305938 - [F3]-key to do both "search messages" and search current message

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, enhancement)

Description

[bugzillaspambox]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050716 Firefox/1.0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050716 Firefox/1.0.6

Currently you can't use the [F3]-key to open the search window. The [F3]-key is
quite common for the search function of an programm. Try [F3] in the windows
explorer or try it in firefox. See? Thunderbird should also support the [F3]-key
to search for messages.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Jo Hermans]

Works for me in Thunderbird version 1.0+ (20050817)

Comment 2

[bugzillaspambox]

using thunderbird 1.0.6; will mark it as bug instead of feature request

Comment 3

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Worksforme using version 1.0+ (20050826) /linux. 

Comment 4

[bugzillaspambox]

Hermans which operating system are you using?

Comment 5

[Adam Guthrie]

WFM in latest trunk. Please check to see if another shortcut you've added
somewhere else is conflicting with this.

Comment 6

[bugzillaspambox]

I just downloaded the new version 1.5 Beta 1 and tryed the f3 key. it doesn't
work for me.

Comment 7

[Adam Guthrie]

You have to have a message selected for this keyboard shortcut to work. Does it
still not come up when you have a messages selected?

Comment 8

[bugzillaspambox]

well ok, I guess that was the missunderstanding. "It" does work, if I select a
message. But what I meant was:

"Thunderbird should also support the [F3]-key to search for messages." Searching
for a special text IN an open message is quite usefull, too. But I thought of
the big search window like if you right click your trash and then click on
"Search messages ...". And if you select the trash or your inbox and then hit
the [F3]-key, thunderbird just ignores it.

Comment 9

[Adam Guthrie]

Thunderbird uses Shift+F to open up the main search window, (and Ctrl+F to find
text in a message). It's pretty logical to me. You don't want the large, complex
serach window coming up if you just need to search within a message. 

Now, it could be argued to have F3 bring up the main find window if no messages
are selected, but that would be confusing UI.

Comment 10

[bugzillaspambox]

that's no quite true. You need to press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [F] to open the main
search window. I would prefare to press only [f3] because it happens oftener to
me, that I need to search in a directory (like my trash or my inbox) than in a
message, because usually my messages aren't thaaat long. But I don't deny, that
searching in a message is also usefull.

Comment 11

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

wontfix seems the only possibility here, especially if ctrl+shift+F remains - it makes no sense to have two key combos for the same function.

Comment 12

[bugzillaspambox]

Actually it does make sense. Thunderbird already has 2 key combos for the same function. It's either [Ctrl] + [F] or [F3] to open the search bar at the bottom of the screen.

The problem is that Thunderbird behaves inconsequent compared to other programms like the windows explorer. If I recall correctly also Microsoft Outlook brings up a similar search window to the one of Thunderbird if you press [F3]. I don't know so much about the behavior of the [F3] key in Linux programms but I guess that it's not much different.

Comment 13

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I appreciate you enthusiasm for this idea. I should have explained why I changed this to enhancement.  

There are no overwhelming examples of F3 being mapped to what you are requesting. And this is not a functional defect but, as you say, a _preference_ for a specific key mapping beyound the programmers intention. No votes and no confirmation after 3 years are additional indications that this is not considered to be a mainstream defect. Such requests are typically enh. Please see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=fields.html#bug_severity

*if* this were to be considered to be a functional defect it would be at most minor, given a) there is an existing key mapping, b) there are certainly extensions which will give you the key mapping you desire.

Let's await Bryan's UI perspective.

Comment 14

[bugzillaspambox]

I am sorry. Yes you are right. It's an enhancement and not a bug.

But I think that the summary now is a little inartfully expressed. The request is about changeing the function of the [F3] key to open the window to search for messages (which, if you do so, includes searching inside the messages). But the request isn't about giving the [F3] key 2 different functions at the same time: opening the search bar at the bottom + opening the search window.

That this request is "unconfirmed" doesn't testify anything. If you would like to you could confirm yourself that the [F3] key shows the search bar instead of the search window. But actually to me it looks more like you are trying to close this request even though you can't give a reasonable motive.

Comment 15

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to comment #14)
> I am sorry. Yes you are right. It's an enhancement and not a bug.
> 
> But I think that the summary now is a little inartfully expressed. The request
> is about changeing the function of the [F3] key to open the window to search
> for messages (which, if you do so, includes searching inside the messages).

on the contrary I am quite carefully following your lead, as you clearly stated "Thunderbird should _*also*_ support the [F3]-key to search for messages." (emphasis added)


> But actually to me it looks more like you are trying to
> close this request even though you can't give a reasonable motive.

that this is getting any attention after 3 years is progress. you might be glad that someone cared to comment.

Comment 16

[bugzillaspambox]

(In reply to comment #15)
> on the contrary I am quite carefully following your lead, as you clearly stated
> "Thunderbird should _*also*_ support the [F3]-key to search for messages."
> (emphasis added)

Ah, I see. But that wasn't what I meant *g*

I meant Thunderbird should support the [F3]-key to search for messages like other applications do. And not Thunderbird should also support the [F3]-key to search for messages beside of the [Ctrl] + [F] combination.

> that this is getting any attention after 3 years is progress. you might be glad
> that someone cared to comment.

Indeed I am.

Comment 17

[Bryan Clark (DevTools PM) [:clarkbw]]

I completely sympathize with the lack of a decent way to search all messages, however TB is heading down a different path that changes this bug.  bug 452281 describes the new search toolbar that TB3 will be using, this toolbar (and the results view) will eventually be replacing the existing search dialog.

The new search bar is planned to include it's keyboard shortcut inside the search area itself such that you'll be able to see the shortcut key needed to focus it and start a search.  Likely F3 and Ctrl-F will continue to perform the actions they currently do.

Please follow that bug and thanks for the ideas and patience!