Closed Bug 605113 Opened 15 years ago Closed 14 years ago

using cursor or arrow keys in message list pane sometimes jumps to global search bar

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
Mail Window Front End
Platform:
x86_64
All
Type:
defect
Priority:
Not set
Severity:
minor

Tracking

(Not tracked)

Status:
RESOLVED WORKSFORME

People

(Reporter: tony, Unassigned)

References

(
URL
)

Details

(Whiteboard: [gs])

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-AU; rv:1.9.2.10) Gecko/20100922 Ubuntu/10.10 (maverick) Firefox/3.6.10 Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.9) Gecko/20100922 Thunderbird/3.1.4 When scrolling through messages using the cursor keys, I find that focus goes to the global search bar. A restart seems to fix the problem, but the problem seems to get progressively worse over a few days. Others have reported this: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=1978955 , but they suspect add-ons. I suspect it's more of a cumulative thing - the bug manifests increasingly regularly, until every cursor keypress in the message results in focus going to the search bar. I tried disabling all add-ons, and restarting - the problem went away. I tried re-enabling and restarting, and currently the problem is not manifesting; however I'm confident it will over time. Reproducible: Couldn't Reproduce
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.9) Gecko/20100915 Lightning/1.0b2 Thunderbird/3.1.4 This has recently started happening to me too. Very annoying. It appears to me to be fairly random. At least I haven't yet been able to identify any particular event that causes it.
Tony can you update when you'll find the add-on ?
I suspect it's not an addon. However, I've disabled them - I was only running SlideShow 1.4.2 and LookOut 1.2.11. I will see if it remanifests
I can reproducibly create the bug. It occurs without any add-ons enabled. Everything works fine until I click in the header area of a message in the preview pane, e.g. to copy text from the subject line. As long as I never do that, the bug never returns. As soon as I click in that header area, the up/down arrows immediately fail to move among messages in the thread pane and instead send focus to the "search all messages" box at the top. Just found another trigger: If I click on the magnifying glass icon (or "Q" shape) in the search box--not the text field next to it--that also causes the bug. The bug also occurs permanently in my Thunderbird address book. I have Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Thunderbird 3.1.5.
Nice find. I can confirm the first trigger, with no add-ons (Ubuntu 10.10, as per orig bug report) but I cannot seem to reproduce David's second trigger.
Jim does that focus issues rings any bells ?
It also seems that any time you use page-up and page-down while the thread-pane is highlighted, the focus is immediately switched to the global search field. This happens even if you never highlight something in the preview pane. I'm using Mac OS X 10.6.4 and Thunderbird 3.1.6. I have a microsoft ergonomic keyboard plugged in, but I see the same behavior even with "function up/down" on the mac keyboard.
One more example of how to trigger this. Once I have searched within a message, if I afterward use the arrow keys in the thread pane, the focus will jump to global search. (I'm getting to the search window by hitting apple-f twice: the first takes me to the filter window, and the second to the search within a message window.) I'm amazed this bug hasn't been bothering more people. It drives me crazy.
> I'm amazed this bug hasn't been bothering more people. It drives me crazy. Count me as someone else this bug drives crazy! It's incredibly frustrating to have to click over and over and over again on the message list just to browse through messages because it constantly loses focus.
I can't reproduce using a trunk build. Can any of you reproduce this with most recent alpha? http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/early_releases/ And did this also happen in version 3.0? Or only just start in 3.1? issue is also described at http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/arrow_keys_mysteriously_switch_focus_to_search_field
URL: http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_me...
Component: General → Mail Window Front End
OS: Linux → All
QA Contact: general → front-end
Whiteboard: [gs]
Interestingly, I just arced up a virtual machine, Ubuntu 10.10 32-bit. I installed Thunderbird (3.1.8) and connected in a fresh profile to my IMAP server. The problem did not manifest. I copied across my normal profile from my desktop, and the problem did occur. This might mean that it *is* an add-on, or something to do with cache or residual from a previous upgrade from older Thunderbird. I'll keep investigating.
You may be onto something here. I transfer from one computer to another every few months, and my usual practice is to install a fresh Thunderbird (of the same version) and transfer my 3-email account profile (obliterating the original profile). That said, it's been a couple of months since I recall experiencing this problem, and not at all in the past month since I transferred my Thunderbird profile when I upgraded my notebook computer. Thanks!
The only conclusion I can draw is that the fault appears to be inside prefs.js. If I use my old profile that manifests the bug, but copy prefs.js from the new install, my old profile no longer exhibits the bug. A comparison of profiles is a ... a scary prospect. If anyone can offer clues as to things to try to edit in prefs.js to narrow things down, I'm happy to give it a go. If someone can convince me that it's safe to upload my prefs.js, then I can do that too.
And another update: using the the 3.1.9 nightly build (3 March), the problem persists. However the 3.3a2 build (14 Jan) does not manifest the problem, even with the old profile exactly as is. So it appears that this problem is fixed upstream, but that means that (for me) it'll be Ubuntu natty+1 before I get a fix. I'll attempt to mark this as confirmed, but I don't know if this warrants as being closed.
