115215 - shortcut for switching on last used tab (previous tab) using keyboard or double click

Status: NEW

(SeaMonkey :: Tabbed Browser, enhancement)

Description

[Adam Hauner]

Shortcut for switching on last used tab window in actual browser window should
be useful. 

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; WinNT4.0; en-US; rv:0.9.6+) Gecko/20011210

Comment 1

[Jerome Lacoste]

This should not be necessary if we implement bug 115234.

Comment 2

[Adam Hauner]

Jerome: I won't close any tab. I just want feature to switch between two tabs
and this is also switching to last previously used tab.

Imagine, you have got four opened tabs: A B C and D, actually you are on tab D.
If you open tab B, shortcut for last used tab will switch you back to tab D.
Also pressing shortcut on tab D in this moment will switch you back to tab B. Okay? 

Bug 115234 will do same, but only in case, when I CLOSE actual tab.

Comment 3

[vectro]

I would recommend implementing the solution used in the KDE Konsole. Namely,
SHIFT-RIGHT and SHIFT-LEFT to move right and left in the tab list.

Though, it appears that shift-right and shift-left are used for selection in
text boxes. Maybe use ALT-RIGHT and ALT-LEFT?

Comment 4

[Adam Hauner]

Vectro: Your recommendation is IMHO off topic - this RFE is about one shortcut
for direct switch to last previously used tab. No for switching tabs, futhermore
AFAIK, Alt+Left and Alt+Right are already shortcuts for Back and Forward in History.

Comment 5

[Joel Grimes]

Could ALT+backquote (the thing under the tilde) be used for switching to the
last used tab? Learning to use it would be a short trip for Windows users as
it's a nearly identical action to ALT+TAB.  Same goes for Gnome users.  Probably
others as well.

Also, while this RFE may not be a request for general tab-switching, it may not
be unreasonable to expect repeated actions to delve deeper into the tab history.

Comment 6

[Erik Goodlad]

*** This bug has been confirmed by popular vote. ***

Comment 7

[Erik Goodlad]

BTW... I strongly support Joel's idea of using ALT+backquote to switch to the
last used tab.

Comment 8

[Jesse Ruderman]

I think Ctrl+Tab (bug 136915) should switch tabs in the same order as Alt+Tab
rather than in the order the tabs were opened.  That would make this bug depend
on bug 136915.

Comment 9

[Erik Goodlad]

There hasn't been any talk about this bug for a while... but I thought I would
respond to Comment #8.

Ctrl+Tab is already used to select the contents of the browser's URL bar, where
as Comment #5's suggestion of using ALT+backquote works because that combination
is not in use.

Comment 10

[Jesse Ruderman]

See also bug 144207, "After closing a tab, focus should shift to the most
recently focused tab".

Comment 11

[Jesse Ruderman]

When I have my language set to Japanese on WinXP, Alt+` switches between
Japanese and English input and applications don't see my Alt+` keypresses.

Comment 12

[Olli Pettay [:smaug][[e-mail]]]

Attachment: ALT+END patch

This patch makes tabbox to remember its last used tab.
Switching between the selected tab can be done either
with keys Alt+End or by dblclicking the selected tab.
If there is no last used tab nothing happens.

I'm not sure if the Alt+End are the best keys (or are they used
for something else?), but at least those are near the Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn -keys
which are for previous and next tab.

Comment 13

[Olli Pettay [:smaug][[e-mail]]]

Reviews? (Or comments?)

Comment 14

[Jason Bassford]

Does this patch walk through tab history, or *only* go to the most recent used?
 (E.g. If I were to hit <Alt><End> 5 times, would I go to my fifth last viewed
tab?)  FWIW, if it doesn't walk through tab history, I think it should.

Similarly, there should be a way of returning - perhaps <Alt><Home> to go back
forward again.  (If the patch dealt only with the last tab, then no doubt it was
acting as a toggle to go back and forth, but if we're dealing with an entire
history, then another key would need to be introduced.)

Comment 15

[Olli Pettay [:smaug][[e-mail]]]

The patch is only what the summary says "shortcut for switching on last used tab".
I don't like idea of tab history, usually it is enough to toggle
two tabs.

Comment 16

[Bogdan Stroe]

*** Bug 243871 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

*** Bug 230250 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 18

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Smaug in comment #12:
> 
> I'm not sure if the Alt+End are the best keys (or are they used
> for something else?), but at least those are near the Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn -keys
> which are for previous and next tab.

Not unreasonable, but probably should be scrutinized by the keyboard people.
It's too bad really that both Ctrl-Home and Home do the same thing. Why is that?

does the patch still apply?

Comment 19

[Chris Thomas (CTho) [formerly [e-mail] [e-mail]]]

That patch is probably no good.  First, it's probably rotted some time in the
past 4 years.  Second, that feature probably belongs only in tabbrowser - I
doubt most tabboxes really would benefit from it.  Third, tabbrowser provides
its own tracking of the "last used" tab, which any patch should take advantage
of.

CC me if you come up with a newer patch or want input on how to integrate with XPFE's tabbrowser.

Comment 20

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to comment #19)
> 
> CC me if you want input on how to integrate with XPFE's tabbrowser.

Chris, input and a quick orientation on how to proceed would be great. thanks.

Comment 21

[Chris Thomas (CTho) [formerly [e-mail] [e-mail]]]

> Third, tabbrowser provides
> its own tracking of the "last used" tab, which any patch should take advantage
> of.

Never mind, it doesn't actually track that except for some cases where you just opened a new tab.

(In reply to comment #20)
> (In reply to comment #19)
> > 
> > CC me if you want input on how to integrate with XPFE's tabbrowser.
> 
> Chris, input and a quick orientation on how to proceed would be great. thanks.
> 

My first guess is, add a <field> that holds the last tab, and in the selectedTab setter update that field.  In _keyEventHandler.handleEvent, listen for your new key, and select the previous tab*.  The act of selecting the new tab will update the previous tab field, so switching back and forth between two tabs will "just work".

The part most likely to not work is the selectedTab setter - I'm not sure if it's possible to change tabs without causing it to run.  The rest should be fine.

* I'm not sure if the xpfe superreviewers would prefer a <key> and a <command> somewhere, but I don't think tabbrowser currently uses them.

Comment 22

[Jesse Ruderman]

See bug 395980 for something similar in Firefox.