Closed Bug 57192 Opened 24 years ago Closed 23 years ago

[CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open HTML comboboxes/dropdowns/menulist

Categories

(Core :: DOM: UI Events & Focus Handling, defect, P3)

defect

Tracking

()

VERIFIED FIXED
mozilla0.9.6

People

(Reporter: caseyperkins, Assigned: aaronlev)

References

Details

(Keywords: access, helpwanted, Whiteboard: nsbeta1+)

Attachments

(1 file, 1 obsolete file)

The standard keyboard shortcut on the Windows platform to open the drop-down list (html select/option tags) that has the focus is F4. This works in Netscape 4, IE, and throughout Windows. It would be nice if this was implemented, so that the contents of select list can be viewed and selected all at once, without having to use the mouse.
akkana/jrgm, d'you know if there's an equivalent of F4 for linux/unix to dropdown menulists? alas, i don't think such a shortcut exists on the Mac --cc'ing mpt in case there is.
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Ever confirmed: true
Keywords: 4xp, access
Why not use enter to open it, space to select (ctrl and/or shift space for multi-select), enter to close (confirm) and esc to cancel.
>>Why not use enter to open it, space to select (ctrl and/or shift space for multi-select), enter to close (confirm) and esc to cancel. This is not standard behavior, at least on Windows. F4 to drop down, arrow down and enter or press first letter to select.
In addition to F4 on Windows :-)
.. on unix/linux, not that I recall (although Sun keyboards might). (by the way, one problem with overloading Enter to open it, is that the urlbar is also a drop-down, which leads to an exception to the rule).
F4? What kind of intuitive shortcut is that??? Sheez. If that's what Windows uses, we'd better support it on Windows -- but let's not have Linux repeating *all* of Windows' UI mistakes, please! For Mac OS (where native popup menus can't even get focus, unfortunately) and Linux, why not just Space to open, Space to select/close? Space is the key used to manipulate any other non-editor control, and there's no reason not to use it for popup menus too. (Jag's suggestion of Enter is inappropriate, because Enter should -- eventually -- submit an HTML form; and unnecessary, because popup menus -- such as SELECTs -- don't allow multiple selections anyway.) As for the location bar dropdown: in particular that dropdown is not necessary in the location bar, and in general it's just another reason why text fields and menus shouldn't be welded together. So I have no sympathy for that particular widget whatsoever.
Keywords: pp
OS: Windows 98 → All
Hardware: PC → All
You're right, mpt. Space to open and select actually was my first thought... One snag though, currently enter is the key used to select, this is what prompted me to couple it to using enter to open.
Since Don has left, Vishy is taking his bugs in bulk, pending reassignment. thanks, Vishy
Assignee: don → vishy
putting on nsbeta1 radar
Keywords: nsbeta1
over to rods for a look. Rod, who should do this? I'm not sure, but figured you would probably know.
Assignee: vishy → rods
Summary: keyboard shortcut to open drop-down lists doesn't work → keyboard shortcut to open combobox doesn't work
Apparently, that is one more bizarre UI behavior, I'll add it to the list
Status: NEW → ASSIGNED
Summary: keyboard shortcut to open combobox doesn't work → [CBX]keyboard shortcut to open combobox doesn't work
See bug 62425 for alt-down and bug 64078 for space.
Summary: [CBX]keyboard shortcut to open combobox doesn't work → [CBX]F4 keyboard shortcut to open comboboxes/dropdowns doesn't work
Does these bugs cover both XUL contorls and HTML controls?
Blocks: 18575
nav triage team: Marking nsbeta1+
Whiteboard: nsbeta1+
Target Milestone: --- → Future
Summary: [CBX]F4 keyboard shortcut to open comboboxes/dropdowns doesn't work → [CBX]Alt-Down, F4 and Space to open comboboxes/dropdowns
*** Bug 64078 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Keywords: fcc508
Summary: [CBX]Alt-Down, F4 and Space to open comboboxes/dropdowns → [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open comboboxes/dropdowns
