57192 - [CBX]Keys (Alt-Down, F4, space) to open HTML comboboxes/dropdowns/menulist

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Core :: DOM: UI Events & Focus Handling, defect, P3)

Description

[Casey Perkins]

The standard keyboard shortcut on the Windows platform to open the drop-down
list (html select/option tags) that has the focus is F4. This works in Netscape
4, IE, and throughout Windows. It would be nice if this was implemented, so that
the contents of select list can be viewed and selected all at once, without
having to use the mouse.

Comment 1

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

akkana/jrgm, d'you know if there's an equivalent of F4 for linux/unix to
dropdown menulists? alas, i don't think such a shortcut exists on the Mac
--cc'ing mpt in case there is.

Comment 2

[Peter "jag" Annema]

Why not use enter to open it, space to select (ctrl and/or shift space for
multi-select), enter to close (confirm) and esc to cancel.

Comment 3

[Casey Perkins]

>>Why not use enter to open it, space to select (ctrl and/or shift space for
multi-select), enter to close (confirm) and esc to cancel.

This is not standard behavior, at least on Windows. F4 to drop down, arrow down
and enter or press first letter to select.

Comment 4

[Peter "jag" Annema]

In addition to F4 on Windows :-)

Comment 5

[John Morrison]

.. on unix/linux, not that I recall (although Sun keyboards might).

(by the way, one problem with overloading Enter to open it, is that the 
urlbar is also a drop-down, which leads to an exception to the rule).

Comment 6

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

F4? What kind of intuitive shortcut is that??? Sheez. If that's what Windows 
uses, we'd better support it on Windows -- but let's not have Linux repeating
*all* of Windows' UI mistakes, please!

For Mac OS (where native popup menus can't even get focus, unfortunately) and 
Linux, why not just Space to open, Space to select/close? Space is the key used 
to manipulate any other non-editor control, and there's no reason not to use it 
for popup menus too. (Jag's suggestion of Enter is inappropriate, because Enter 
should -- eventually -- submit an HTML form; and unnecessary, because popup menus 
-- such as SELECTs -- don't allow multiple selections anyway.)

As for the location bar dropdown: in particular that dropdown is not necessary in 
the location bar, and in general it's just another reason why text fields and 
menus shouldn't be welded together. So I have no sympathy for that particular 
widget whatsoever.

Comment 7

[Peter "jag" Annema]

You're right, mpt. Space to open and select actually was my first thought... One
snag though, currently enter is the key used to select, this is what prompted me
to couple it to using enter to open.

Comment 8

[Viswanath Ramachandran]

Since Don has left, Vishy is taking his bugs in bulk, pending reassignment.
thanks,
	Vishy

Comment 9

[Chris McAfee]

putting on nsbeta1 radar

Comment 10

[Chris McAfee]

over to rods for a look.  Rod, who should do this?
I'm not sure, but figured you would probably know.

Comment 11

[rods (gone)]

Apparently, that is one more bizarre UI behavior, I'll add it to the list

Comment 12

[Jesse Ruderman]

See bug 62425 for alt-down and bug 64078 for space.

Comment 13

[Jesse Ruderman]

Does these bugs cover both XUL contorls and HTML controls?

Comment 14

[Paul Chen]

nav triage team:

Marking nsbeta1+

Comment 15

[Aaron Leventhal]

*** Bug 64078 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 16

[Jesse Ruderman]

In bug 33684, we're considering using Alt+Up for "chop off the last part of the 
URL".  IE uses both Alt+Up and Alt+Down for dropdowns.  We could work around 
the conflict by only supporting Alt+Down for select boxes, using a different 
key to navigate up, or making Alt+Up to navigate up work everywhere except on 
select boxes.

Comment 17

[timeless]

Alt-up also works in n4 and any other normal app... I think it'd be ok if the 
overloaded behavior (traverse server hierarchy) only worked in _content when 
not in a combobox.

see also Bugzilla Bug 64157  xbl drop-down listboxes should respond to arrow 
keys in the same way as html drop-down listboxes.

What about ctrl-backspace to chop off a fragment of a url? it makes sense to me 
in an edit box.

Comment 18

[[e-mail]]

Function keys currently have interesting effects in HTML drop-down lists -
they map to letters F1=P ... F9=X

Comment 19

[rsdavis]

Alt-down is my vote. It almost makes sense. I never use alt-up. I use alt-down
to drop down the list and then use the arrow keys to move the selection. I would
think any action that moves the focus should cause selection.

Comment 20

[Aaron Leventhal]

Alt-Down needs to work to pull down a combo box in HTML.

Comment 21

[Aaron Leventhal]

Attachment: This is tested -- it works for Alt+Up and Alt+Down to toggle list open/closed -- same behavior as IE

Comment 22

[Aaron Leventhal]

Attachment: Correct patch - makes Alt+Down and Alt+Up toggle combo box open or closed -- same behavior as IE

Comment 23

[Aaron Leventhal]

As it turns out, F4 drops down IE's URL bar list, regardless of where the focus is.
So making F4 work here would be against the usual platform bevior.

However, Alt+Down and Alt+Up work in any combo box in Windows or IE.

The attached patch makes our combo box compatible with IE's - Alt+Down or Alt+Up
in a focused combo box toggle the list's openness.

Comment 24

[rods (gone)]

r=rods

Comment 25

[Aaron Leventhal]

I'll take the bug

Comment 26

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

clearing milestone, nominating for moz0.9.7.

Comment 27

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

We have a much more complete keyboard implentation for combo boxes in:

http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=100186

Comment 28

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Microsoft is violating its own standard by having F4 pop down the URL bar.

F4 is supposed to display the focused combobox.

We should not copy this crappy behavior.

And if you do, it should be Windows only.

Comment 29

[Chris Waterson]

So, this at least makes Alt+[Up|Down] work. Seems like a step in the right
direction -- sr=waterson. Can the fight about F4 rage on in bug 100186?

Comment 30

[Aaron Leventhal]

Well, this improvement will get us from now until XBL comboboxes arrive for HTML.

At that time we can implement F4 if people wish.

Checking in and marking fixed.

Comment 31

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

actually marking fixed, unless it really isn't. :)

Comment 32

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

is this supposed to fix both html form selection lists [comboboxes] as well as
xul menulists [eg, urlbar, font menulists in pref panel, etc]?

alt+down and alt+up do work to open and collapse [respectively] selection lists
in html forms.

however, alt+down and alt+up do not seem to work for xul menulists --at least as
i would expect. in fact, they just seem to act the same as using the up and down
arrows --which both just open the menulist [when the widget is focus, but
collapsed] and move the selection [when the widget is open] in the list.

on the basis of this last observation, i'm reopening this. however, if this fix
is *only* for selection lists in html forms, do let me know!

test with the following:

linux - 2001.11.01.12
winNT - 2001.10.31.03
mac 10.1 - 2001.10.31.13

Comment 33

[Aaron Leventhal]

I think the bug was only for html combo boxes - at least according to the long
description.

Comment 34

[Jesse Ruderman]

XUL dropdowns are bug 64157.  By the way, bug 57209 (use xbl controls for html 
forms) would make 64157 apply to both xul and html, possibly regressing this 
bug.

Comment 35

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

thx for the clarificaton! vrfy'ing, then...

Comment 36

[Jesse Ruderman]

Filed bug 110801, "alt+arrow opens <select> in a random location on the screen".

Comment 37

[Firefox Bug Husbandry Bot]

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1527381