Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 59 posts

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#21

Post by makecheck »

postfuturist wrote: post #17

I don't see keyboard navigation as being standard, and what seems to be standard isn't very good. Perhaps browsers should have an option to limit JavaScript's ability to override keystrokes used in navigation. I use Pentadactyl, a vi-like keyboard navigation plugin for Firefox, which doesn't seem to be plagued by this problem. I learned about it here on HN.

I would settle for a way to see mappings. Browsers already have to know what the mappings are in order to support them, they just don't share that information with users.

In a menu, all I have to do is read to find out what the keys are for each command. Much like each browser has a Back button, it'd be nice if all browsers could agree to provide a "legend" displaying the keystrokes that a web site has defined.

Of course, once the browser can display the mappings it can offer a more sophisticated way to disable them. For example, checkboxes for each key so you can keep the ones you like but get rid of the stupid ones.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#23

Post by pokoleo »

yesimahuman wrote: post #5

IMO backspace as a shortcut key deserves to be overridden. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally left a page while typing backspace after losing focus in a form I thought I was editing. If I were Google, I'd rather reduce the potential for negative experiences from shortcuts for my customers, most of whom I'm guessing rarely use them. Also, how are the cursor keys being overridden in a non-standard way? E…

IMO, backspace key is there, just like any other button. If you don't want to press it, don't.

If it bugs you enough, I'll write a chrome extension to turn it off.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#25

Post by hcack »

dekz wrote: post #22

Even iTunes is guilty of this (on OSX of all places!). Try to edit a songs info and use the normal CMD+Arrow to navigate to Home/End, it will move to the next song. Completely inconsistent and from within Apple on an Apple OS!

As a metadata fascist, this drives me nuts. However, in earlier versions of iTunes (pre-Lion ?), the shortcut was disabled and did neither. I assume they use non-standard text-input.

So it's not exactly the same issue as the Chrome thing: the user assumes this is a text field that implements the standard shortcut, while in reality the text field doesn't answer and the call is redirected to the main iTunes interface.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#26

Post by adamrmcd »

suivix wrote: post #6
adamrmcd wrote: post #4

Sounds like this is a good opportunity for a Chrome Extension :) (BTW, backspace does nothing for me on Chromium 14 and Linux)

A Chrome extension to make yourself accidentally back out of webpages from time to time? Funny.

No, an extension to maintain native keyboard binds. Though I like ur idea better...

setInterval(history.back, Math.random()*6000000);

Random time less than 10 minutes sounds good? :)

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#27

Post by anonymoushn »

wes-exp wrote: post #19

YES! I hate the arrow key "feature" on Google's search results. I expect arrow keys to scroll the page, because that's how it works on every other website!

What is the arrow key feature? Over here the up and down keys just scroll the page.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#29

Post by utkarshsinha »

anonymoushn wrote: post #27
wes-exp wrote: post #19

YES! I hate the arrow key "feature" on Google's search results. I expect arrow keys to scroll the page, because that's how it works on every other website!

What is the arrow key feature? Over here the up and down keys just scroll the page.

its basically using the up/down keys to navigate through the search results.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop overriding standard browser navigation keys with Javascript.

#30

Post by slavak »

The re-binding of the arrow keys in particular has been driving me insane. The different behavior for backspace I can live with, but I keep finding myself trying to scroll search results with the up/down keys and reverting to using the mouse when I'm surprised to find it does something else.

Glad to see I'm not the only one this has been bugging.

Post reply on HN