263880 - When a new tab is created, the address bar isn't automatically focussed.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 278544

(Firefox :: Address Bar, defect)

Description

[Philip Withnall (unavailable)]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041001 Firefox/0.10.1

Whenever you create a new tab (except when you first start the browser), the
address bar isn't automatically focussed, as it is in Mozilla. This reduces
ease-of-use, as you have to reach up to the top with your mouse to select it.
Also, the auto-completion of URLs doesn't work as it does in Mozilla - the
suggested URL should be appended and highlighted to the one you are typing, as
it is in Mozilla.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open Firefox 1.0PR
2. Create a new tab
3. CLICK TO SELECT THE ADDRESS BAR
4. Type an URL

Actual Results:  
I had to select an URL from the drop-down menu, instead of just pressing enter.

Expected Results:  
Let me press enter to use the suggested URL, and not made me click to select the
address bar when I opened the new tab.

This bug occurs with everything.
I think it is more of a lack-of-functionality than a bug - sorry if I have
posted it in the wrong place ;-)

Comment 1

[Phil Ringnalda (:philor)]

WFM Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041011
Firefox/0.10

Comment 2

[Jesse Ruderman]

What method are you using to create the new tab?

Comment 3

[Philip Withnall (unavailable)]

(In reply to comment #2)
> What method are you using to create the new tab?

I am using Ctrl+T (on Windows)...I tried using File->New Tab, and that did focus
the address bar for me...

Comment 4

[gaijay12]

I'm experiencing this also.

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8a6) Gecko/20041218 Firefox/1.0+

Always reproducible.  

Use ACCESSKEY + T for a new tab
Result:
1) Creates new blank tab with location about:blank specified, as expected.
2) Does not properly focus cursor to the URL bar.
3) User is forced to hit Control+L or click address bar.  Or to press tab 10
times in order to set focus.  

Expected Result:
1) Create new blank tab with location about:blank.
2) Focus cursor in URL bar if URL bar is open.

----

Why is this result expected?  Because the user has created a new tab focused on
about:blank, thus implying that they either have an address to type in or will
select a bookmark.  There aren't many other options available to the user at
this point.  If the page does not go to about:blank it should go to the default
cursor location on that page.

----

The code that creates this new bar is located in: 
/chrome/content/browser/browser.js

The function called is: BrowserOpenTab().
This function is defined start at line 1319.

This function is defined as follows:
// start function
function BrowserOpenTab()
{
  gBrowser.selectedTab = gBrowser.addTab('about:blank');
  if (gURLBar)
    setTimeout(function() { gURLBar.focus(); }, 0);
}
// end function.

-----------

gURLBar is defined as:   gURLBar = document.getElementById("urlbar");  after
browser startup.

-----------

Reason for bug?  Unknown.

Odd information:  function openLocation() also does a gURLBar.focus();  but uses
gURLBar.select(); in addition to focus.

This needs fixed IMO.

Comment 5

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

WFM
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8a6) Gecko/20041221 Firefox/1.0+
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8a6) Gecko/20041221
Firefox/1.0+

Comment 6

[Juho-Pekka Kuitunen]

firefox 1.0 on linux, factory packaged, still not working

Comment 7

[Justin Kerk]

I'm seeing this bug (the focus one in the summary, not the autocomplete one
mentioned later, one issue per bug please!).

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.8b) Gecko/20050114 Firefox/1.0+

Comment 8

[Justin Kerk]

What I'm seeing is better described by bug 278544, actually.

Comment 9

[Steffen Wilberg]

I can reproduce this after using find-as-you-type (not Ctrl-F). The workaround
is to hit Ctrl-F. That's bug 278544.

Comment 10

[TGOS]

I have the same problem, however I'm using Firefox on the Mac (MacOS X).
Sometimes, opening a new tab using Command+T will jump to the new tab and focus
will be in the address bar, as desired. But this is not always the case. If I've
been surfing for a while with the same window and then open a new tab, focus is
not in the address bar. If I then open a new window (Command+N), the focus is in
the addressbar in that new window and there it also is in the address bar if I
open a new tab; but after a while it will fail again.

Reporter: What is your setting regarding "begin finding when you begin typing"?
I enabled it recently and I'm not sure if the focus problem existed, too, as
long as it was disabled.

In my case I can only say that it must be somehow window bound, because once
this is broken in a window, there is no way to repair it, only opening a new
window will help.

I'm also unsure if that is related to the problem, but opening a new tab, I get
the following error in the JS console:

Error: uncaught exception: [Exception... "Component returned failure code:
0x80004002 (NS_NOINTERFACE) [nsIInterfaceRequestor.getInterface]"  nsresult:
"0x80004002 (NS_NOINTERFACE)"  location: "JS frame ::
chrome://global/content/findBar.js :: getSelectionControllerForFindToolbar ::
line 209"  data: no]

I don't get that when opening a new tab in a window where the focus switch isn't
broken.

Comment 11

[Francois Ingelrest]

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050307
Firefox/1.0+

I was going to report it and saw this one. I tried with this nightly with a new
profile: The address bar is never focused if I create a new tab by dbl-clicking
on an empty space in the tab bar. The focus is correctly given if I use ctrl-T
to open the tab or if I use File->New Tab.

Comment 12

[Steffen Wilberg]

This bug is about opening a new tab by pressing Ctrl+T, see comment 3.
And I still consider it a dupe of bug 278544, which has been fixed March 1.

The issue with no focus in the url-bar after double-clicking in the tab bar is
bug 230401.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 278544 ***