libgtk2.0-0: file selector: some usability issues and visual glitches

Tue Apr 4 15:15:05 UTC 2006

Package: libgtk2.0-0
Version: 2.8.16-1ubuntu1
Severity: normal

Bug 1: The magically appearing filename input field.

I open a new-style fileselector, say, take a recent thunderbird
and choose File -> "Open Saved Message...".

Now, I type something like "sdf" into the file selector. The
textfield meant for file name input opens on top of another
control which reads "Mail Files".

I took some pictures merely to prove that this occurs. It's amazing bug
and I've seen it for over half a year, I've been waiting for somebody
else to notice. Since it isn't going to happen, well, here you go.

http://bel.fi/~alankila/filesel-bug1-1.png
http://bel.fi/~alankila/filesel-bug1-2.png

Bug 1, subbug 1:

I can dismiss the control that reads "sdf" by clicking on top of
cancel button, the file selector does not disappear. Neither does it
disappear if I click on cancel again. I need to take the pointer off the
cancel button and bring it back to the cancel button before the dialog
is actually dismissed.

Bug 1, subbug 2:

After dismissing the control, I can't bring it back by continuing to
type something. It appears to be lost for good, until I open a new file
selector.

Bug 2: The ctrl+L popup and its completion misfeatures.

Let's say you are in firefox and have clicked on a link to PDF file and
now wish to use kpdf to display the file. You start the process in
firefox by opting to choose an application to display the file with. And
you start with either / or ctrl+L.

After having written "/u", the selector offers the full completion "sr"
in highlight. So far so good. I type up to "/usr/", and everything is as
is supposed to be.

Then I get to the next part of the filename complete, which is supposed
to be bin/. At this point, sometimes merely pressing b suddenly completes
/usr/bin. This is very difficult to understand. Why did the
selector now satisfy with just "/usr/b" in order to complete /usr/bin!?
Let's call this latter way of completing things "fast complete" and the
former way "slow complete".

When I open the Location dialog, it is usually in the "slow" mode,
however, sometimes it starts directly in "fast complete". But invariably,
by the point I get to fill the files in /usr/bin, it switches to the
fast complete mode, and stays there, at least for the duration of
the file dialog, sometimes for even longer than that. I mean, I shut
down the app and open it again and it may still be in fast mode.
WTF!?

I swear this is what occurs. I'm so confused about how it is even
humanly possible for the file selector to behave differently at
different times of day, but it really does that for me. I don't mind
whether it's in the fast or slow mode, as long as it's deterministic.

Bug 2, subbug 1: Even after having a complete path in a file with
  ctrl+L, accepting it doesn't work.

I often find myself trying to use the fileselector to choose
/usr/bin/kpdf as my PDF display program. At one point, I manage to the
point where the "Open Location" window reads /usr/bin/kpdf, I swear it
does, it's filled in as a completion from files in /usr/bin. In my case,
I've actually written "/usr/bin/kp" or "/ubkpd" into the dialog,
depending on what mode it happened to start with.  However, if I now
press enter, nothing happens. The selector fails, inexplicably, to
choose the file which was just highlighted.

The error message says that it's trying to open a file called
/usr/bin/kpd DESPITE the completed text in the dialog reads
/usr/bin/kpdf at that time. And you can't win this one. If I type
"/ubkpdf", then what reads on the window is /usr/bin/kpdff, and if I *now*
press enter, the selector wants to open a file called /usr/bin/kpdff!

So the only way to win this game is to type "/ubkpdff" and remove the
last character. After that, the dialog reads /usr/bin/kpdf and it actually
does select the file correctly this time. *phew*.

This is a really, really serious problem of the file selector. A
mere recollection of the dozen or so times this has happened brings
back feelings of frustration so severe that it sends my blood pressure
skyrocketing. Fixes are VERY SERIOUSLY needed for all of the issues I
mentioned. This dialog is simply USELESS without improvements.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers dapper
  APT policy: (500, 'dapper'), (500, 'breezy-updates'), (500, 
'breezy-security')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.15-19-amd64-k8
Locale: LANG=fi_FI at euro, LC_CTYPE=fi_FI at euro (charmap=ISO-8859-15)

Versions of packages libgtk2.0-0 depends on:
ii  libatk1.0-0           1.11.4-0ubuntu1    The ATK accessibility toolkit
ii  libc6                 2.3.6-0ubuntu15    GNU C Library: Shared 
libraries an
ii  libcairo2             1.0.4-0ubuntu1     The Cairo 2D vector 
graphics libra
ii  libfontconfig1        2.3.2-1.1ubuntu6   generic font configuration 
library
ii  libglib2.0-0          2.10.1-0ubuntu2    The GLib library of C routines
ii  libgtk2.0-bin         2.8.16-1ubuntu1    The programs for the GTK+ 
graphica
ii  libgtk2.0-common      2.8.16-1ubuntu1    Common files for the GTK+ 
graphica
ii  libjpeg62             6b-11              The Independent JPEG 
Group's JPEG
ii  libpango1.0-0         1.12.0-0ubuntu1    Layout and rendering of 
internatio
ii  libpng12-0            1.2.8rel-5         PNG library - runtime
ii  libtiff4              3.7.4-1ubuntu1     Tag Image File Format 
(TIFF) libra
ii  libx11-6              2:1.0.0-0ubuntu4   X11 client-side library
ii  libxcursor1           1.1.5.2-0ubuntu2   X cursor management library
ii  libxext6              2:1.0.0-0ubuntu3   X11 miscellaneous extension 
librar
ii  libxfixes3            1:3.0.1.2-0ubuntu2 X11 miscellaneous 'fixes' 
extensio
ii  libxi6                2:1.0.0-0ubuntu2   X11 Input extension library
ii  libxinerama1          2:1.0.1-0ubuntu2   X11 Xinerama extension library
ii  libxrandr2            1:1.1.0.2-0ubuntu2 X11 RandR extension library
ii  libxrender1           1:0.9.0.2-0ubuntu2 X Rendering Extension 
client libra

Versions of packages libgtk2.0-0 recommends:
ii  hicolor-icon-theme            0.8-3      default fallback theme for 
FreeDes

-- no debconf information