Bug#444499: field completion / suggestion often gets in the way

Wed Aug 3 06:09:18 UTC 2011

On Tue, Aug 02, 2011 at 09:56:28PM +0100, Frederik Eaton wrote:
> 
> On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 10:57:02PM +0100, Frederik Eaton wrote:
> > On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 05:13:45PM +0100, Mike Hommey wrote:
> > > On Sun, Nov 09, 2008 at 09:33:47AM +0000, Frederik Eaton wrote:
> > > > On Sun, Nov 09, 2008 at 02:26:08AM -0500, Eric Dorland wrote:
> > > > > * Frederik Eaton (frederik at ofb.net) wrote:
> > > > > > Package: iceweasel
> > > > > > Version: 2.0.0.6-1
> > > > > > Severity: normal
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Hello,
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > I will give an example to illustrate my point. I have tried it out in
> > > > > > "safe mode".
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > (1) I enter "minimal entropy martingale measure" in Google's search
> > > > > > text box
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > (2) When the results come up, I want change my search text to "minimal
> > > > > > martingale measure". I click just after the word "entropy" in the text
> > > > > > box at the top of the results page, and the completion "minimal
> > > > > > entropy martingale measure" appears appears in a menu below the box
> > > > > > (even though that same string is also already in the box). (Actually,
> > > > > > this happens only about 50% of the time, it may be necessary to try
> > > > > > clicking at different parts of the word) Since I had to click on the
> > > > > > search box to change the text, my cursor is right near the box. When I
> > > > > > take my hand off the mouse to type, the cursor happens to move down a
> > > > > > few pixels (this happens a lot when I use a trackpad, but also when I
> > > > > > use my optical mouse), briefly crossing over the menu of completions.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > (3) This results in the single completion being highlighted. 
> > > > > > Inexplicably, it stays highlighted even when my mouse has moved off of
> > > > > > it to below the bottom of the menu. Even more strangely, it stays
> > > > > > highlighted when I start typing in the text box.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > (4) I hit delete a few times to delete the word "entropy", but the
> > > > > > completion "minimal martingale martingale measure", the text of my
> > > > > > original search, is still highlighted.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > (5) I hit enter. This doesn't result in a new search with the new
> > > > > > contents of the search box, as I had hoped; but it results in the
> > > > > > completion (a useless completion, no less, since it was the original
> > > > > > text of the box) being selected, and the edit I just made
> > > > > > disappearing, and the text "minimal martingale martingale measure"
> > > > > > returning to the search box, and no search happening.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > So, completion as implemented in this program (is it possible to turn
> > > > > > it off, by the way?) is basically incompatible with my mouse moving
> > > > > > down a few pixels after I take my hand off of it. That seems rather
> > > > > > demanding - the mouse is an analog device and the cursor can't be
> > > > > > expected to stay 100% still all the time. In general, it seems like a
> > > > > > good idea for a highlighted menu selection to become unhighlighted
> > > > > > when the user starts typing, even in the case where it is still under
> > > > > > the cursor (which it is not, in my example above), since typing
> > > > > > generally indicates a lack of intent to click.
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Thank you in advance - I hope that this can be eventually fixed...
> > > > > 
> > > > > Is this any better with the latest Iceweasel?
> > > > 
> > > > Hello,
> > > > 
> > > > The problematic behaviour seems to be unchanged in 3.0.3.
> > > 
> > > As I fail to reproduce this in version 3.0.6 and I doubt the behaviour
> > > changed since 3.0.3, I'm wondering if you're talking about the google
> > > search box on the top right of the iceweasel user interface, or the
> > > google search field on the google web page. If the latter, then this is
> > > behavioural bug of the google web page.
> > 
> > Thanks for the response. That's a very reasonable misunderstanding -
> > Google has added completion to its search box since this bug was filed
> > two years ago, and is therefore no longer a good way to reproduce the
> > bug.
> > 
> > ***
> > 
> > I can still reproduce the bug in a plain HTML text input box under
> > 3.0.15. If you need an example of a plain HTML text input box, there
> > is probably a more canonical one but ... here:
> > http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jwb/wwwjdic?1C/
> > 
> > These are the fixes which I suggest still need to be implemented:
> > 
> > 1. Unhighlight completion menu selection when the mouse leaves the
> > menu rectangle
> > 
> > 2. Unhighlight completion menu selection when user starts typing (e.g. 
> > delete key, as in above report)
> > 
> > 3. Don't include completions which exactly match the text of the box
> > 
> > 4. Don't list completions when the insertion point is not at the end
> > of the text. (This is already partially implemented - if I defocus the
> > box, and then click in the middle, no completion menu shows up. But if
> > I click at the end of the box to get a completion menu, and then click
> > in the middle without defocussing, the completion menu stays around)
> > 
> > 5. Allow user to turn off completion (?)
> > 
> > Best wishes,
> > 
> > Frederik
> > 
> 
> I have tried Ubuntu firefox 5.0.
> 
> Above is an an old email in which I list the things that need to be
> fixed, at the very bottom. According to my testing, it appears they
> have made change #2, but not 1, 3, 4 or 5. I guess #2 was the most
> important one. I am a bit surprised that #5 is not done yet (is this
> correct?).

For #5: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Form%20autocomplete#w_prevent-firefox-from-storing-form-entries

> The others are low-priority.

I'd even say they're more a matter of taste.
All in all, can we agree the bug can be closed?

Cheers,

Mike