423948 - Cross-platform problem pasting into Google Spreadsheets in Mozilla.org browsers

Status: NEW

(Core :: General, defect)

Description

[Steven Michaud [:smichaud] (Retired)]

Here's an email that I sent to Josh Aas about a week ago, describing
this problem:

(I'm not sure how to classify it (since this appears to be a Google
bug), so for the moment I'm setting it to Core : General.)

(Until this problem is resolved, it will be very difficult to make
progress on bug 413681 or bug 418689.)

While investigating other, more complex problems pasting text into
Google Spreadsheets (notably
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=413681), I discovered that
the following very simple problem happens in Firefox on all major
platforms (and also in Safari on OS X).  This suggests there may be bugs
in how Google Spreadsheets handles text pasting.

1) Copy a single letter to the clipboard.  (Multiple letters should
produce the same results, but I want to keep this example very simple.)

2) Open a Google Spreadsheet and click (left-click) on one of its cells
(to make sure the keyboard focus is in that cell).

3) Open the Edit menu -- notice that Paste is enabled (highlighted).

4) Choose Paste from the Edit menu -- nothing gets pasted into the cell.

I've reproduced this in Firefox 2.0.0.12 and today's Minefield nightlies
on OS X 10.4.11, OS X 10.5.2, Windows XP and Kubuntu 7.10 Linux.  I can
also reproduce it (on OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.2) in Camino 1.5.5 and
today's Camino trunk nightly.

Comment 1

[Damon Sicore (:damons)]

Kev, can you help us find a contact at google to look at this issue?

Comment 2

[Kev Needham [:kev]]

Attachment: Google Spreadsheets requires ctrl-v to paste from system clipboard

I thought this was a limitation of the app in general, and you had to use Ctrl-V specifically (not edit-paste of either the google app or fx) to paste from the system clipboard (see attached). I'll bring it to their attention, but let me know if this is the issue.

Comment 3

[Steven Michaud [:smichaud] (Retired)]

(In reply to comment #2)

> I thought this was a limitation of the app in general, and you had
> to use Ctrl-V specifically (not edit-paste of either the google app
> or fx) to paste from the system clipboard (see attached).

I don't think requiring people to use Ctrl-V (even on platforms where
Cmd-V is more normal) should imply disabling Edit : Paste --
_especially_ if Edit : Paste isn't greyed out (which it isn't, on any
platform, and in any of the browsers I tested).

And in any case Ctrl-V doesn't work in Safari either (only Cmd-V does).

Comment 4

[Steven Michaud [:smichaud] (Retired)]

> but let me know if this is the issue.

The Ctrl-V/Cmd-V business isn't the issue, as far as I can see.

Though the bug I describe in comment #0 may be (partly) caused by Google's having gone through contortions to try to make only Ctrl-V work.

Comment 5

[Kev Needham [:kev]]

I don't see this as a bug with Firefox. Similar behaviour is observed with (as you've mentioned) Safari, and also with IE6 (although using the Google App Edit->Paste does work). I'll certainly forward it along and get confirmation, but I think this is by design/necessity on Google's part, and isn't a bug with Firefox.