text editing in browser is lacking features

asked 2014-01-16 15:23:46 +0200

bennypr0fane

5920 ●54 ●75 ●74

updated 2016-08-17 16:38:19 +0200

jiit

2678 ●32 ●58 ●59

admin

Placing the cursor in a text field on a web page brings up the keyboard, but writing text here is very crippled, because it doesn't go into proper editing mode, just four plain rows of keys. This means:

predictions turned off (fixed in update 10)
no zoom-in cursor placement
no clipboard (copy/paste) (paste added in update 10, still no copy)

I'm guessing this was done because of wanting to keep the page visible while typing instead of covering the whole screen with a text editor, and maybe it's difficult to program the full-featured text editor into the browser? IMO that is too high a price to pay, reverting to vkb from the stone age just for keeping the page visible. Trying to write out a post like this on a web page just makes you want to put yr Jolla away, and so does using webmail.

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10

I'd love to see the directional arrows (like in FingerTerm) in the default VKB. It's practically impossible to edit text in a textarea (such as the one where I am writing right now) when you can't go back to anything that scrolled out of sight. Well, other than deleting everything with backspace.

typo ( 2014-01-16 15:39:36 +0200 )edit

1

typo, you can request arrow keys for the keyboard here: https://together.jolla.com/question/4069/del-and-cursor-arrows-on-keyboard-are-needed-essential/ However that is about what the keyboard should be like generally. This thread is about how text editing is done in the browser.

bennypr0fane ( 2014-01-16 16:07:02 +0200 )edit

in browser and email application as of 2.0.4.14 release.

DarkTuring ( 2016-10-27 06:17:28 +0200 )edit

@DarkTuring, totally not. Nothing has changed here.

bennypr0fane ( 2016-11-29 15:50:40 +0200 )edit

26

answered 2014-01-16 16:02:52 +0200

veskuh

9003 ●74 ●80 ●83

Predict mostly works in normal text fields (with some issues). However, many sites have text fields where it is disabled, typically search fields disable predict since they want to do predict themself. We also do support various kind of input hints if web developer has properly defined them. Example would be switching the VKB for email mode or to numeric keypad.

Copy & paste, zoom-in cursor, and better multiline editor are missing features, not any design decision. We do understand importance of having proper input functionality and want the browser have at least as good input support as native apps have. Our browser team is quite small, but we do our best to get these implemented in upcoming updates.

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3

@veskuh: If so, you could tag this question with "roadmap".

jgr ( 2014-01-16 16:18:34 +0200 )edit

@veskuh, by saying "want the browser have at least as good input support as native apps", are you implying that the browser is in some way not a native app?

bennypr0fane ( 2014-01-20 02:46:21 +0200 )edit

...I have this idea that it might be easier/less work to just make the default text editor pop up as soon as the cursor is placed in a text field i.e. web page is covered by it, until text editing is completed. If so, this could be a quick workaround until missing features are implemented "on-page"

bennypr0fane ( 2014-01-20 02:49:53 +0200 )edit

also I often don't care about suggestions from websites on my phone - more often than not they slow things down, cause all kinds of glitches and just get in the way. I'd be perfectly happy with all websites' suggestions being blocked, if only that'll make text editing more convenient sooner.

bennypr0fane ( 2014-01-20 02:53:09 +0200 )edit

1

@bennypr0fane Browser itself is native app and for browser's user interface we use the same QML controls as other native apps. The web content (including text fields) is drawn and controlled by the Gecko engine and thus its behaviour we need to adjust to match native platform.

veskuh ( 2014-01-20 10:51:04 +0200 )edit

2

answered 2016-12-05 18:49:33 +0200

Dave999
3881 ●32 ●55 ●61

updated 2016-12-05 19:06:40 +0200

when are planning to improve this. without a doubt the worst imolementation i ever tried in a browser.

is this in your roadmap at all?

its pretty hard to change to end of a row.
it extermly hard to set cursor where you want in a text. user is luck if hitting somwhere close. user must zoom in.
select a word?
select text/all?
rotate device and you are lost
how do you navigate first/last in a text box when you have more lines than text field...too hard.

these are the basics, when you have a working browser you are ready to make a great browser.

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0

answered 2014-04-12 12:28:24 +0200

misterc
1 ●3 ●8 ●11

screen not visible anymore... would be nice to have a hardware keyboard, huh?!?

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1

Not sure, why this is posted as an answer. Please check the below link for hardware keyboard if you have not seen earlier. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2028347278/tohkbd-the-other-half-keyboard-for-your-jolla

anandrkris ( 2014-12-15 06:10:01 +0200 )edit

text editing in browser is lacking features

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