162107 - Better key commands for switching tabs (cmd-shift-left/right arrows ?)

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Camino Graveyard :: Tabbed Browsing, enhancement)

Description

[Eric Skilling]

On Mozilla to switch between various tabs I use:

control-page down  (to move to the next tab)
control-page up (to move to the previous tab)

I find these features a real enhancment to the tabbed browsing experience and
would like to see them inplemented in Chimera

Comment 1

[saari (gone)]

pink, your call

Comment 2

[Greg K.]

Those should be command+pageUp/down, even on Mozilla. If Chimera's going to get something 
in addition to the already-implemented command+}/{, it should use command, not control.

Comment 3

[Prachi Gauriar]

I'm not particularly wild about pgUp and pgDn. With an iBook or Powerbook, you
have to hit ctrl, then the function key, and then up or down in order to get
this to work. 

It seems easier to me for portable users to stick with the current shortcuts. 

Comment 4

[Mike Pinkerton (not reading bugmail)]

cc'ing smfr and brade, suggest WONTFIX

Comment 5

[Kathleen :Brade]

isn't this worksforme? The summary asks for shortcuts to navigate tabs and
Chimera already has these: command+}/{

Comment 6

[Simon Fraser [no longer active]]

command-}{ have issues with international keyboards, so another combo might be
justified. But I'm not sure I like page up/down (since tab switching is
left-right, not up-down).

Comment 7

[Mike Pinkerton (not reading bugmail)]

-> smfr

Comment 8

[Joachim Fornallaz]

What about adding the key commands "Command-[Number]" to access specific tabs
directly? For example typing "Command-2" should focus the second tab.

Comment 9

[Daniel Wang]

*** Bug 177011 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10

[Ben Rosengart]

Regardless of what other shortcuts Chimera uses for this task, it should
support the same ones that Mozilla uses.  Gratuitous differences are really
annoying and they drive away users.  People have enough headaches without
having to remember different keyboard shortcuts for Mozilla and Chimera.

Comment 11

[Brad Kemper]

I disagree with that last comment. If you want everything exactly like Mozilla,
then use Mozilla. Chimera goes beyond Mozilla to create a great Mac application.

Comment 12

[bugzilla]

How does confusing and flummoxing users contribute to "a great Mac application"?
Where is the added value in *not* supporting the keyboard shortcuts to which
people are accustomed?

Comment 13

[Brad Kemper]

I doubt that most people who use Chimera would also use Mozilla (except 
for Mozilla/Chimera developers). Keyboard shortcuts should be based on 
what makes the most sense to Mac users. I do not see the value in 
sticking to unintuitive shortcuts simply because other alternate software 
uses them. That said, I would only change the shortcut if a better 
alternative was found. Are command+[ and command+] already taken? 

Comment 14

[Ben Rosengart]

What makes you think that people are going to make a version 0.6 browser
their sole browser?  If you make transition painful, people are going to
stick with what they already know.

Take a survey if you don't believe me.  Put it on the Chimera project page --
"Should Chimera use the same keyboard shortcuts as Mozilla when possible?"
If more people say "no" than "yes", I'll eat my shorts.

Comment 15

[saari (gone)]

What makes you think the version number has anything to do with anything?

We don't want to make the transition painful, obviously, but we're not going to
follow in Mozilla's unless it makes sense. If we thought Mozilla was perfect we
wouldn't be doing this, right? Argue for the features based on their value, not
on their pre-existance in Mozilla.

All that said, I think Mozilla's bindings are a bit difficult. If we can find
something better, let's. If not, use Mozilla's. Adding multiple bindings could
be an option too...

Comment 16

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

see also bug 169972, where i suggested using cmd-shift-left/right arrows to
switch btwn tabs. the problem there, though, is that it might be tricky to
implement.

Comment 17

[Ben Rosengart]

I guess what I'm saying here is that the key bindings' existence in Mozilla
is value in and of itself.  

I'm not advocating against the existing key bindings.  I think multiple bindings
is an OK solution.

I understand that if Mozilla were perfect, you wouldn't do Chimera.  I think of
it this way.  A user switching from Mozilla to Chimera should notice what's
better about Chimera, without being distracted by things that are merely
different without being better.  Chimera's own key bindings may well be better,
but I don't think there's any value in *not* supporting Mozilla key bindings in
this case.

BTW, I'm advocating cmd-PgUp and PgDn, not control- etc.  The control-based
bindings don't work on Mozilla/Mac OS X in the first place.

