868292 - nsIDOMWindowUtils.sendKeyEvent is much slower in content process than that in chrome process

Status: NEW

(Core :: DOM: Core & HTML, defect, P5)

Description

[Yuan Xulei [:yxl] (Leave from May 18)]

This is a followup of Bug 860546(https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=860546).

When nsIDOMWindowUtils.sendKeyEvent is used to synthesize key events, it runs much slower in content processes than that in chrome process. 

A simple test on b2g-desktop of Ubuntu 12.04 64bit shows that it takes 1 second to run nsIDOMWindowUtils.sendKeyEvent 3000 times in the system app and 25 seconds to run in the contacts and email app.

Comment 1

[Mounir Lamouri (:mounir)]

Which IPC method do we call? Is it sync or async?

Comment 2

[Yuan Xulei [:yxl] (Leave from May 18)]

Sync and async calls get the same results. 

Async method tested in chrome process is MozKeyboard.sendKey in the file b2g/components/MozKeyboard.js:

https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/b2g/components/MozKeyboard.js#84

76   sendKey: function mozKeyboardSendKey(keyCode, charCode) {
77     charCode = (charCode == undefined) ? keyCode : charCode;
78 
79     let mainThread = tm.mainThread;
80     let utils = this._utils;
81 
82     function send(type) {
83       mainThread.dispatch(function() {
84 	utils.sendKeyEvent(type, keyCode, charCode, null);
85       }, mainThread.DISPATCH_NORMAL);
86     }
87 
88     send("keydown");
89     send("keypress");
90     send("keyup");
91   },

Move sendKey to content process in the file b2g/chrome/content/forms.js with the following patch will be much slower:

https://bug860546.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=738997

Comment 3

[Mike Lee [:mlee]]

(In reply to Yuan Xulei [:yxl] from comment #2)
> Sync and async calls get the same results. 
> 
> Async method tested in chrome process is MozKeyboard.sendKey in the file
> b2g/components/MozKeyboard.js:
> 
> https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/b2g/components/MozKeyboard.
> js#84
> 

Looks like this file has moved. Yuan does your comment above still apply here? https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/dom/inputmethod/MozKeyboard.js#87

Comment 4

[Yuan Xulei [:yxl] (Leave from May 18)]

(In reply to Mike Lee [:mlee] from comment #3)
> (In reply to Yuan Xulei [:yxl] from comment #2)
> > Sync and async calls get the same results. 
> > 
> > Async method tested in chrome process is MozKeyboard.sendKey in the file
> > b2g/components/MozKeyboard.js:
> > 
> > https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/b2g/components/MozKeyboard.
> > js#84
> > 
> 
> Looks like this file has moved. Yuan does your comment above still apply
> here?
> https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/dom/inputmethod/MozKeyboard.
> js#87
Yes, still here.

Comment 5

[Firefox Bug Husbandry Bot]

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1472046

Move all DOM bugs that haven’t been updated in more than 3 years and has no one currently assigned to P5.

If you have questions, please contact :mdaly.