88979 - Focus often invisible/tab inconsistent

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 83566

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

Description

[ltskinol]

Linux, 2001070121, Modern theme, My Sidebar checked but minimized
on the left side.

It's not always possible to figure out what pane of Mozilla has
the focus, and tab/shift-tab work strangely in this respect.

1. Start Mozilla and allow the home page to load.  Nothing is
highlighted, so there's no telling where the focus is.  The page
won't scroll with the arrow keys, so the focus ain't there.

2. Tab.  Same as #1, though I think the focus moved from one
place I can't figure out to another place I can't figure out.

3. Tab.  Focus now in the URL bar, as it highlights.

4. Tab.  Focus no longer in the URL bar.  But I don't know
where it it.  Again, it's not on the web page.

5. Tab.  Focus now on the page, as I can scroll it with the
arrow keys.  However, no links are highlighted with the little
dotted line.

6. Tab.  Focus still on the page, and the first link is 
highlighted.

Now shift-tab a few times.  You'd expect that the focus would
backtrack though whatever sequence it forward-tracked through
above.  You'd be wrong:

a. First shift-tab: focus moves from "6" mode to "5" mode.  So
far so good.

b. Second shift-tab: no change.  Focus still in "5" mode.  "4"
mode expected.

c. Third shift-tab: focus now on the URL bar ("3" mode).

d. Fouth shift-tab: focus not on the URL bar.  Maybe it's in
"2" mode.  As with "2" mode, I can't tell where the focus is.

e. Fifth shift-tab: no change,  Maybe it's in "1" mode.

f. Sixth shift-tab: focus now in the URL bar ("3" mode).  Expected:
should be on the last link of the current web page, as it should
have wrapped from "1" mode to the end of the page.

Expected behavior:

1. Wherever the focus is, it should be visible.
2. When the focus is on the web page, some link should highlight (assuming
there is a link on the page, of course).

Comment 1

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

->Event Handling

Comment 2

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

-> Keyboard Nav.  I'm pretty sure this is a dupe though.

Comment 3

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

Found em. This bug is a combination of two bugs:

bug 83566 - [tabbing] Dead spots should not be included in tab order cycle.

bug 83575 - [tabbing] Tabbing and shift-tabbing should always take focus to the
same places

Since the main issue seems to be the dead spots, I am marking as a dupe of bug 83566

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 83566 ***

Comment 4

[Chad Austin]

verified duplicate