526819 - When using certain keyboards where virtual keys do not match character output, shortcuts are erratic in behavior.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1901234

(Firefox :: Keyboard Navigation, defect)

Description

[beltz19]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; es-ES; rv:1.9.1.4) Gecko/20091016 Firefox/3.5.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; es-ES; rv:1.9.1.4) Gecko/20091016 Firefox/3.5.4

I'm currently using a modified Dvorak keyboard with virtual keys mapped to their QWERTY equivalents. (This allows for the use of keyboard shortcuts in almost all other programs in Windows to behave as if I were using a QWERTY keyboard.) Firefox sometimes accepts these shortcuts, but sometimes reacts to their Dvorak equivalent. For instance, while typing text into a textarea box, Ctl+K (on the keyboard, which in normal Dvorak should behave as Ctl+T) does highlight the search bar as expected. However, highlighting text in a normal page outside a text box produces the incorrect result: Ctl+C (on keyboard, equivalent to Ctl+J on normal Dvorak) instead opens the downloads, meaning it was reading the character code resulting from the keystrokes, and not the virtual keys mapped from the raw keyboard scan codes.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
0. May use "Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator" or some similar program to create a custom keyboard if one with these requirements cannot be found.
1. Use any keyboard mapping with a virtual key that has no correlation to character output that keystroke maps to. For instance, one with virtual key as 'c', but with a character output mapped as 'j'.
2. Press a keyboard shortcut that uses this virtual key. In my situation, I tried highlighting text and copying it with Ctl+C.
Actual Results:  
If in a text box, shortcuts tend to work correctly. Otherwise, they map to the Ctl+Character_Code shortcut, which may or may not exist. In my situation, the downloads opened up.

Expected Results:  
Keystrokes' character codes should never be read, and as is standard (at least on windows) only the Virtual Keys mapped to by the current keyboard layout and the current keystroke should be used. In my situation, the text I highlighted from a normal web page should have been copied.

I believe there must be some discrepency between the way keyboard shortcuts are handled in text boxes (correcly) and the way firefox determines what has been pressed outside a text box (incorrect).

Comment 1

[Frederik Vanderstraeten]

I have the same problem, it's still present in the latest beta (16.0).

Comment 2

[daylin.trenton]

Firefox has no key to copy link since 88. It was removed and not replaced. This is completely unreasonable.

A replacement key that is unusable by human hands is not a replacement. It's not unlike telling people they can vote, if they stand in line for 8 hours without water. That is telling people that they can't vote.

Telling people that there is a new key, but it's across the room where NO ONE, NO HUMAN HAND can reach, is telling them that there is no key.

Firefox has NO KEY to copy link currently.

There was no reason to break this, and I want you to know that I am never going to stop reporting it, and I will be identifying the people who broke it, like Asif Youssuff, personally, until it is identified as the bug that it is.

You broke a browser that millions of people depended on for NO REASON. NO REASON. There was NO REASON TO REMOVE THE HOTKEY TO COPY LINKS FROM FIREFOX.

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