364662 - Save As dialog usability problems: limited textual manipulation of pathname, pasting fails, poor representation

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(SeaMonkey :: UI Design, defect)

Description

[Daniel B.]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.0.8) Gecko/20061029 SeaMonkey/1.0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.0.8) Gecko/20061029 SeaMonkey/1.0.6

The Open File dialog doesn't let the user perform normal textual manipulations 
of the directory portion of the current pathname.  There's no text field(s) 
containing that portion, so the user cannot:
- delete a character from the directory pathname
- insert a character into the directory pathname
- paste some characters into the directory pathname
- select a range of characters to delete from the directory pathname

Even selecting just a directory pathname somewhere on the display and 
middle-clicking on the Save As dialog to paste it doesn't work.  (Such 
middle-clicking works works in a browser window, displaying that file.)  

Finally, the Save As dialog doesn't display the directory portion of
the pathname very recognizably.  Specifically, it doesn't display it
with pathname segment separate characters ("/" on Linux).

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Regarding textual manipulations:
A1. Bring up the Save As dialog.
A2. Open the "Browser for other folders" section.
A3. Notice that the simple name of the file (the last segment of the overall
    pathname being specified) _does_ appear in the text field, so the user can 
    edit it directlyy.
A4. Then notice that there's no text field containing the directory portion
    of the pathname, and that you can't edit the directory name to get to 
    some other directory you might want.
    (Imagine starting at /xxx/v1.0.6/yyy/zzz and 
    wanting  to  get  to /xxx/v1.0.7/yyy/zzz.

Regarding pasting:
B1.  Bring up the Save As dialog.
B2.  In some window (e.g., an xterm), drag to select a full directory 
     pathname.)
B3.  Middle-click in the Save As dialog.
B4.  Notice that nothing happens, specifically, that the Save As dialog does
     not:
     - switch to displaying the directory pathname you selected and 
     - list the files within that directory.

Actual Results:  
See steps A4 and B4.

Expected Results:  
Seamonkey should let the user perform normal string operations on the _full_ pathname string.

(Even if Seamonkey lets the user specify the pathname by traversing the
filesystem hierarchy (e.g., the per-segment buttons and the list of simple
names of files in the currently selected directory), it should still let
the user edit the whole pathname.

Seamonkey should also work with standard X11 cut and paste.

(Seamonkey should be at least as good as old Netscape 4.7!)



This is closely related to bug 364659.

Comment 1

[Misak Khachatryan]

what should be done with this ?

Comment 2

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9pre) Gecko/2008041201 SeaMonkey/2.0a1pre

WFM, see details in bug 364659 comment #3.

If it doesn't work for you, please supply version (useragent string from about: page as at the top of this comment) and status (true or false) of about:config pref ui.allow_platform_file_picker