Cancelling a WiFi password dialog turns WiFi off and leaves the network checked in the list

[Michał Sawicz]

Steps to reproduce:
* pull down the network indicator
* select a protected network
* cancel the password entry

Expected:
* checkbox next to the cancelled network goes away
* device reconnects to any known network (if auto-connect is on)
* WiFi checkbox stays on

Current:
* checkbox for the cancelled network remains
* WiFi checkbox gets into "disabled" state

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: indicator-network 0.5.1+14.04.20131125-0ubuntu1
Uname: Linux 3.4.0-3-mako armv7l
ApportVersion: 2.13.2-0ubuntu2
Architecture: armhf
Date: Tue Feb 4 17:03:21 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-02-04 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu Trusty Tahr (development branch) - armhf (20140204)
SourcePackage: indicator-network
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

"* device reconnects to any known network (if auto-connect is on)"

That doesn't seem right to me. For example, I was previously connected to a known Wi-Fi network, but I disconnected. Later I choose a previously-unknown network, its authentication prompt appears, and I choose Cancel. Wi-Fi should then return to the previous state -- not connected to any network -- rather than interpreting that as an invitation to rejoin the known network.

In other words, even if auto-connect is on, the act of disconnecting from a network should temporarily override that.

[Tony Espy (awe)]

I ran into this bug today on mako running image #u4.

That said, I see two differences from Michael's original report:

1. My WiFi state switch doesn't toggle to Off.

2. If I attempt to connect to a second network and then also cancel the PW dialog, I end up with *two* selected networks in the menu!

Also, I agree with Mathew's comment #2, a user manually attempting to connect to a network and failing should stay disconnected, not initiate auto-connect logic. At this point it's up to the user to determine what happens next.

[Micheal Shallop (mshallop)]

I have a 14.04 box on a wired connection. When I wake from sleep, I am presented with the wi-fi challenge dialog to connect to the lan wireless.

I click cancel - I don't want a second connection - but the network driver connects anyway.

I'd expect, on clicking cancel, that there would be no connection made to the existing wifi network. But, after canceling, I have to click on the top menu and manually disconnect my wifi.

1. on waking, if there exists a legit wired connection, the wifi challenge dialog shouldn't proc.
2. clicking cancel on the wifi challenge dialog should drop the wifi connection process (even if it's a known network)

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

Micheal, do you actually have indicator-network installed? It isn't installed by default in 14.04.

If you don't, what you are experiencing is probably a combination of bug 615239 (every Wi-Fi disconnection is treated as an authentication error), and bug 996939 or bug 1134060 or bug 1305339.

[Selene ToyKeeper (toykeeper)]

I'm seeing this, or at least something very much like it, on Ubuntu Touch rev Utopic 45.

I pulled down the network indicator, tapped a network to connect, and it gave me a password dialog. So far, so good. I entered the wrong password and hit connect, realized my mistake, and then pulled the indicator down again to try to cancel the attempt. I tapped the network again to toggle it off, but it immediately toggled itself back on. I then was given another password dialog, where I hit cancel. Afterward, the network was still checked as "on", and it kept popping up password dialogs until I entered the correct password. The cancel button doesn't stop it, and neither does un-checking the network from the list.

[Selene ToyKeeper (toykeeper)]

Hmm, different results on a second attempt. I entered the wrong password and hit "connect", the password dialog came back almost immediately, then it dismissed itself and the network went back to being unchecked.

This happened a few times in a row, and then it started behaving differently again. After entering a wrong password and hitting connect, the dialog would go away and after several seconds it came back and stayed there to let me try again.

A few tries later, it reverted back to the earlier behavior, dialog coming back immediately then dismissing itself.

If I pull down the indicator and tap the network toggle during the time between when I hit "connect" and the time when it asks me for a password again, the check box toggles twice instead of once, and it asks me for a password again. I can't turn it off unless I wait for the dialog to return and then hit cancel.

So, I'm seeing two distinct behaviors somewhat at random, and both have strange consequences. Either the dialog comes back immediately but isn't usable, or it takes a while and leaves an interval during which the connection cannot be aborted.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

Selene, I think you may be seeing at least three separate issues, each worthy of its own bug.

First, when you enter authentication details in the dialog, the dialog should stay up to show progress, to offer you a "Cancel" button, and to let you reauthenticate if the details were incorrect. <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Networking#wi-fi-authenticating> That it doesn't do this results in the dialog going away then coming back again for reauthentication.

Second, networks in the network menu are shown using things that look and behave like clearable checkboxes, bug 1322497.

Third, when you cancel connection to a network it still shows up as selected in the menu.

And possibly fourth, NetworkManager currently continuously tries to connect to known networks whenever Wi-Fi is on. So it might be continuously trying to rejoin a network even though you have previously cancelled connection to it.

[Selene ToyKeeper (toykeeper)]

I tried again in Utopic 140.

If I hit 'cancel', it will simply abort and then connect to the first memorized network. Seems like it's probably an okay behavior.

If I enter the wrong password and hit 'connect', the dialog goes away, immediately reappears, then goes away again. It then reconnects to the first memorized network. It might be better to do as mpt described and keep the dialog up while connecting, and allow the user another chance to enter the password if it failed. But this is merely awkward, and doesn't prevent the user from getting on the network if they try again.

[Allan LeSage (allanlesage)]

Tagging this for our further QA review although it doesn't feel like a 'blocker'.

[Selene ToyKeeper (toykeeper)]

Indeed, I don't think this is a blocker any more. It's awkward, but easy to work around if you type in the wrong password.