368896 - can't type into url bar, email To or other slots after using Firefox 2.0 for a short time

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 365233

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Description

[Tim Jahns]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1

After opening Firefox and using it for a short time, I can't get the typing function to work in any open boxes such as the url bar or To slot in an email for yahoo.  The cursor appears in the box, but typing doesn't generate any characters in the chosen box or bar area.  If I close out or go to another browser and return to FF, it usually starts working again.  Very frustrating, and didn't happen with previous versions.

Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open browser and work online for a short time
2. Try to type into any open dialog or other box, including url line or to and subject lines in yahoo email; no such boxes will show typing as I do it
3.
Actual Results:  
I just go through some internet bookmarks and open my usual spots such as email, then before long the typing function stops working.

Expected Results:  
I couldn't type into any active boxes as usual

Normal operation, where an open dialog box might show the cursor and then show characters as you type, but it's not doing that anymore as usual

Comment 1

[Tim Jahns]

Please reply with status or possible fix

Comment 2

[Wayne Woods]

I've been seeing this with trunk builds, too, for a few months, Mac only. I've held off filing a bug because I couldn't reproduce it reliably (and still can't). I wouldn't say that it happens for me "after a short time", but it does happen sporadically and for no apparent reason. Every time I've experienced it, there have been multiple tabs open, and possibly loading (can't confirm that last part).

The testcase for bug 306245 doesn't seem to work, so I don't think it's related to the Camino bug.

I assumed it had something to do with the switch to Cocoa, but if the reporter is experiencing it in Fx 2.0, I guess not.

We really need a reliable test case... a specific page or combination of tabs that will initiate it every time, or at least most times :(

Comment 3

[Wayne Woods]

I forgot to mention something important... it appears that the focus is going to the navigation toolbar. If I focus a text field and hit backspace, it's as if I'd hit the back arrow on the toolbar (i.e. the browser tries to go back to a previous page).

Comment 4

[Wayne Woods]

I can finally reproduce this reliably. STR:
1. Open two browser windows, (or a browser window and a second window from some other app)
2. Size them so you can access both at the same time
3. In window 1, navigate to the Google search page and type something in the search field at the top, but don't hit return just yet
4. Leave the focus in the search box for window 1, but hover the mouse over window 2
5. Hit return (so the search begins), but also immediately click and set the focus to window 2. You have to have the focus set to window 2 before the new page starts to draw in window 1
6. Click on window 1. Text fields should now be unusable, as per comment 0. Hitting the delete key makes the browser go back to a previous page.
7. Hide and bring back window. Text fields now work again.

If you want to repeat this, I've found that sometimes you have to alter the text in the Google search field before it'll work again. Sometimes not.

I'm sure there must be a simpler case, but at least this one is reliable.

Comment 5

[Wayne Woods]

On the trunk, this began between the 20061102-04 and 20061103-04 Minefield builds.

From a quick look at Bonsai, nothing stands out as a possible candidate for causing it, but I'll keep looking. I'll also investigate Firefox 2 regression dates.