Topic: Action box is stealing focus [BUG?] (Read 6344 times)

mark_h · « **on:** December 10, 2011, 08:20:08 am »

Matt, I reported this in the last release:

"The search box is finalizing too quickly... Whenever I use the search box, I type in the first few letters and then I pause VERY briefly (a fraction of a second) while my ageing brain tries to decide what to type next, but in that time MC stops accepting input and my keystrokes are then seen as navigation around the UI rather than input to the search box...

I don't recall the search box being this sensitive... Can we back off a bit, or add a sensitivity option... 8 times out of 10 now my searches are being cut short due to a small pause in my typing...

Related to this, when doing a search and the dropdown window appears, by the time I navigate my mouse to the window a decision has been made and the view updates with it's own choice rather than allow me to further interact..."

Today I was navigating the filelist window with keystrokes and noticed focus kept jumping away from what I was doing and found the reason why. The original report above is affected by the same issue.

How to replicate the problem:

Select ANY file in a file list. Ensure the Action window is fully closed. Go to the top right search box and fiddle about to your heart's content. Notice how focus stays locked in the search box and you are able to easily refine your search and explore any dropbox options.

OK, clear the search and go back to the file list and select a track. Now go to the Action Window, click TAG, followed by clicking on the COUNTRY tag (for example) to open the country tag editor. Now go back up to the top right search box and start searching... Notice that as soon as you pause the focus is stolen away and the search is prematurely terminated.

I also noticed that while doing editing in the file lists the same focus stealing occurs, making it very frustrating to edit with the action box tag editor open.

Can we get a fix on this please. When tag editing I have always left the tag editor up so that I can quickly jump around files making changes. It should not be stealing focus in this way...

Cheers,

Mark

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2011, 08:50:08 am »

I checked this after you reported it and I don't see a problem.

I wonder if it's Aero or something similar. Please try a few other skins.

mark_h · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2011, 08:59:25 am »

Jim, I'm using Thunderstorm. Which skin are you using?

mark_h · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:00:41 am »

Went through a bunch of skins and all show the same problem.

JimH · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:05:39 am »

Have you installed any new software.

Minimize what else is running.

mark_h · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:14:09 am »

Quote from: JimH on December 10, 2011, 09:05:39 am

Have you installed any new software.

Minimize what else is running.

This is a week old fresh build on Win7 64-bit ultimate, so it's pretty bare bones at the moment with regards other installed software. I don't use virus scanners or other such background tasks...

I'll see if I can create a video capture of what I'm seeing.

JimH · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:15:47 am »

Quote from: mark_h on December 10, 2011, 09:14:09 am

This is a week old fresh build on Win7 64-bit ultimate, so it's pretty bare bones at the moment with regards other installed software. I don't use virus scanners or other such background tasks...

I'll see if I can create a video capture of what I'm seeing.

No need. I understand what you're saying. I just can't duplicate it. I use search a lot.

Did the problem start with the new build?

Updating video drivers might help.

JimH · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:20:15 am »

Quote from: mark_h on December 10, 2011, 08:59:25 am

Jim, I'm using Thunderstorm. Which skin are you using?

PixOS at the moment.

Try turning off Windows Aero.

mark_h · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:24:14 am »

Quote from: JimH on December 10, 2011, 09:15:47 am

No need. I understand what you're saying. I just can't duplicate it. I use search a lot.

Did the problem start with the new build?

I reported it with the last build but I cannot say when it started happening with certainty.

Just installed the current MC16 build and it does NOT have the issue. Looks like a genuine MC17 issue?

MrC · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:26:35 am »

I've experienced this before, but I discovered it was some background process that kept stealing the focus every couple of seconds. Once I killed that, the problem went away. I'll be darned though if I can recall which piece of software was doing it.

The MC auto-update mechanism will do this too, btw. It is a little more insidious, in that it will steal focus away from you as you're editing a tag.

mark_h · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:41:12 am »

Given that MC16 is fine it has to be an MC17 issue BUT it could be related to MY library if nobody else can replicate this?

MrC, can you confirm you've followed my steps without issue?

Matt, can I send you my library?!

JimH · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2011, 09:59:46 am »

Quote from: MrC on December 10, 2011, 09:26:35 am

I've experienced this before, but I discovered it was some background process that kept stealing the focus every couple of seconds. Once I killed that, the problem went away. I'll be darned though if I can recall which piece of software was doing it.

I've seen that. I think it was Haali's tray icon.

Yes, Mark. I followed your steps. MrC's guess is a good one.

mark_h · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2011, 10:11:21 am »

I have to disagree. MC16 is working fine. MC17 is not. If it's a spurious background task why is it not affecting MC16?

?

mark_h · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2011, 10:16:13 am »

Just tested in safe mode - problem persists...

MrC · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2011, 10:37:31 am »

Quote from: mark_h on December 10, 2011, 09:41:12 am

MrC, can you confirm you've followed my steps without issue?

