request to restore old focus behaviour on address bar with browser.urlbar.default.behavior |= 32

[steubens]

Binary package hint: firefox

when you're typing stuff into the address bar and it shows some suggestions/search results; you can't alt tab or use any other wm keys while that window is open, you have to hit escape to clear it first; this is a big problem because merely selecting the current url in the address bar opens that results window.

steps to reproduce:
1) open firefox
2) type something in the address bar so that it shows the search dropdown
3) try and use alt-tab without dismissing it

expected outcome:
switch to next window in cycle, or do any given wm action

actual outcome:
nothing works

i've tried wm actions with compiz (alt-tab, cube faces, changing workspaces) and metacity wm actions (alt-tab) and they do not get through

normally hitting escape wouldn't be too onerous, but merely selecting the address bar also opens the dropdown

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: firefox 3.6.10+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-22.33-generic 2.6.35.4
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-22-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Oct 9 20:49:18 2010
FirefoxPackages:
 firefox 3.6.10+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu3
 firefox-gnome-support 3.6.10+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu3
 firefox-branding 3.6.10+build1+nobinonly-0ubuntu3
 abroswer N/A
 abrowser-branding N/A
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox

[steubens (steubens)]

this also happens in the search box, when the dropdown suggestions or search history is visible

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

This isn't really a bug in Firefox, this is just the way that any menu or drop-down works in X. Menus and other drop downs need to grab the keyboard and mouse so that all events are routed to that particular window (so that it knows when the user clicks outside the window, so it can automatically close the menu).

X requires that a window must have focus in order to receive keyboard or mouse events, which means that when you have a menu or popup open, no other windows or applications (including those which have a passive grab on a set of keys, like the window manager) can receive keyboard events.

If anything, this is a limitation in the X protocol, but it isn't a bug in Firefox

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

And please don't subscribe me to Firefox bugs, I'm already subscribed to them anyway, and I have a mail filter which bumps the priority of mail from bugs that I've been explicity subscribed to. I use this so that urgent issues can be bought to my attention.

[steubens (steubens)]

alright, sorry for that; but it didn't do this in 10.04, or 9.10

there has been a recent change that affected grabs, it apparently improved rdesktop, but made firefox worse

alt closes popup menus in other programs, it doesn't in firefox, it should drop the grab if it receives a key it isn't interested in, not unlike when you type in the address bar in firefox itself

the part this makes annoying, and what i did a lot in 9.04, 9.10, 10.04; was copying a url, going to another window and pasting it, i do that _often_ so as soon as the grab behaviour changed (whatever the cause) i noticed, i thought it was a fluke and someone would rv' whatever it was, but i eventually reported it

i don't think invalid is appropriate, as it worked fine before

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Well, it's not a Firefox bug. And I doubt this has worked for a long time. This behaviour in X hasn't changed for years, and toolkits have also grabbed keyboard and mouse focus for menus and popups for as long as I can remember. This isn't a new problem

[steubens (steubens)]

alright, started some old versions of ubuntu in a vm; the difference is the dropdowns wouldn't open until you typed a partial address, or hit the first key in the search box, vs. dropping down when theres just focus like it does now, so there was nothing to dismiss.

gonna scour the options for restoring this behaviour asap. as dropping down on focus pretty much just shows duplicate information anyways, sorry for the consternation

[steubens (steubens)]

alright, this did change over time. to restore it add 32 (http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser.urlbar.default.behavior) to the mask of values for browser.urlbar.default.behavior, which doesn't search on focus, only when you start typing

this behaviour was changed here: http://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/f3eda128cbd3

there is no way to restore the old behaviour for the search dialogue thats immediately visible, but for my usage that is fine, for now; but i'll keep looking for a way to do it.

is it reasonable to request that this bug be a feature request to restore the old behaviour? like making ubufox set that mask; i'm not sure on the visibility of the distinction, or whether people even notice the difference; but it is a good deal of daily aggravation, and into the future, remembering to change it in new profiles :|

[dino99 (9d9)]

outdated flavor, and firefox have had so many new releases.