Closed Bug 281046 Opened 19 years ago Closed 13 years ago

[TB] Trying to select all attachments selects all messages (Edit | Select | All / CTRL+A, with focus in the attachment panel, does not select all attachments)

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

defect
Not set
normal

Tracking

(Not tracked)

RESOLVED FIXED

People

(Reporter: tal, Unassigned)

References

(Blocks 1 open bug)

Details

(Keywords: access, dataloss, Whiteboard: dataloss if combined with bug 315144)

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
Build Identifier: 

Using Ctrl-A to select all attachments in a window fails.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. View a message that contains multiple attachments.
2. Click on one of the attachments in the attachments pane, inside the message-
view pane.
3. Click Ctrl-A.

Actual Results:  
All messages in the message-list pane (which was out of focus!) were selected.

Expected Results:  
All attachments in the attachment pane (which was in-focus) should have been 
selected.
Seamonkey bug 164351.
Note that in TB, you *can* use Ctrl-Click to select multiple items; and Save All 
is an option from the context menu of the attachment panel.
Severity: normal → minor
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Ever confirmed: true
OS: Windows XP → Windows 2000
In the case you use CTRL + A 
*** Bug 323121 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
QA Contact: front-end
Assignee: mscott → nobody
Summary: Trying to select all attachments selects all messages → [TB] Trying to select all attachments selects all messages (Edit | Select | All / CTRL+A, with focus in the attachment panel, does not select all attachments)
(In reply to comment #1)
"Save all" is an option that is currently NOT in most of the context menus that you can get in attachment pane, due to bug 466060.
"Focus gets keyboard input" is a basic law for any sane UI, and I am not aware this has changed. Breaking basic laws is not a wise thing to do.
This bug suffers from the same problem as Bug 315144 (Pressing delete on an attachment within the mail window deletes message instead of attachment).

I realize with shock that attachment panel is no longer focusable.
"Focus follows mouse" used to be another basic law. It just doesn't feel right not to have a focus for attachment panel. As a matter of fact, keyboard navigation for attachment panel is currently dead. All you can do is click around or use the file > attachments menu.
Severity: minor → normal
OS: Windows 2000 → All
Hardware: x86 → All
This bug is about most basic keyboard interaction with attachments. It violates the most basic user assumptions about such interaction (focus gets keyboard input), it's broken and it should be fixed.

STR (just in case, maybe people don't understand?)
1) mail with multiple attachments
2) click on any one attachment (will SELECT AND *FOCUS* that attachment)
3) press Ctrl+A, expecting to select all attachments
and, optionally,
4) press (Shift+)Del, expecting to delete all attachments from message

Actual Results:  
3) All messages in the message-list pane (which was out of focus!) are selected.
4) All messages in current folder will be unexpectedly deleted (without warning and massive dataloss for good, in case of shift+del, bug 315144)

Expected Results:  
3) All attachments in the attachment pane (which was in-focus!!!) should have been selected.
4) Only all attachments should have been deleted

In this particular case of Ctrl+A, even for those of you with the misconception that we should disrespect attachment focus in favour of "always assume message list focus no matter what", please ask yourself these questions (this is to bribe Bryan's need for balancing things out):

- How often will you act on ALL messages in a given folder view?
(Very rarely, if at all. One of the most likely actions might be "mark all read", for which we have a separate context menu entry that doesn't even require selection. And then, you can always use Ctrl+A in the message list)
- How often will you deliberately click on an ATTACHMENT right before you decide that you want to act on ALL MESSAGES?
(Even more rarely, probably never)
- How often will you want to do something with all attachments?
(Quite often: save them all, detach them all, open them all)
- How many extra steps will it currently require for those who are rightly expecting that ctrl+a on focused attachment will select all attachments?
(2: click on single message to get rid of all-messages-selection, click on first attachment to move focus into attachments, then ctrl+end to select all attachments (that's if you know how). Let alone the confusion and the danger of massive dataloss when you quickly press (shift+)del, expecting to delete all attachments, bug 315144).
- In the rarely-ever case that those other folks stubbornly clicked on an attachment before wanting to act on all their messages: How many extra clicks will it require for them to select all messages after this bug has been fixed?
(1: click anywhere in message list, then ctrl+a). If you don't click on attachment before, NO extra steps, just do Ctrl+A in message list to select all messages.

The evidence is now there to see that fixing this bug would balance a lot better than not fixing it.

(In reply to comment #4)
> (In reply to comment #1)
> "Save all" is an option that is currently NOT in most of the context menus that
> you can get in attachment pane, due to bug 466060.

Still true, unfortunately.

> I realize with shock that attachment panel is no longer focusable.

That's only in the current TRUNK (and should be fixed!)
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.3a1pre) Gecko/20091009 Shredder/3.1a1pre

General keyboard navigation, ctrl/shift-selecting attachments currently works in
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.5pre) Gecko/20091010 Shredder/3.0pre
Which makes this bug even more unexpected.

In line with the current disrespect for focus, I propose that using cursor keys with focus in attachment panel should show the next message, and shift+cursor with focus in attachment panel should select multiple messages. That sounds silly? Not sillier than this bug. Oh, and then there's those people who naively assume traditional keyboard interaction should actually work (currently fixed: Bug 377639 - multiple attachements in mail window can't be selected by using shift + clicks, several ctrl + clicks are needed).

God, I really hate having to fight against violation of user interaction standards like this. I also know it's small. But still: Isn't Mozilla the company that stands for respecting standards?
as per STR in comment #5, danger of massive dataloss if combined with bug 315144 (Pressing (Shift+)DEL on an a focused attachment deletes message instead of attachment)

here: Ctrl+A on focused attachment, then quickly Shift+DEL will unexpectedly expunge all messages without warning, for good
Keywords: access, dataloss
Whiteboard: dataloss if combined with bug 315144
Blocks: 315144
Depends on: 573230
Depends on: 282068
No longer depends on: 282068
Depends on: 630759
Fixed by bug 630759.
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 13 years ago
Resolution: --- → FIXED
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