This bug needs to be elevated. It is not minor, and it should be confirmed. I currently run Thunderbird 3.1.10 on Mac OS X 10.5.8. I always accept software updates, and I have done so since Thunderbird 1.x. During the last Thunderbird update pushed to my Mac, this problem appeared. A cursor key press (up or down arrow) in the message list pane ALWAYS causes the focus to shift to the search box. Since this 3.1.10 upgrade, it has been impossible for me to scroll through my messages using the arrow keys. The first up or down arrow keypress in the message list causes the search box to become active, and subsequent keypresses scroll through the list of recent searches. The only way I can scroll through my messages is by mousing and clicking on each one. This is unacceptable behavior, and I will downgrade unless there is a solution or workaround. Please elevate this problem. I will submit any follow-up details that may be requested, but I don't have time to track this down on my own.
(In reply to comment #15) > During the last > Thunderbird update pushed to my Mac, this problem appeared. We didn't change anything significant in 3.1.10 that could have affected this as far as I can see, so downgrading is unlikely to resolve your issue. Given that it has also been seen previously, it is also less likely to be that specific version at issue. I would suggest first trying running in safe mode, and see if that resolves it. If that doesn't, then it would help to get some more information on how you're using the keyboard within Thunderbird, e.g. are you selecting the email list with the mouse, or with the keyboard via tab or some other combo.
Mark - Did you see the following postings above? They still seem to reproduce the bug: David E. 2010-10-20 08:05:27 PDT (comment 4) Dov 2010-11-01 14:38:41 PDT (comment 7) Dov 2010-11-03 07:10:02 PDT (comment 8) (the last one seems to only work if you leave the "search-in-message" window open, and then highlight the message pane again with the mouse. Once I close the search window, the problem stops. With the first two triggers though, the only way to get the arrow keys to work again is to restart thunderbird.
Mark, thanks for the reply (#16). I guess I was just being lazy, because tracking it down was not that hard after all. Safe mode works fine, and in my case, the problem turns out to be due to the add-on "CompactHeader 1.2.4". Enabling it immediately causes the problem, disabling it makes it go away. I'm sticking with my theory that it happened in the last upgrade, though. I don't remember what that add-on did for me, so I'm fine without it. You might try it and see if you get the problem, too.
Tom - (#18) Even in safe mode, I can reliably recreate this. And everytime I recreate it, in safe mode or normal, it goes away if I restart thunderbird. So I think CompactHeader has nothing to do with it. I suspect that just rebooting was what fixed it. If you highlight the subject line, or do any of the other things described above, I believe it will come back. Can you confirm that?
Dov, as you say, things are a little more complicated than I had thought. With the add-on enabled, launch Thunderbird, click on a message in the message list, then hit down arrow key. This *always* causes the cursor to go to the search box. Without the add-on, I thought the problem was solved, but it turns out to be more like the o.p. said -- on a restart everything is o.k. for a while but after some time the cursor-focus-switch problem comes back. The following sequence of actions often brings back the problem: click on a folder in the folder panel, click on the local search field and type in a filter string, click on a message in the message list, then hit a cursor key. Incidentally, it is not necessary to restart Thunderbird. Closing the Mail & Newsgroups window and reopening it clears the problem for me. Hope all this helps.
(In reply to comment #20) > The following sequence of actions often brings back the problem: click on a > folder in the folder panel, click on the local search field and type in a > filter string, click on a message in the message list, then hit a cursor > key. This did not recreate it for me. For a list of ways to reliably recreate it every time, please see Comments 4, 7 and 8. > Incidentally, it is not necessary to restart Thunderbird. Closing the Mail > & Newsgroups window and reopening it clears the problem for me. Hope all > this helps. That's great to know - that will make this bug a tiny bit less annoying. Thanks.
(In reply to comment #21) > (In reply to comment #20) > > > The following sequence of actions often brings back the problem: click on a > > folder in the folder panel, click on the local search field and type in a > > filter string, click on a message in the message list, then hit a cursor > > key. > > This did not recreate it for me. For a list of ways to reliably recreate it > every time, please see Comments 4, 7 and 8. None of these show the problem for me in 3.1.11 or Miramar (Windows or Linux).
ditto! I cannot reproduce the problem with any of the scenarios mentioned in this bug on Mac or Windows (In reply to comment #22) > (In reply to comment #21) > > (In reply to comment #20) > > > > > The following sequence of actions often brings back the problem: click on a > > > folder in the folder panel, click on the local search field and type in a > > > filter string, click on a message in the message list, then hit a cursor > > > key. > > > > This did not recreate it for me. For a list of ways to reliably recreate it > > every time, please see Comments 4, 7 and 8. > > None of these show the problem for me in 3.1.11 or Miramar (Windows or > Linux).
All of my problems disappeared in version 5! I don't know how, since it seems nobody here had any success with it. Very exciting though.
I agree, this problem has gone away in Thunderbird 5.
Status: UNCONFIRMED → RESOLVED
Closed: 14 years ago
Resolution: --- → WORKSFORME
I could reproduce this on 3x on Windows XP & 7 with all plugins disabled. I have not seen this happen since switching to TB 5 on Win 7.
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