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new tab positions curser in address bar

  • 8 replies
  • 10 have this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by rmeigs

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I am not sure what happened during some update along the way, but I would to be able to open a new tab and automatically have the cursor position itself in the first text box available, in my instance, the Google text box. I use Google as my homepage typically because when I go on line it is to conduct research, now when opening a new tab I find myself typing into the address bar which is very annoying. Using tab does not help since I am forced to repeatedly tab through multiple bookmarks and I wind up having to stop and manually position cursor in search box. What happened, is there an option I am missing to fix this irritation? Thanks.

I am not sure what happened during some update along the way, but I would to be able to open a new tab and automatically have the cursor position itself in the first text box available, in my instance, the Google text box. I use Google as my homepage typically because when I go on line it is to conduct research, now when opening a new tab I find myself typing into the address bar which is very annoying. Using tab does not help since I am forced to repeatedly tab through multiple bookmarks and I wind up having to stop and manually position cursor in search box. What happened, is there an option I am missing to fix this irritation? Thanks.

All Replies (8)

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When you open a new tab its always a blank page by default. To change that, if you want to open homepage in new tab or other page use 1 these add-on:

NewTabURL add-on

New Tab King add-on


thank you

Please mark "Solved" the answer that really solve the problem, to help others with a similar problem.

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Thank you ideato, I truly appreciate your quick reply. However, I do have my tabs set to open to my home page but when opening a new tab it used to automatically position the cursor in the text field in the page, now it automatically goes to the address bar and appends my home page address with whatever text I am entering. I tried the Tab key but to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks, Dolon

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That issue can be caused by an extension that isn't working properly.

Start Firefox in Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode to check if one of the extensions or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance/Themes).

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Thank you cor-el, I've tried your suggestions but have met with no success. The only difference I noted was that the address bar address is now highlighted but with no cursor positioned there as before and still no cursor in the text field for Google. Everything had been reset to default settings with all plug-ins and extensions disabled and still I have this issue. I believe at this point I will backup all bookmarks/links and reinstall Firefox add each extension/plug-in one at a time to see if this solves the problem. I will keep you posted. Once again thank you for your suggestions, they are appreciated. Dolon

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Previous versions of Firefox automatically placed the cursor in the Google home page text box. This latest version does not. The solutions above do not help. This should be a simple fix (it worked before the "upgrade" but not after). WHY??

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I have been looking into my issue (or at least one of my many) and it appears to be a problem with a JavaScript. I have found a solution but have not the slightest idea how to enter the "code" into the system. This code applies mostly to on-line forms and how to have the cursor immediately focus on the first text field, but it seems to be only one solution to this problem. Below is one link to the potential solution. Ultimately, I suppose I could just slow down and check but when on a roll it is hard to stop, look at the screen and click the text field I want to use: a drudgery.  :o)

rmeigs, I am curious to know if you use Windows 7, I have Vista Ultimate at home and this annoyance does not occur? Thanks to all for the suggestions, I am still looking. Dolon

http://www.html-faq.com/htmlforms/?entryfocus

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Oh yes, a reinstallation did not solve the problem.

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Thanks, Dolon. I have no idea how to implement the java solution, nor should it be necessary as it worked before and no other changes have been made. This implies a lack of testing on the part of Mozilla. FYI, I do use Windows 7 (Ultimate).