can't right click on search boxes
 

The little "search" and "search this forum" pop-up boxes are really cute, but exceptionally annoying.

Most times when I'm searching for anything, it'll be something I've seen somewhere, I'll have it copied from some other screen. However, the search boxes on this site go away if you right click on them, meaning that the standard functionality of right-clicking to get the copy/paste/etc drop-down fails. You then have to take hand off mouse and find ctrl-v on the keyboard.

This is a case of breaking/ignoring basic Windows application behaviour that's existed for a decade. Text fields should cause the standard cut/copy/paste/delete/etc options to appear when right clicked on. Can it be fixed?

Right click works for me.

Some browsers do have a problem with right-click in these javascript search fields, try using CONTROL-V to paste instead.

I think the middle paragraph of my original message adequately explains why I find this a pain in the arse to have to do.

Sorry, missed that one...

Are you using Mozilla? The menu works for me in IE, but not in Mozilla...

Yep, I'm using Mozilla 1.7. I just tried an ancient IE and notice it doesn't happen there. With the enormous .js files that FT uses now, it might take some research to work out where exactly the error lies.

It's probably worth pointing out that FT is a Web site, not a Windows application.

Also that nothing is broken except your browser. The search boxes aren't supposed to go away - look at the code - and work the way you expect them to on the browser most people use.

But really...too lazy to reach for the keyboard? :rolleyes:

As was pointed out by alanw, vB and FlyerTalk both are not Windows applications. I'd contact the vB developers (www.vbulletin.com) about that if you want them to change it.

The browser most people use is also the browser most likely to fail to follow standards and the most likely to exhibit behaviour that is not standards-compliant. Given a discrepancy between Mozilla and IE, it's usually IE which is behaving incorrectly.

Given the enormous amount of code in the vB files, I haven't investigated further, since I thought someone here might know.

Dan, I don't know whether this is a vB issue or a browser issue or anything that is in any way configurable by FT. That's why I raised it here.

I went looking through the vB web site. Looks like they know about it, and have chosen not to fix it, though a developer
"can't remember my reason now"!!!

Looks to me like the issue is a bug in the mozilla rendering engine, Gecko. There is work around that the developer chose not to apply -- even if he can't remember his reason, I wouldn't question it. Some work arounds raise more issues than they repair.

Maybe I'm just less accepting than you. Just because someone whose interests are best served by saying it's someone else's fault says so doesn't make it so. And why would they apply a workaround to some things and not others?

Even if they are right, it would be sensible to either work around it or provide information as to what the bug is so that other people might be able to fix it, or encourage it to be fixed.

I am guessing Gecko is too busy making insurance commercials to be concerned about his browser... :)

William

As John said, some workarounds will fix the problem and not cause others, while other workarounds may cause additional problems not related to the original.

True... but for us, it's not a big enough issue to concern ourselves with at this time.