457308 - Middle-click a bookmark folder always switches focus to the first opened tab

Status: RESOLVED INACTIVE

(Firefox :: Bookmarks & History, defect)

Description

[Alan Arndt]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.2) Gecko/2008091620 Firefox/3.0.2
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.2) Gecko/2008091620 Firefox/3.0.2

Prior to Firefox 3.0 opening a link in a new tab via middle click or menu options would allow it load in the background and not change focus as specified by the selection in the Tabs Options.  This behavior was also followed when opening multiple tabs from the Open All in Tabs context menu, or via a middle click on the bookmark folder.  With Firefox this second process was changed and the focus is changed to the first tab of the new group opened.  I believe this is incorrect and should follow the option selection as it did in prior versions of Firefox.

I have searched through hundreds of bugs and haven't found this one, perhaps I missed it, but I tried.  Sorry if this is a duplicate.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Middle click on a Folder button on the bookmarks toolbar or a folder within the bookmarks.

Actual Results:  
Focus changes to the first new tab opened.

Expected Results:  
Focus remains on the current tab.

Comment 1

[Tyler Downer [He/Him]]

This bug was reported using Firefox 3.0 or older, which is no longer supported. The bug has also not been changed in over 500 days and is still in UNCO.
Reporter, please retest this bug in Firefox 3.6.10 or later using a fresh profile, http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/managing+profiles. If you still see this problem, please update the bug. If you no longer see the bug, please set the resolution to RESOLVED, WORKSFORME.

This is a mass search of unconfirmed bugs that have no activity on them, so if you feel a bug was marked in error, just remove the CLOSEME comment in the whiteboard within the next month.

Comment 2

[Tyler Downer [He/Him]]

No reply, INCOMPLETE. Please retest with Firefox 3.6.12 or later and a new profile (http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Managing+profiles). If you continue to see this issue with the newest firefox and a new profile, then please comment on this bug.

Comment 3

[Alan Arndt]

Tyler,

I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier.  I am currently running Firefox version 3.6.12.  I created a new profile and performed the tests.

First off, by default a middle click on a link within a page will open a new tab but not make it the focus.  If I change "browser.tabs.loadInBackground" to false and repeat the new tab will be created and it will become the focus.  Just like it's always done, and just as it should.

Now, if I create a bookmark folder and I select that folder (from the toolbar or the bookmarks menu) with the middle click it will open all of the bookmarks within that folder into new tabs.  Prior to Firefox 3.0 this operation would not change the focus unless the above flag was set to false.  Now this operation pays no attention to the flag.  Meaning when you middle click on a bookmark folder all the tabs are opened AND the focus is changed to the tab of the first bookmark of the selected folder.

I believe this operation is incorrect and it should use the flag just like it did prior to version 3.0.

Comment 4

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

Please check the behavior in detail. When you open all bookmarks from a folder, the currently open tab will be overwritten. There isn't a focus change.

Comment 5

[Alan Arndt]

Henrik,

You are incorrect.  I verified all this when I created this bug, if you'll notice I commented quite a bit on but 440093.  Bug 440093 is about the tab in focus being REPLACED by the first bookmark from a folder.  This bug is about the focus being changed from the current tab to the first tab of the loaded folder of bookmarks.

Further, as noted in comments in 440093 the behavior within that bug is different depending on HOW the folder of bookmarks is opened.  If you select the folder, right click and select "Open All in tabs" the current tab will be replaced with the first tab from the folder.  If, however; you use the middle click to perform the same operation the current tab will NOT be replaced and there is no bug.

So in summary 440093 is a simple difference of the path both options to open a folder take.  One of them is wrong, they should both be executing the same code.

this bug, 457308 is about the fact that whenever a folder of bookmarks is opened the code does not pay attention to the configuration flag "browser.tabs.loadInBackground".

Both problems seem to still exist, and both problems would seem to be a fairly simple issue to fix.  Both problems are also very easy to replicate and are always consistent.

Comment 6

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

Could you please create a screencast? That would be helpful. Thanks.

Comment 7

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

I have checked with OS X the last time by using a two-button mouse. Further by using the context menu, I don't see this problem. It only appears when you perform a middle click onto the folder of bookmarks itself. That's an inconsistency in bookmarks and history and not the tabbed browsing module. Moving over there.

Comment 8

[Dão Gottwald [:dao]]

(In reply to comment #3)
> First off, by default a middle click on a link within a page will open a new
> tab but not make it the focus.  If I change "browser.tabs.loadInBackground" to
> false and repeat the new tab will be created and it will become the focus. 
> Just like it's always done, and just as it should.
> 
> Now, if I create a bookmark folder and I select that folder (from the toolbar
> or the bookmarks menu) with the middle click it will open all of the bookmarks
> within that folder into new tabs.  Prior to Firefox 3.0 this operation would
> not change the focus unless the above flag was set to false.  Now this
> operation pays no attention to the flag.  Meaning when you middle click on a
> bookmark folder all the tabs are opened AND the focus is changed to the tab of
> the first bookmark of the selected folder.

The pref for this is browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground.

Comment 9

[Alan Arndt]

(In reply to comment #7)
> I have checked with OS X the last time by using a two-button mouse. Further by
> using the context menu, I don't see this problem. It only appears when you
> perform a middle click onto the folder of bookmarks itself. That's an
> inconsistency in bookmarks and history and not the tabbed browsing module.
> Moving over there.

Henrik,
I'm not sure I understand your comment or reasoning.  You are correct, the context menu performs differently.  In fact it has another bug, in my opinion.  That is it ignores the preference to load in another tab.  If I middle click on a bookmarks folder the bookmarks will be opened in new tabs.  If I select the "Open all in tabs" option from the context menu the first bookmark will replace the current tab, the others will then load in new tabs.  This of course also makes the first tab loaded the active one, but you would expect that as it was also your current tab.

I don't really see how this is a bookmarks problem, to me it's a problem with the tabbed browsing module, as originally selected.  But I don't really know enough about the internals of the browser to say.  Suffice to say that this operation WAS previously controlled by a "browser.tabs" preference and now it ignores that preference.  So I think you should change the component back.

Comment 10

[Alan Arndt]

(In reply to comment #8)
> The pref for this is browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground.

Dão,

Sorry about that, you are correct.  I typed in the wrong preference.  The problem still exists though.

Comment 11

[kakkashi]

So will this bug be fixed or just stay as it is?
Since i find it a bit annoying that it removes the focus of the current tab.
Or is there another solution that i have not found?

Comment 12

[BMO Automation]

Per policy at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Bug_Triage/Projects/Bug_Handling/Bug_Husbandry#Inactive_Bugs. If this bug is not an enhancement request or a bug not present in a supported release of Firefox, then it may be reopened.