1068036 - Cannot add link to named anchor in Insert Link url dropdown menu

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Anje]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.0; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/32.0
Build ID: 20140911151253

Steps to reproduce:

Open new Write message
In composing area enter a heading eg: Top 
and some text

then repeat second heading : Bottom

highlight the word 'Top' 
'Insert' > 'Named anchor' and click on 'OK'
repeat for other headings.

All headings now show a yellow square with black anchor icon.

Go to top of email and type in the headings 
Top
Bottom 

hightlight 'Top'  
'Insert' > 'Link'
under 'Link Location'
Enter a web page location, a local file, or select a Named Anchor or Heading from the popup list.






Actual results:

The list is empty.
none of the 'Named Anchors' are listed. 
Cannot link to a Named Anchor


Expected results:


The list of created Named Anchors should be available in the Insert > Link > Link Location drop down box.
The list should have showed the two example named anchors: 'Top' and 'Bottom'

Often, I use a link and a named anchor to refer to a subsection and therefore do not use a 'Table of Contents'. 


In version 31.1.1
Headings can be linked as named Anchors to a Table of Contents.
This works as expected.
create headings and enter text
then select each heading and choose the 'Heading' format eg: Heading 6
then go to the top of email
Insert > Table of contents
set Tag  Level to whatever format you chose eg: Heading 6

This created named anchors linking Content table to headings.
the Table of contents choice is either numbered or bulleted and vertical.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

bug 1044336 has more info. 
I think the list is actually there, if you right click.

Comment 2

[Anje]

Confirmed.
Insert > Link > Link Location
You are correct, right click does offer the anchor headings.

Right click and paste is the intuitive method of 'Enter a web page location'.
however, this does not offer the expected pop up 'Paste, etc', so you have to know how to use the keyboard and paste using Ctrl+V else you get grayed out statement "No named anchors or headings in this page." So if the error mesage is in the Link location box, you can see why you would expect this to be where the Named Anchors would be displayed to choose from.

'Choose file' button is also intuitive to select 'a local file'.

The Link Location box offers a drop down selection box with small arrow which implies the Named Anchor will be listed, so that if I clicked on the small arrow a list of created Named Anchors would appear as is the method used in other parts of Thunderbird.
I do not recall any other option or tool which uses a right click to select created options from a pop up box when entering a choice. Right click usually implies what function can be done with a selected item, eg: copy, paste, move, open in browser.

For some reason this expected methodology is not used in the Insert > 'Link' window.

So, yes, it is working when I right click, but it is not using a generic method used throughtout thunderbird. 

I believe it would be more intuitive to offer the selections in either the current drop down box or have a visible list of created named anchors to choose from and enable the expected right click pop up to have options such as 'Paste'.

I understand that it is not going to be at the top of your list when there are more serious bugs to fix,  but would appreciate some improvement for a more intuitive result and generic feel.

Cheers for the heads up on how to use Named Anchors with Links in it's current format; your time is appreciated.