Comment 18

[James Anthony]

I think that because 1) pageup/pagedown are hard to perform on portables, and 2)
an Up/Down metaphor doesn't make sense for the Left/Right oriented tabs, using
Command-Shift-Left/Right would definitely be favorable. Can this just be marked
as a dupe of 169972, since all it's really asking for is more key-bindings for
tab-switching?

Comment 19

[Chris Casciano]

I can't imagine another combination so combining these bugs... 

also, i think the specific issue of powerbook keyboards (and the order of
keypress impacting the keystroke) is filed in another bug

Comment 20

[Chris Casciano]

*** Bug 169972 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 21

[Jasper]

I agree with Bug 169972 that cmd-shift-left/right arrows is probably the best
solution for this bug.

(ps: why are there so manny kestrokes for back and forward, wouldn't one be
sufficiant?)

Comment 22

[Martin Girschick]

At least for the right-handed people I think it's quite useful to have the often
used key combinations with keys on the left side of the keyboard. So I suggest
command-1 for left tab and command-2 for right tab - I'm quite happy with this
binding (after patching Camino) and I absolutely HATE Apple for crippeling the
nib-files in Safari!

Comment 23

[Derek Schrock]

*** Bug 225039 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 24

[Jasper]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 230955 ***

Comment 25

[Jasper]

*** Bug 230955 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 26

[S Woodside]

How about we ADD cmd-shift-LeftArrow and -RightArrow still allow Cmd-{ and } ?

That way we'll be compatible with Safari making it easier for switchers.

Comment 27

[S Woodside]

I think I can determine the current language being used by the app with this code:

 NSArray *fooArray = [NSBundle preferredLocalizationsFromArray:[[NSBundle
mainBundle] localizations]];
 if (fooArray != nil)
   NSLog(@"preffered is %@", [fooArray description]);
 else
   NSLog(@"preffered is nil");

I get "preffered is (English)".

If we can determine the current language used by the app, we can test if it's
English and activate the secondary key bindings in that case. If it's not
English, they won't get the secondary bindings. We could add other alternative
bindings for other languages as well, I guess.

My other thought is I think that Cmd-Shift-LeftArrow is simply better anyway. So
maybe we should just switch it to that and ditch Cmd-{

Comment 28

[Jasper]

Command + { or } are very not user freindly key combo's on QWERTY keyboards the
{} keys are on a rarely used part of the keyboard (me at least). I agree that
command + shift + arrows are better because the arrows are used more often (for me).

What ever, the command + shift + arrows key combo just seems nicer. 

Comment 29

[S Woodside]

We probably shouldn't have ONLY CMd-shift-LeftArrow because that already does
something in text fields (select to begining of line).

Comment 30

[S Woodside]

Attachment: patch

This patch adds Cmd-Shift-LeftArrow and RightArrow shortcuts for previousTab
and nextTab. Note they won't work if the selection is in a text field.

Comment 31

[Jasdeep Gosal]

kind of moot after the patch, but its also worth noting that you can't use the command-{ and 
command-} shortcuts when using the dvorak command querty layout

Comment 32

[Isaac Finnegan]

This patch seems to work good, except for one thing.  The key combo doesn't work
until the old style combo is used.   So cmd-shft-arrow does nothing until you
have pressed cmd-shft-{ or }   then it works after that for the duration of the
browser app (that tabs are open, if you close all tabs but one, then open more
tabs, you have to do it again)

Comment 33

[Stuart Morgan]

I'm not seeing the issue of comment 32, but this patch really doesn't seem to
solve the problem for two reasons: first, no-one who doesn't read this bug or
some other extra document somewhere will never know about the better key
bindings, and second, the "doesn't work in a text field" gives it inconsistant
(and thus irritating) behavior.

I'm really not convinced that compatibility with Mozilla's keystrokes is
worthwhile; fully working compatibility with Safari, and fully functional
keystrokes that make more sense, seems like a much better option.  I'd much
rather simply change the primary binding and be done with it. I understand that
it masks the textfield behavior, but how many people use the "select to
beginning of line in a form" vs. "change tabs" in a browser?

Comment 34

[Stuart Morgan]

Alternately, what about Command-Option-Left and Right, (instead of
Command-Shift)? It's still easy to remember, but it has no existing behavior in
text editing.

Comment 35

[Mike Pinkerton (not reading bugmail)]

landed cmd-opt-left/right arrow

Comment 36

[Mikael Parknert]

Comment on attachment 139178 [details] [diff] [review]
patch

clearing review request since bug is resolved fixed