Flashing Text cursor does not correspond to actual typing location, or appears randomly where it should not.

[fINTiP]

Binary package hint: firefox-3.0-gnome-support

I thought it might be website-specific the first time I ran into it at intpforum.com, which has a particular variation of the error that causes me to not be able to click on any part of the mini text editor [wysiwig?] for Private messages when typing- the only way to 'click' to any part of the text is for me to highlight something else, and then middle click to paste (I'm on linux) to a location.

Copy & Paste does not allow this same feature; i.e., if I right click somewhere and click 'paste', it will just paste the content wherever the last area to be typed at was, not where I right clicked.

I can't use the arrow keys to get to a place either.

And the flashing text cursor shows no correlation to what I am actually typing- it sometimes shows correlation to where I have clicked, usually not even that. The cursor can be flashing at the beginning of a line, and stay there, while my text continues to pass it...

Anyways, in what appears to be another variant of the problem, I noticed a cursor (albeit a GIANT one) appear on the right side of the webcomic on THIS page (but not on *any* of the 204 previous ones, or the one following it... I just read through every single one in one sitting...) http://wastedtalent.ca/index.php?view=205 .

I'm using Ubuntu 8.04

contact me on the ubuntu forums if need be, I won't respond to this email... fINTiP on those forums.

.L

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri May 23 02:13:50 2008
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.04
Package: firefox-3.0 3.0~b5+nobinonly-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox-3.0
Uname: Linux 2.6.24-16-generic i686

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

Just to clarify, that only applies to typing Private Messages on that forum (it's a php forum, I don't know if that can be replicated at any forum, or if it's something particular to that forum). It doesn't apply to typing in the threads, that is rendered fine in firefox.

.L

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

xD

I just noticed that any non-editable text on *this page* can be clicked, and the cursor just continues blinking there... it almost seems as if the actual text is being treated that same way by the cursor in the PM box?

I'm terribly suspicious this is some kind of very weird setting, and not a bug, but I'm fairly certain there's no comprehensible reason for the cursor to appear when I click between the 'e' and the 'f' in 'firefox' on the bottom of this page, where it says:

"Report another bug about firefox-3.0 in ubuntu"

That should help, I think.

.L

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

fINTiP wrote:
> xD
>
> I just noticed that any non-editable text on *this page* can be clicked,
> and the cursor just continues blinking there... it almost seems as if
> the actual text is being treated that same way by the cursor in the PM
> box?
>
> I'm terribly suspicious this is some kind of very weird setting, and not
> a bug, but I'm fairly certain there's no comprehensible reason for the
> cursor to appear when I click between the 'e' and the 'f' in 'firefox'
> on the bottom of this page, where it says:
>
> "Report another bug about firefox-3.0 in ubuntu"
>
> That should help, I think.
>
> .L
>
If you are unable to comment or answer questions on this bug than we
have to go on what you told us only because we wont go searching the web
to find you and start up accounts that we will never use but to comment
ask questions to you. I would like you to please reconcider
commenting/answering on this bug report so we can have all info in one
spot.
I have a feeling this is the clipboard issue. Is this reproducible from
another browser like epiphany, konq., galeon?

--
Sincerely Yours,
     John Vivirito

https://launchpad.net/~gnomefreak
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JohnVivirito
Linux User# 414246

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

I downloaded epiphany to check.

Unfortunately, the main problem mentioned (concerning the intpforum.com PM feature) is untestable, as the site has used up its bandwidth for the time being.

However, the cursor issue on the webcomic is not replicable in epiphany.

It does still happen in firefox.

.L

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

Also, I just checked, and in epiphany, clicking the non-editable words on this page does not cause the cursor to show up there as it does in firefox.

Hope that helps.

.L

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 07:28:58AM -0000, fINTiP wrote:
> Public bug reported:
>
> Binary package hint: firefox-3.0-gnome-support
>
> I thought it might be website-specific the first time I ran into it at
> intpforum.com, which has a particular variation of the error that causes
> me to not be able to click on any part of the mini text editor
> [wysiwig?] for Private messages when typing- the only way to 'click' to
> any part of the text is for me to highlight something else, and then
> middle click to paste (I'm on linux) to a location.

Do you have a testcase we can use that doesn't require an account?

Could you list simple step by step instructions to reproduce your bug
please?

e.g.

 1. do this
 2. do that
 3. do something else

Result: this happens

Expected: this should happen

 status incomplete

 - Alexander

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

Unfortunately, I have not run in to this problem in any other scenario. Especially frustrating is that the main referenced instance of the bug only shows when using the private messaging feature, not when just posting to a thread.

If I created a test account for your use, and then wrote a step-by-step, would that help?

I have been made a moderator on this forum since I first indicated the bug, so I can give any assistance needed.

.L

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 11:58:37PM -0000, fINTiP wrote:
> Unfortunately, I have not run in to this problem in any other scenario.
> Especially frustrating is that the main referenced instance of the bug
> only shows when using the private messaging feature, not when just
> posting to a thread.
>
> If I created a test account for your use, and then wrote a step-by-step,
> would that help?
>
> I have been made a moderator on this forum since I first indicated the
> bug, so I can give any assistance needed.
>

Please no test accounts. We need a public accessible testcase.

 - Alexander

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

So even if the idea of a test account were as easy as....

1. Go to intpforum.com
2. Log in on the top right with: Username "llama" password "themystery".
3. click "UserCP" on the top left
4. Try to send a Private Message (PM).
5. Observe.

You wouldn't do it?

Just in case you change your mind, I already made that account with that password, so... if you felt like trying, those instructions work.

A lot simpler than some other steps one has to go to for bug replication, you know. :\

.L

[fINTiP (lacking-latin)]

Then what of my cursor just flashing on basically whatever text I click on? Any non-editable text on the page I click on, my cursor appears there, as if I could type there.

Why is that happening?

They may be separate issues. Not sure.

.L

[Ewok85 (ewok85)]

This is an option within Firefox itself - press F7 to disable (may need to press it twice). I think it is the option "Always use the cursor keys to navigate within pages" which causes the issues - under Options, Advanced, General.

[fewyun (fewyun)]

It is, in fact, caret browsing -- I figure that I accidentally turned it on when going for F6 to select the address bar. Perhaps defaulting to 'No' on the caret browsing alert would be better?

It was really confusing since I didn't realize that I had turned something on.

[Victor Vargas (kamus)]

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem. Please reopen it if you encounter that this issue is still occurring in latest Ubuntu Karmic version, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!