OK button on download window is disabled
When downloading a file, the file download window pops up. The option "Save this file" is automatically selected, which is good. But the OK button is disabled until I hover over it, or for several seconds or something? Sometimes it stays disabled, and sometimes it enabled itself quite quickly. It seems kind of random.
Bottomline is, I want that OK button to be ALWAYS enabled. I want to be able to hit the enter key as soon as the download window pops up. I don't want my browser to make me wait arbitrarily. That's annoying.
I would also like to know why the "Do this from now on" checkbox is disabled. Why can't I make downloads always start right away without that (to me, silly) download window popping up? That's what that checkbox is for, is it not?
I would suggest that disabling a UI control is always bad if it's not absolutely completely 100% crystal clear WHY it's disabled. Instead, display a message or whatever explaining why something can't be done.
Chosen solution
security.dialog_enable_delay affects download dialog boxes. you should check the preference in about:config and ensure the value is 1000 (or 0 for no delay) and not something much higher. if this setting is normal, the problem is something else, such as the communication setting up the download is taking long.
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The delay is intentional to prevent websites from tricking you to activate some button. This should only be a one second delay.
How do I disable it then?
thany said
How do I disable it then?
Follow the intentionally lowering the delay to 0 seconds on the SquareFree page that cor-el hyperlinked to see this page - http://kb.mozillazine.org/Disable_extension_install_delay_-_Firefox . It tells you the preference that can be edited via decreasing the Value, which is probably expressed in milliseconds.
That MozillaZine KB page took a real long time to load for me, so be patient while waiting for the page to load.
The page linked describes how to disable the OK-delay for *installing an extension*, not when downloading a file. The latter one is still bollocks. AT LEAST start downloading the file ahead of clicking the OK button, Firefox! Don't just make me wait until you decide I can click your button.
Anyway, the page also links to why the delay is there (as cor-el links as well). Again, for *installing extensions*. And that would be a race condition in security dialogs. That's a bug that needs solving then. It's never a good idea to put in delays because the developer couldn't be bothered to build proper code that guarantees proper order of events (which is what a race condition is, basically). On top of that, the article is reeeeeally old, so it's likely fixed by now anyway (and if not, lots of shame for Mozilla).
In short, still no fix. And I do see this as needing a fix. Because as far as I can tell, it's a useless feature.
Chosen Solution
security.dialog_enable_delay affects download dialog boxes. you should check the preference in about:config and ensure the value is 1000 (or 0 for no delay) and not something much higher. if this setting is normal, the problem is something else, such as the communication setting up the download is taking long.
Thanks.
I still don't understand why it's neccesary to have an arbitrary delay (by default that is) before a user can OK a download.
So what if you download something you didn't mean to? Just delete the bloody file and get on with life. There absolutely no reason, as far as I can see, for a browser to "protect" against accidental downloads.