In bug 33684, we're considering using Alt+Up for "chop off the last part of the URL". IE uses both Alt+Up and Alt+Down for dropdowns. We could work around the conflict by only supporting Alt+Down for select boxes, using a different key to navigate up, or making Alt+Up to navigate up work everywhere except on select boxes.
Alt-up also works in n4 and any other normal app... I think it'd be ok if the overloaded behavior (traverse server hierarchy) only worked in _content when not in a combobox. see also Bugzilla Bug 64157 xbl drop-down listboxes should respond to arrow keys in the same way as html drop-down listboxes. What about ctrl-backspace to chop off a fragment of a url? it makes sense to me in an edit box.
Function keys currently have interesting effects in HTML drop-down lists - they map to letters F1=P ... F9=X
Alt-down is my vote. It almost makes sense. I never use alt-up. I use alt-down to drop down the list and then use the arrow keys to move the selection. I would think any action that moves the focus should cause selection.
Alt-Down needs to work to pull down a combo box in HTML.
Severity: minor → major
Blocks: 104166
Attachment #53458 - Attachment is obsolete: true
As it turns out, F4 drops down IE's URL bar list, regardless of where the focus is. So making F4 work here would be against the usual platform bevior. However, Alt+Down and Alt+Up work in any combo box in Windows or IE. The attached patch makes our combo box compatible with IE's - Alt+Down or Alt+Up in a focused combo box toggle the list's openness.
Whiteboard: nsbeta1+ → nsbeta1+, seeking r=, sr=
r=rods
I'll take the bug
Assignee: rods → aaronl
Status: ASSIGNED → NEW
clearing milestone, nominating for moz0.9.7.
Keywords: ppmozilla0.9.7
Summary: [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open comboboxes/dropdowns → [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open comboboxes/dropdowns/menulist
Target Milestone: Future → ---
We have a much more complete keyboard implentation for combo boxes in: http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=100186
Microsoft is violating its own standard by having F4 pop down the URL bar. F4 is supposed to display the focused combobox. We should not copy this crappy behavior. And if you do, it should be Windows only.
So, this at least makes Alt+[Up|Down] work. Seems like a step in the right direction -- sr=waterson. Can the fight about F4 rage on in bug 100186?
Well, this improvement will get us from now until XBL comboboxes arrive for HTML. At that time we can implement F4 if people wish. Checking in and marking fixed.
actually marking fixed, unless it really isn't. :)
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 23 years ago
Resolution: --- → FIXED
is this supposed to fix both html form selection lists [comboboxes] as well as xul menulists [eg, urlbar, font menulists in pref panel, etc]? alt+down and alt+up do work to open and collapse [respectively] selection lists in html forms. however, alt+down and alt+up do not seem to work for xul menulists --at least as i would expect. in fact, they just seem to act the same as using the up and down arrows --which both just open the menulist [when the widget is focus, but collapsed] and move the selection [when the widget is open] in the list. on the basis of this last observation, i'm reopening this. however, if this fix is *only* for selection lists in html forms, do let me know! test with the following: linux - 2001.11.01.12 winNT - 2001.10.31.03 mac 10.1 - 2001.10.31.13
Status: RESOLVED → REOPENED
Resolution: FIXED → ---
I think the bug was only for html combo boxes - at least according to the long description.
Summary: [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open comboboxes/dropdowns/menulist → [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open HTML comboboxes/dropdowns/menulist
Whiteboard: nsbeta1+, seeking r=, sr= → nsbeta1+
XUL dropdowns are bug 64157. By the way, bug 57209 (use xbl controls for html forms) would make 64157 apply to both xul and html, possibly regressing this bug.
Status: REOPENED → RESOLVED
Closed: 23 years ago23 years ago
Resolution: --- → FIXED
Target Milestone: --- → mozilla0.9.6
thx for the clarificaton! vrfy'ing, then...
Status: RESOLVED → VERIFIED
Filed bug 110801, "alt+arrow opens <select> in a random location on the screen".
Component: Keyboard: Navigation → User events and focus handling
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