Yes, I can confirm it is working correctly for me.

I typed 3 letters in the search box, went down stairs to do a few odds and ends, came back up stairs and continued entering the remainder of the search.

mark_h · « **Reply #15 on:** December 10, 2011, 11:04:36 am »

Thanks.

I created an empty library and imported one album. Problem persists. Frustrating

mark_h · « **Reply #16 on:** December 10, 2011, 11:09:43 am »

Final update for now. Installed on a completely different PC with a fresh library. Problem exists there too...

mark_h · « **Reply #17 on:** December 10, 2011, 11:16:24 am »

OK this is the final update!

I've created a video of the problem in actions:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7082504/focusstealing.avi

I first show the search box working correctly (no tag window open) and then I open the tag window and retry the search. You notice that focus is rapidly stolen back to the tag box.

As above, I now see this on two different PCs, even in safe mode. I do not see this on MC16.

Matt!!!!

MrC · « **Reply #18 on:** December 10, 2011, 11:26:14 am »

Ah, it happens when you edit a property with a drop down edit list (like Keywords or Country). Easy to repeat here.

mark_h · « **Reply #19 on:** December 10, 2011, 01:17:17 pm »

Phew! Good to know you can repeate. I guess my original instructions were deficient!

Hopefully this is an easy fix as it was working until recently...

MrC · « **Reply #20 on:** December 10, 2011, 01:23:17 pm »

Quote from: mark_h on December 10, 2011, 01:17:17 pm

I guess my original instructions were deficient!

No, not at all. My brain was cold. See sentence 3.

rick.ca · « **Reply #21 on:** December 10, 2011, 05:07:31 pm »

Quote from: mark_h on December 10, 2011, 08:20:08 am

Can we get a fix on this please. When tag editing I have always left the tag editor up so that I can quickly jump around files making changes. It should not be stealing focus in this way...

Isn't this all due to the necessary behaviour I pointed out to you in the build 46 release topic?...

Quote

You need to click twice. The first click selects the file(s) to be displayed in the tag editor. That could be one file or a selection of files (e.g., different versions of a song for which you want to have the same lyrics). The second click changes the focus from the editor back to the list.

I don't see how the program can be expected to handle edit and search functions simultaneously. In this case, clicking on the file in the list twice is not the answer. The field edit box in the tag editor needs to be closed (not the tag editor itself) before another task (like search) is attempted. I suppose that could be made to happen automatically. That would be better than a partial edit being inadvertently saved as an edit... $:-\$

mark_h · « **Reply #22 on:** December 11, 2011, 02:21:50 am »

Rick, perhaps the two issues are related, yes. But it functions perfectly (correctly) in the last build of MC16, so something has changed in MC17 to "break" this functionality. Not being able to move around without closing the tag window EVERY TIME is a MASSIVE pain. The tag window should NOT be stealing focus and should remain passively open until refocussed by the user for editing.

marko · « **Reply #23 on:** December 11, 2011, 04:15:59 am »

mark_h, I wonder if this is where your behaviour was introduced...

Build 40 contained the following fix:

Quote

9. Fixed: When editing a list type field in the Tag Action Window, and using page up and down to switch file, typing focus was lost.

Whatever happens here, this fix must remain, as without it, image tagging is a nightmare!

-marko

mark_h · « **Reply #24 on:** December 11, 2011, 08:47:57 am »

Quote from: marko on December 11, 2011, 04:15:59 am

mark_h, I wonder if this is where your behaviour was introduced...

Build 40 contained the following fix:
Whatever happens here, this fix must remain, as without it, image tagging is a nightmare!

-marko

Hopefully Matt can sort this out. Right now the UI is broken. It is unacceptable for any UI item to steal focus from another under any circumstances. And it's unreasonable to expect users to close (or even know they have to) one aspect of the UI just to ensure another part works...

mark_h · « **Reply #25 on:** December 24, 2011, 08:18:43 am »

Another example.

Have the Country Tag active. Go to the file list window and select some files. Then select Analyze Audio. The Analyze Audio window pops up and immediately focus is stolen by the Action Box forcing the new window into the background.

mark_h · « **Reply #26 on:** December 24, 2011, 08:34:55 am »

And another (previously posted about)

Open Country in the Action Box. Click an entry in the filelist. Then attempt to select all files with Ctrl-A. Doesn't work because action box has stolen focus.

mark_h · « **Reply #27 on:** December 24, 2011, 08:48:49 am »

And another

Open Country in Action Window. Navigate back to file list and select a field to edit with F2. Make edit then press down arrow to move to field below for editing. The focus will be stolen by the action window making keyboard navigation impossible.

Matt · « **Reply #28 on:** January 17, 2012, 12:06:56 pm »

This will be fixed in a coming build.

Thanks for patiently bumping it.

mark_h · « **Reply #29 on:** January 17, 2012, 12:49:02 pm »

Cheers, Matt.

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Author Topic: Action box is stealing focus [BUG?] (Read 6344 times)