Firefox page scroll do not work (Fx 1.5.0.4)

[Argus]

Hi,
I don't know if this has been up before, didn't find anything via search.

If I click on a link I get to the new page and I can scroll down and up with "Page Down" and "Page Up", as well the arrow keys (if page is long enough),

But if I click the back arrow (Firefox toolbar) (or back key on keyboard, or back key on mouse) and then click forward again to return to the page again, then Page Down/Up or arrow keys do not work. I have to use the mouse and click inside the page to get the keys working. I have become used to this, but really do not like it.

I have had this problem a long time, and it is on all sites. I think it started with Firefox 1.5, i.e. upgrade from 1.0.6. With the 1.5 release we got this "faster browsing" with quicker page loading when navigating back and forward.

Has anyone experienced this?

[bigaldoc]

<hr>...and then click forward again to return to the page again... <hr>

I haven't ever thought about that and I don't think I've had occasion to do so. But I tried doing it with a few sites just now and I didn't have the problem you describe. Both the arrow keys and the page up and down work without clicking anywhere on the page. Do you have any extensions running that could be contributing to the problem?

[Argus]

Al,
It happens every now and then that I leave a page (back), just to find that I forgot to check something and then click forward and then the arrows or page down do not work.

<hr>Do you have any extensions running that could be contributing to the problem?<hr>

For once I can answer yes, I have an extension running <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15>, installed 5-7 days ago. The problem is far older. From my point of view it is not a site problem, I find this behaviour wherever I go.

[Leif]

FWIW, I get it too, but as it's something I rarely do, it's never been too much of a problem.

I find that hitting TAB on my work machine seemed to bring back the functionality, but on the laptop I use at home, it seemed to go into some edit mode where the cursor tracked down the text on the web page akin to a Word document. Mind you, it has a Czech keyboard layout so it may just not have been the TAB key...

[Argus]

Hi Leif,
Thanks.
"... but as it's something I rarely do, it's never been too much of a problem." I knew it, now I'm odd also. <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>

Yes I have also found that hitting the TAB key gets it working, i.e. focus is changed, but it does not work on all sites. For instance on some blogs the cursor jumps to the end of the post, the "input box" where you can leave comments.

"Mind you, it has a Czech keyboard layout so it may just not have been the TAB key..." <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15> Never knows.

[Argus]

Arrrgh!

I have tried to endure. At the time for my previous posts I also posted at the Mozilla forum. At that time I got some, although well meant, completely useless advice to check if I had unawarely turned on caret browsing (by pressing F7). That was, and is, not the case.

This appeared for the first time at the step to the Fx 1.5-generation, this "faster browsing"-thing may be part of it.

With the Fx 2.X I find it is even worse. Now, at present 2.0.0.3, I do not have to flip back and forth, i.e. return to a page, to find arrow keys or Page Up/Down not working.

Many, many times when I click a link (yes with the mouse), open a new tab I can not use the up & down arrow keys. Instead have to sit there with my hand on the mouse and navigate. Not that I don't like my MX400, but I don't want to wear it out completely.

The folks at Mozilla forum, at that time, nicely mentioned about what is in focus in the browser. I already knew about this and pressing TAB.

The "problem" is that if one press TAB some times the "focus" can jump all over the page, if the links are spread out. And when it is at its worst, it does not help to simply point and click on the page with the mouse, have to press TAB one or several times.

Maybe this is a result of a combination of Fx-design and the fact that, as it seems, every page on the net has a little search field.

Of course it is working OK now as I write, but most of the time is does not.

It would be better if the browser didn't try to be so incredibly intelligent and smart. <img src=/S/rantoff.gif border=0 alt=rantoff width=66 height=37>

[jscher2000]

Using the back button on the toolbar seems to remove focus from the page. I typically use Alt+Left Arrow and Alt+Right Arrow, and these do not seem to suffer from the same ailment, or at least not as often. Does that help??

[Argus]

Hi,
Thanks for reply. To give a honest answer; I do not know. I have used Alt+Left/Right arrow keys a lot before, since I started browsing the net (some 14 years ago) until around 5 years ago, when I got a Windows keyboard with dedicated Back/Forward buttons.

But I still used, and uses, Alt+Left/Right arrow key more than the buttons on the toolbar, I think. Then, a year ago aprox. I got a mouse with Back/Forward buttons, now THAT made me really lazy. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15>

So I typically use (in order):
1. mouse buttons (right hand)
2. keyboard buttons (left hand)
3. Alt+Left/Right or toolbar buttons.

I have to see if can change to completely use the old method (Alt+).
Still there is this new problem that was the cause of my latest post: I can sometimes/often go to a page and find that I can not scroll with the keyboard at all (no previous flipping back/forward).

The only thing that works those times are Home and End, no Page Up/Page Down, no arrow keys, no mouse clicking inside the page and then use keyboard.

To fix it, when it happens, I have to press TAB, sometimes repeatedly, to somehow move "the lost focus" inside the page. Thus my frustration. Those times it can be a new page on a new tab in the browser, so there is no back forward to try.

[jscher2000]

Unless a page is scripted to behave strangely, or loads a lot of big objects that stall the page rendering, you should always be able to click the page...

I'm not very handy with extensions that enable you to customize Firefox, but I imagine that there might be a way to intercept Page Up/Page Down and first ensure that the focus is where you want it to be.

[Argus]

What I did not mention when I revived this thread (with my Fx 2 experiences), was that shortly after the install of Fx 2 I had a crash during a "chase to get focus" and scroll working. Had to laugh since I had seen very few crashes over a period from 0.9X to 1.5.0.10, and Fx 2 introduced this "Session Restore", came very handy!

Since the install of Fx 2 (I did not change until 2.0.0.2), I have seen some 4-5 crashes. Typically when I am "stressing" it a bit; I find the page is not in focus (for some reason) by tapping down arrow key, then press TAB some times and browser becomes unresponsive, next a crash.

So, somehow the browser is a bit sensitive. I found it more stable in the 1.0.X-generation.

Anyhow, back to scroll testing; I can say that a quick test here at the Lounge results in that Alt+arrow key does not change anything.

For example, I did:
-Main index
-Click with mouse on General Windows Solutions
-Click with mouse on any subject
-Read the thread, up and down arrow keys working (so does Page Up/Down, Home & End)
-Move back with Alt+left arrow key
-When back at General Windows Solutions, arrow keys also work ("back pages" have never been a scroll problem)
-Move forward again to the thread with Alt+right arrow key
-Up and down arrow keys, Page Up/Down, Home & End are not working!

In this test, at The Lounge, a single-click with the mouse at the page in the last step will get the keys working again. A single press on TAB-key will also work. But that is for The Lounge pages.

Also as mentioned before; I can see this behaviour sometimes/often, on a new page, on a new tab.