109763 - Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab should insert a real tab character

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 29086

(SeaMonkey :: Composer, defect)

Description

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

On 4.x, Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab can be used to insert a real tab character 
in composer.

On Mozilla, this doesn't work. On Linux and OS/2, it is treated as a normal tab 
(like going between cells in a table) and on Windows it does nothing at all (I'm 
assuming widget prevents it from getting to the editor code at all)

Comment 1

[Daniel Glazman (:glazou) (not active in Mozilla any more)]

On 4.x, the ctrl+tab combination inserts in fact "    ", ie four
non-breakable space followed by a normal space. 4.x does not handle that as a
tabulation; in particular, if you move the caret using the arrow keys, it does not
behave as if there is a tab.

Comment 2

[Olivier Mengué]

Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab are standard Windows shortcuts to navigate from a
control to another. They should not be used to do non standard things as it may
bring an accessibility problem.

I propose WONTFIX.

Comment 3

[timeless]

I propose we be consistent before we wontfix.

We do need a way to insert the tab character into the plaintext version of 
ender.

I need it for mail, and html forms, and Makefile editing in composer.

however, that would probably make this a dupe of something.

This	Is	A	Test.	Brought	To	You	By	Clipboard.

Comment 4

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab are standard shortcuts?

don't you mean Tab and Shift+Tab?

Comment 5

[timeless]

Control+Tab/Control+Shift+Tab are used to switch tabs and in NC4 
Control+Tab/Control+Shift+Tab was used to confuse users, I've written on this 
before.

If you have a bunch of navigator windows open, control+tab will task switch 
between them, akin to how alt-tab/alt-shift-tab/alt-escape/alt-shift-escape 
swap through all windows.

Control+Shift+Tab didn't do this in nc4, instead it was akin to shift-tab.

Compare this w/ TeraTermPro where Control+Shift+Tab is the correct pair to 
Control+Tab.

fwiw a bunch of programs used this convention, i think ms probably promoted it 
at some point and abandoned it later.

F6 and Shift-F6 have a similarly checkered history and also get confused by 
hitting an application in NC4, in this case it's Address Book iirc.

But that's just historical amusement, the bottom line is we need a way to 
insert a tab character.

Comment 6

[timeless]

fwiw bug 112380 is talking about f6 (all of these are dupes)

Comment 7

[Jesse Ruderman]

Ctrl+Tab should switch modes (html source, preview, etc.) in Composer.

Comment 8

[Jesse Ruderman]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 29086 ***

Comment 9

[sujay]

bulk verification.

Comment 10

[Kathleen :Brade]

reassign bugs in case they are later reopened