22342 - Open File on local system opens a new browser window

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: UI Design, defect, P2)

Description

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

occurred on all platforms: linux (seamonkey 1999122012-m12), winNT (seamonkey
1999122023-m12) and mac (mozilla 1999122111-m12).

1. go to File > Open File...
2. in the resulting dialog, select a file that's local (eg, i tried plain text,
html and gif files) then click OK to open it.

result: another browser window opens to display the file.
expected: should display the file in the current window, as in comm 4.x.

Comment 1

[don]

Not required for beta 1.

Comment 2

[Mo DeJong]

I just ran into this problem. Please fix this! At least
the "open a new web page" option has a clickable box that
lets me choose if I want a new window opened or just open
the page in the existing browser window.

Comment 3

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

It is possible on Windows, Mac, and GTK to include such a `Open in new window'
checkbox in the native file dialog. But even without that being implemented,
opening a document in the current window is expected behaviour -- for a Web
browser, anyway.

Comment 4

[Bill Law]

I think this is working as spec'd.

German, should the file be opened in the same window?  If so, assign this back
to me.  If not, then you get to fend off the angry mob.

Comment 5

[german]

I think open should *open* a new window. That's what every other app does, and
just because browser have replaced contents in the past doesn't mean it's right.
For the amount of people that complain about this behavior we are likely to get
more complaints from those who don't want their current work context to be
replaced when *opening* a file.
This has already been reported as bug 6645.

Comment 6

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

The difference between a browser and `every other app' is that it is quite
normal for a browser window to host dozens, hundreds of documents during its
lifetime. And you switch between them using the Back and Forward buttons.

That's why opening a file should open it into the same window: because in the
world of Web browsing, the window is more important than the document. That's
why a new window doesn't open every time we click on a link, for example.

If Mozilla 5 changes this behavior, it's not only being inconsistent with every
previous Mozilla version, it's being inconsistent with *every other browser*.

Comment 7

[leger]

Setting the keyword all open [4.xp] bugs to 4xp.

Comment 8

[Brad Nixon]

*** Bug 34752 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 9

[Jim Roskind]

The bug sounds absolutely valid... but it doesn't appear to be a stability 
blocker that should prevent an M15 branch.  I'm pushing this to M16 now.

Comment 10

[shuang (gone)]

Move to M18 for a later call.

Comment 11

[verah (gone)]

*** Bug 34752 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 12

[Warren Harris]

I completely agree with the reporter that Open File should NOT open a new 
window (I reported the same thing in bug 34752). It's annoying, and gives you no 
way to open a file in the same window if you wanted to. It's also not intuitive 
since we're all used to the way it worked in 4.x (and IE). Let's not try out new 
untested UI paradigms here, let's just stick with the established way.

Comment 13

[Pete Collins (MDG)]

Here is the patch to open it in the current window.



Index: navigator.js
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/mozilla/xpfe/browser/resources/content/navigator.js,v

retrieving revision 1.187
diff -r1.187 navigator.js
919c919
<         openNewWindowWith(fp.fileURL.spec);
---
>         appCore.loadUrl(fp.fileURL.spec);

Comment 14

[german]

After having seen more usability data on this I agree that opening a new window 
added more clutter than it was worth it. We don't have very discoverable 
facilities to switch windows quickly (the go to window button in the task bar was 
meant to do that but the current implementation is pretty invisible and the task 
menu is pretty crowded) 
Based on this I change my recommendation now to revert back to the 4.x behavior 
of opeing in the same window to avoid window 'futzing' Since we already have a 
patch I am forwarding to Don's team for implementation

Comment 15

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

* nsbeta3 (and rtm, in case it's too late for nsbeta3 triage) because we have a
  very simple and low-risk patch.
* correctness, because opening in the existing window is what every other Web
  browser does.
* Duplicates of this bug: bug 5507, bug 6231, bug 6645, bug 14945, bug 19924, bug
  34752, and probably others.
* If this is going to be fixed, then bug 24533 should also be reopened for
  consistency.

Comment 16

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

matthew, thanks for the ping in bug 47196... my brain is saturated with pr2
[read: branch] testing this week... according to what Alek sees, this has been
fixed.

don/bill, has there been a checkin for this?

feel free to resolve this puppy...!

Comment 17

[johng]

nav triage team:
works for us, qa please verify and close

Comment 18

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

well, this is interesting --having just tested with commercial
2000.08.08.08-m18...

on Mac: the file opens in the current browser window (expected)
on winNT: still opens in a new browser window (this bug)
on linux/rh 6.2: still opens in a new browser window (this bug)

so, um, why the platform inconsistency? Alek, does Open File open in the current
browser window work for you --on all platforms-- with today's m18 bits?

this should remain open till it's fixed on all platforms...

Comment 19

[Ben Goodger (use ben at mozilla dot org for email)]

taking. we all want this fixed! 

Comment 20

[Ben Goodger (use ben at mozilla dot org for email)]

the confusion you noticed may be due to a cunning hack I put in place that 
appears to be busted ;) 

If a new window, with no content loaded: load the file in it
else, load in a new window

But now I'll just remove that and always load in place. 

Comment 21

[johng]

nav triage team:
reassigning to pchen who will check in the patch.  If there are problems with 
it, we may minus it.  For now, nsbeta3+

Comment 22

[Paul Chen]

backed out Ben's hack, always load using openTopWin() function, which, oddly 
enough was how it was before. strange

Comment 23

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

vrfy fixed using opt comm bits. linux/mac, 2000.08.14.12; winnt 2000.08.15.08.
woo!

Comment 24

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by ffxbld-merge:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/dcb628a8a66b
[fenix] For https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/22342: Make layout constraint for 'recent bookmarks' the same as other sections