419448 - Find and Replace dialogue is modal (always on top): can't copy and paste words from compose window

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, enhancement)

Description

[Bobby T]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12
Build Identifier: version 2.0.0.9 (20071031)

The search and replace appears to have a funny "always on-top" function in the newer versions of Thunderbird.  It was always on-top but before you could click in the body of the email to copy something.  This change is annoying if you're trying to copy/paste something from the email into the search & replace box since it won't let you click back in the email anymore.

For example, If I paste the contents of a MS word document into an email,  Microsoft auto-inserts it's funny non-standard "s and 's while typing word docs.  I like to search and replace these out of courtesy to the people I'm emailing (and then it also doesn't look like I typed it in word).  While the search and replace window is up I can't click in the email and select/copy the next character I want to replace using the search&replace box.  I have to close it out,  copy the next character I want to replace, reopen it etc.  The old versions you didn't have to do this sicne it just floated on top and let you edit the email at the same time.  Kinda annoying.




Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Compose email
2.  Open search and replace
3.  Try clicking back into the compose window to copy something


Expected Results:  
Should be able to highlight and copy items form the compose window while search and replace is floating like older versions.

Comment 1

[ovidiu]

Confirming. Also in 3.0a2
What was the version where it was working as expected?

Comment 2

[[:Aureliano Buendía]]

Confirmed also here in 

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1pre) Gecko/20090625 Lightning/1.0pre Shredder/3.0b3pre ID:20090625031837

Using text editor as notepad++, open office write or ms word it is possible to select a word for search when "search and replace" window is open.

Comment 3

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Bug 998343 (inline find & replace bar) is one possible solution for this problem/RFE.

Comment 5

[Robert Marcano]

This old bug is more problematic when running on modern GNOME because by default modal windows are attached to the parent, so they are always at the center and sometime it isn't possible to see what it being replaced because it is below the unmovable modal window.

A workaround is to change internal GNOME settings with:

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter attach-modal-dialogs false

but this is something shouldn't be necessary. Making the window not modal will allow user to make modifications to the email and continue searching without closing the search and replace window.

Comment 6

[Robert Marcano]

Attachment: Attached Find and Replace modal dialog on GNOME