktop mode" detection that is being tracked separately.

[Kugi Eusebio (kugi-igi)]

I have a Nexus 7 with keyboard and mouse connected.
Anyway, I guess I now understand what you meant.
The behavior isn't as desired right now when on windowed mode because "desktop" mode detection is still in hot discussion.
I thought you said it's working correctly now. I'm just curious why tag this as invalid if this can be fixed in the future once mode detection has been implemented.

[Bill Filler (bfiller)]

I've confirmed this is an issue with a Nexus 4 with keyboard and mouse connected to a monitor, running r112 PD build

I'm seeing the following:
- in large mode, with tabs across the top
- press ctrl-t to open a new tab

Expected result:
- url field should be focus and you can start typing immediately

Actual result:
- url field is not focused
- ctrl-l doesn't even work to bring you there as it should

I think the rule should be if we are in expanded mode with tabs on the top, then creating a new tab should always focus the url field

[Bill Filler (bfiller)]

We should not be checking any desktop mode kind of switch for this either, should be enough to check if we're in expanded mode. On a tablet without mouse/keyboard it will focus the field and cause the OSK to appear but don't think that is a bad thing necessarily as the content of the page is horizontally layout so it should be clear the page can be interacted with if desired.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package webbrowser-app - 0.23+16.04.20160122-0ubuntu1

---------------
webbrowser-app (0.23+16.04.20160122-0ubuntu1) xenial; urgency=medium

  * Automatically focus the address bar when opening a new tab in wide
    mode (instead of inferring a "desktop" form factor). This is not
    exactly the correct fix (which would require the QInputInfo API),
    but is better than the current situation anyway. (LP: #1533317)
  * Ensure that only one instance of the app is running. (LP: #1535199)
  * Fix failing autopilot test. With recent changes in the UITK, swiping
    a non-swipeable item to the right activates it. (LP: #1534139)
  * Fix undefined reference when dragging a bookmark from one folder to
    another one.
  * Show the share action if Ubuntu.Content is available, regardless of
    the form factor.

 -- Olivier Tilloy <email address hidden> Fri, 22 Jan 2016 10:23:33 +0000