Greetings,

In Firefox I have used an extension that allows me to use the keyboard shortcut of "Ctrl-;" to automatically place the text cursor into the first text field box in any web page containing form fields or text areas.

Assigning a hotkey is straightforward in the accel.cfg file, but I don't know how to cause that shortcut to perform the task. Perhaps through a K-M macro? Is this possible in K-M?

Thank you.

Do you know how to define and use a macro? The following code should work.

open("javascript: (function() { var es = document.getElementsByTagName('input'); var len = es.length; for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) { var e = es; if (e.type == 'text') { e.focus(); break } } })()");

If you're curious, here's the relevant JavaScript code:

var es = document.getElementsByTagName('input')
var len = es.length
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
	var e = es
	if (e.type == 'text') {
		e.focus()
		break
	}
}

Quote

Do you know how to define and use a macro? The following code should work.

No, not yet, but I'm getting there!

Okay, in accel.cfg I added:

CTRL ; = macros(First_Text_Field)

This was the key sequence used with the Firefox extension. I thought I'd keep the same hotkey.

In macros.cfg I added the following:

First_Text_Field {
open("javascript: (function() { var es = document.getElementsByTagName('input'); var len = es.length; for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) { var e = es; if (e.type == 'text') { e.focus(); break } } })()");
}

I restarted K-M. Pressing Ctrl-; did nothing. I then enabled JavaScript and reloaded the page. The macro then worked. Thank you, but Bummer.

I do NOT want JavaScript enabled full time. I suspect the Firefox extension worked without JavaScript externally enabled because the extension code was intercepted at the lower code level. Probably another XUL thingie where JavaScript can be executed internally but not externally.

For this handy K-M macro to function, I need to enable JavaScript externally and I don't like that. For safety reasons against malicious people and script kiddies, I have always surfed with JavaScript disabled.

Is there a way to assign a hotkey without externally enabling JavaScript?

Okay, try this.

$JSdoit = "var es = getElementsByTagName('input'); var len = es.length; for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) { var e = es; if (e.type == 'text') { e.focus(); break } }";
&hndlDoc;

Being unfamiliar with JavaScript I lack a fluent understanding about what the code snippet does, but that last snippet works great! Thank you, rmn!

Devs:

Any chance this snippet can be included in the next K-M release as a regular macro? Please consider this a formal request. Thank you.

Oops, the previous code has a bug (it modifies several global variables). Please use this one instead.

$JSdoit = "(function () { var es = getElementsByTagName('input'); var len = es.length; for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) { var e = es; if (e.type == 'text') { e.focus(); break } } })()"
&hndlDoc;

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2006 09:42AM by rmn.

I am not versed in JavaScript therefore I do not know the functional difference between the latter two snippets of code. However,the last snippet does not work even with external JavaScript enabled. I restored the second to last snippet and the hotkey then properly selects the first text field box without externally enabling JavaScript.

Strange, it works for me. The second to last code has the potential to break websites' JS code in somewhat unpredictable ways so I suggest you try the last one again.

Quote

The second to last code has the potential to break websites' JS code in somewhat unpredictable ways so I suggest you try the last one again.

I don't know what to add. Apparently I have K-M configured in a manner that renders the snippet impotent. The code does not work for me. I don't where our two systems differ.

Oh well, just use the one that works. You'll only hit the bug if you turn on JS, go to a page that defines variables with the same name, and then run this macro.

Quote

Oh well, just use the one that works.

No biggie.

Any chance you could modify this code such that when the cursor pops into the first form field that the entire field is automatically selected? This is useful for search forms when the field already contains text but the user wants to enter new criteria into the field.

If not, then thanks for all your help regardless!

$JSdoit = "(function () { var es = getElementsByTagName('input'); var len = es.length; for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) { var e = es; if (e.type == 'text') { e.focus(); e.select(); break } } })()";
&hndlDoc;

That did the trick. Thank you!