78477 - URLbar autocomplete doesn't have default selection

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 78268

(SeaMonkey :: Location Bar, defect)

Description

[Matthew Cline]

Build 2001050108, Linux 2.4.4 i686, RedHat 6.1 XFree86 4.0.2

Since the latest modern skin was landed, the autocomplete hasn't had
a default selection.  It used to be that as soon as an auto possible matches
list was found, it would select the first one in the list, with everything
after the cursor highlighted; if the first match was what you wanted (and
it often was for me) you could just hit return.  Now you have to arrow down
one to select the first option.

Comment 1

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

I believe that this is as-designed.  The old behavior caused no end of grief.

Reassigning to hewitt.

Comment 2

[R.K.Aa.]

What? The old behaviour was excellent, once it finally worked right. And it did.
Now i have to mouse around much more to get it to autocomplete. Not good.

Comment 3

[R.K.Aa.]

*** Bug 78496 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 4

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

The old behavior made it hard to type in a URL that's a substring of another URL
in the history.

No mousing required -- hit "down" and enter.  One extra keystroke...

Comment 5

[Alec Flett]

I think we need a pref - I liked the old auto-selection behavior as well and I
didn't realize how much I missed it until I started using the new widget
everyday...:)

Comment 6

[Joe Hewitt (gone)]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 78268 ***

Comment 7

[timeless]

vrfy dupe

Comment 8

[R.K.Aa.]

Boris Zbarsky: It doesn't only take one key-click. It takes a whole heap.
If the list that drops down is long - and mine are - then i have the choise of
either taking a hand off the keyboard, find the mouse, and mouse down to the
right item and click. Or - i have to click several times on the arrow button -
or hold it in for a while - miss - then arrow back some times till i find the
item - and then click enter.

OR: I do what I'm forced to do now: I choose the simplest way and type the whole
bloody URL. Which is NOT how an "autocomplete" feature is supposed to work.
In short: This new "autocomplete" doesn't complete anything. It's turned into a
useless context meny and is mostly in the way. If i want to browse history in a
dropdown menu, i click the arrow on right of URL-bar. I don't want anything to
drop around when i simply type. Sorry - that new autocomplete is utterly useless
and a PITA. I really really appreciate the progress mozilla's been making over
the years, but the new autocomplete is a giant step backwards. It's just plain
wrong.

Comment 9

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Well... The old autocomplete would complete to its "best" match.  If the same
"best" match is first in the list with the current widget, then it _is_ only one
arrow key to pick it.  If it is not, then we need to fix the way we sort...

Or am I completely missing something?

Comment 10

[R.K.Aa.]

Oh yeah? Type this:
http://bugzilla.moz

See for yourself how relevant the content in dropdown is. It's a flickering
nightmare - something jumping up and down while i start typing.

And I have move my arm away from where i type in order to trigger something. I
have to relate to an unwanted window with a whole lot of text to read. *I* have
to make the *choises*. That is not an autocomplete - it's a prompt to ME to
complete something. I can't even wheelscroll in that thing. That whole window is
a distraction. It steals time and covers the browser window, obscuring what i
was looking at there. Perhaps that was an url i was typing and wanted to see the
rest of? And what the heck is google doing there? I have to watch an ECHO of
myself typing! What on earth is that.. i KNOW what i'm typing. I don't have to
see it TWO places.

That google thing is just plain confusing. Oh jeesh.. I want my *autocomplete*
back!!! Not some ugly imposter spitting dropdowns at me and not completing a
single thing.

Comment 11

[R.K.Aa.]

Also: With the old autocomplete - which was now just about perfect - if
something autocompleted to a too long url while i was taking a break in typing
it, i could hit the backspace arrow, and it was gone - then could  hit enter and
go to the URL as i had typed it that far.

That was good.

The arrow-keys are placed on the side of the keyboard and are not positioned
somewhere i can reach them while my hands are in the normal "touch" position. So
the new autocomplete takes more effort - i have to move a hand away from typing
position to get to the navigation keys. That's bad.

But worse: Since there is so much content in the dropdown - multiple lines to
read - and the match i may want is number 15 in the list - i have to read - and
then make a choise of whether to go on typing - or to move my hand and navigate
to the relevant URL. When that is visible as the 15th line of perhaps 18 - it
definately takes MORE than "one key click" to reach it. My view on this is
probably pretty clear now, but one more point: I don't need to see how mozilla
compares and thinks and sorts and eliminate URL's while i type. At least i don't
need to see whole pages of it. Everything that happens in autocomplete should
take placed *backstage* and *IN* the URL-bar. Not trespassing into browser area
in a window that moves and moves - shrinks and grows while i type. I've really
NEVER come across any GUI based interface as utterly distracting and useless as
that new autocomplete.

Comment 12

[Joe Hewitt (gone)]

Just for the record, the autocomplete systems in Quicken, IE/Win, and IE/Mac do
in fact update the matching results in the popup as you type.  I sense that RKA
is hooked on the old 4.x and Mozilla style of autocomplete. I see your point,
and I urge you to voice them in 78628 as this bug is now a duplicate.  We are
considering bringing back inline-completion, but we need to collect more user
feedback.

Comment 13

[R.K.Aa.]

Well thanks for the warning - i'll avoid those apps even harder in the future.
But know that MS make mistakes. It took them 4-5 years to retire a single
paperclip. Trust me: It wasn't a dropdown autocomplete that made MS a success.

When that is said: The MSIE implementation can't possibly be much resemblant of
what Mozilla now has adapted. On occation i *have* used MSIE. Just about
everything about its interface "sux", but I can't remember text flying in my
face like a yo-yo, as it does in Mozilla these days, nor that i had to move
around, read, evaluate or key around a lot to go anywhere.

As for user feedback - my contribution is here. Feel free to refer to it.
Or just tell bug 78628 that I am right, and anyone who might think otherwise is
dead wrong.

Comment 14

[Jeremy]

I wish to register my discontent at the change to the autocomplete behaviour.

Note that URL's starting with "www." are not given preference when the list is
created. This leads to other URL's appearing BEFORE the URL you are trying to type.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE return the behaviour to what it was before.
One extra key-stroke (if you are lucky) is still ONE EXTRA keystroke.

Comment 15

[Jeremy]

PS. Bug 78628 does not relate to this bug at all. 
There is a typo in the last couple of entries.

It should refer to Bug 78268

Comment 16

[Alec Flett]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 78268 ***

Comment 17

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

verified dup.