612252 - "clear console" needs a keyboard shortcut in a bad way

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(DevTools :: Console, defect, P2)

Description

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

using the context menu item requires mouse usage, typing "clear()" is undiscoverable (and too many keystrokes).

it would reduce developer frustration (in my case anyway) if there was a keyboard shortcut to clear the console. that way when you're doing reload-log cycles ad-infinitum you don't have to worry about cursor position or the mouse at all.

Comment 1

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

What keyboard shortcut should we use here? On the Mac, ⌘K is the shortcut that Terminal.app uses to clear the console, but it's already in use for search in Firefox. ⌘⇧K is in use as well, to close the Web Console.

Comment 2

[Rob Campbell [:rc] (:robcee)]

that is the question. I suggested, half-jokingly that we use Ctrl/Cmd-Y a la emacs' yank command and possibly put the contents on the clipboard. Ctrl-G (terminal cancel) could work, but it's used for searching. Function keys are kind of off the beaten path...

Comment 3

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

Per a discussion with Kevin I'm going to propose ⌘⇧L (for "cLear"?)

Comment 4

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

I believe this breaks string freeze, so marking as [strings].

Comment 5

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

Attachment: Proposed patch.

Proposed patch attached.

Comment 6

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

This patch also contains a fix for bug 612253 (adding a keyboard shortcut to focus the input line).

Comment 7

[Patrick Walton (:pcwalton)]

One open question is how to make these keyboard shortcuts discoverable...

Comment 8

[Mihai Sucan [:msucan]]

Comment on attachment 491621 [details] [diff] [review]
Proposed patch.

Patch looks fine. Comments:

+      case "focusInput":
+        let hudBox = HUDService.hudReferences[hudId].HUDBox;
+        hudBox.querySelector(".jsterm-input-node").focus();
+        break;

Why not do hud.jsterm.inputNode.focus() ? Like you did in the mochitest.

+    jsterm.clearOutput();
+    finishTest();

finishTest() will close the tab with the Web Console. Clearing the output is not really needed.

Control-Shift-I is used by the DOM Inspector extension. I cannot focus the input using the shortcut.

To make the keys discoverable I suggest adding the [Ctrl-Shift-L] and [Ctrl-Shift-I] strings to tooltips for each relevant element: to the input, and to the Clear console menuitem (soon the Clear button). Also, these need to be documented in the wiki page about the Web Console.

Comment 9

[Kevin Dangoor]

bummer about control-shift-I and DOM Inspector. I don't think we want to compete with that particular extension for the key.

control-shift-M for coMMand line? bleah...

(also, I've cc'ed sheppy and added dev-doc-needed for this so that we make sure the Web Console page is updated...)

Comment 10

[Rob Campbell [:rc] (:robcee)]

cmd/ctrl-shift-I is also used by the (non DOMi) Inspector. DOMi overrides this setting in later versions.

I think when we were hunting for an unused key back then, we realized that all the good keys are taken. Q.v., ctrl-E for Panorama.

Comment 11

[Kevin Dangoor]

mass change: filter on PRIORITYSETTING

Comment 13

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

Attachment: 0.1

I use the accel+shift+C shortcurt but it's probably already used somewhere, need instruction on this.

Comment 14

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

Attachment: 0.1.1

I forgot to remove a debug line in the test.

Comment 15

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

Accel+shift+C seems to be used by firebug.

Comment 16

[Paul Rouget [:paul]]

Why don't you keep the <command>?

Comment 17

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

IIRC it's because I wanted to use the same code for the keyboard shortcut and for the button.

Comment 18

[Paul Rouget [:paul]]

Comment on attachment 608390 [details] [diff] [review]
0.1.1

Sorry for the delay :/

Can you move the `const` somewhere else?
(or not use it at all)

Also, do you think we could not build the <key> dynamically and, instead, add it somewhere here: http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/browser/base/content/browser-sets.inc#234

Comment 19

[(not reading bugmail) Nick Desaulniers [:\n]]

bump

Comment 20

[Scott Johnson (:jwir3)]

What's the status of this? (Just curious, because I ran into this problem again the other day)

Comment 21

[Rob Campbell [:rc] (:robcee)]

doing a little spelunking, line 472 in webconsole.js:

    let clearButton = doc.getElementsByClassName("webconsole-clear-console-button")[0];
    clearButton.addEventListener("command", function WCF__onClearButton() {
      this.owner._onClearButton();
      this.jsterm.clearOutput(true);
    }.bind(this));

What I'd like to see is a clear command in webconsole.xul associated with this button. No need to set all this up dynamically.

Comment 22

[Liz Henry (:lizzard) (relman/hg->git project)]

Sonny, are you still working on this bug? I'm checking because it's on the list of mentored bugs. Thanks!