onscreen keyboard doesn't trigger url bar's drop-down list

[yoyoma2]

Steps:
1) start firefox 45.0.1 for ubuntu canonical
2) using an onscreen keyboard like "onboard", type a partial url that's in your history
= No dropdown list of suggested url's appears

Notes:
1) Typing the same characters on the physical keyboard produces the expected dropdown list
2) Safe mode or disabling all extensions makes no difference
3) Occasionally the dropdown list may work once immediately after startup but never more than once
4) Firefox 45 broke Windows 8 onscreen keyboard support (related?)

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/45.0/releasenotes/

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: firefox 45.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.14.04.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-37.64-generic 3.13.11.7
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-37-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
AddonCompatCheckDisabled: False
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.19
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: flamin 2342 F.... pulseaudio
BuildID: 20160325004402
Channel: Unavailable
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Mon Apr 11 23:21:37 2016
ExecutablePath: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox
ForcedLayersAccel: False
IfupdownConfig:
 # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
 auto lo
 iface lo inet loopback
IncompatibleExtensions:
 English (South Africa) Language Pack - <email address hidden>
 English (GB) Language Pack - <email address hidden>
 Default - {972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6fd}
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-07-09 (642 days ago)
InstallationMedia: sonar 13.10 - Release amd64
IpRoute:
 default via 192.168.0.30 dev eth0 proto static
 192.168.0.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.0.32 metric 1
IwConfig:
 eth0 no wireless extensions.

 lo no wireless extensions.
PrefSources: prefs.js
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US
 PATH=(custom, user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
Profiles: Profile0 (Default) - LastVersion=45.0.1/20160325004402 (In use)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 totem-mozilla 3.10.1-1ubuntu4
 rhythmbox-mozilla 3.0.2-0ubuntu2
 gnome-shell 3.10.4-0ubuntu5.2
RunningIncompatibleAddons: True
SourcePackage: firefox
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-07-09 (642 days ago)
WifiSyslog:

dmi.bios.date: 12/07/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: 68PAD Ver. F.20
dmi.board.name: 30EC
dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.board.version: KBC Version 91.25
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: CNU0121PR0
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvr68PADVer.F.20:bd12/07/2011:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPEliteBook8730w:pvrF.20:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn30EC:rvrKBCVersion91.25:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.name: HP EliteBook 8730w
dmi.product.version: F.20
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard

[yoyoma2 (sinbad-4273)]

The bug is still present in firefox 47.0 for ubuntu canonical. For a disabled person using only an onscreen keyboard, this makes firefox's awesome bar just a bar.

Workaround:

Bring up the history. The onscreen keyboard can still search the history.

[yoyoma2 (sinbad-4273)]

The bug has gotten worse in firefox 48.0 for ubuntu canonical. Now when the bug occurs, the "Enter" key also does nothing in the awesome bar (we are still talking about an onscreen keyboard like "onboard").

Workaround #2:

Click on the right arrow to go to the address in the location bar instead of clicking "Enter".

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

yoyoma2,

We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to review all reported bugs in a timely manner. You reported this bug some time ago and there have been many changes in Ubuntu since that time.

Do you still see a problem related to the one that you reported? Please let us know if you do.

If we do not hear from you this bug report will close in approximately 60 days time.

Thank you for helping make Ubuntu better.

Paul White
[Ubuntu Bug Squad]

[yoyoma2 (sinbad-4273)]

This is still happening in Firefox Quantum 61.0.1 (64-bit) for Ubuntu canonical. For example typing 'hoo.c' with onscreen keyboard 'onboard' will cause nothing to happen. Typing 'hoo.c' with the physical keyboard will cause a drop down list of previously visited yahoo.com pages to appear as expected.

As stated in Note #3 in the original bug description, "Occasionally the dropdown list may work once immediately after startup but never more than once".

For a person with disabilities the onscreen keyboard is a must and features like the awesome bar that reduce the number of required keystrokes are doubly important. This bug is logged on behalf of a person with disabilities.

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

This bug needs to be reported upstream to https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/.

A search there for "onscreen" produces six results of which https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=851347 seems to be the most relevant. If that report doesn't reflect the issue then a new bug report will need to created and linked back here so that Ubuntu can track its progress.

[yoyoma2 (sinbad-4273)]

This bug is fixed in firefox 70.0.1.

[yoyoma2 (sinbad-4273)]

Fixed in firefox 70.0.1. No idea if the fix came from upstream or not.