Navigating a dropdown menu via keyboard with OS X?

June 6, 2006 7:01 PM

Every time I need to enter an address in a webpage while using my Mac, I can tab from field to field, but the state field (which is often a drop down menu) gets skipped over, and I have to leave the keyboard to select my state with the mouse from the drop down menu. I hate that. Is threre an extension, either for Firefox (my browser of choice) or OS X in general, that will allow me to tab to a drop down menu, and select from its choices via the keyboard, as I can in Windows?
posted by ericbop to computers & internet (10 comments total)

Solution here:

http://sidesh0w.com/weblog/2004/09/01/tabindex_osx_firefox/

Not tested by yours-truely but seems that it would solve your issue.

And another solution here:

http://www.tonyspencer.com/mt/archives/2006/05/tab_skips_selec.htm

Hope this helps.
posted by jimmy0x52 at 7:09 PM on June 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

If you follow jimmy0x52's second solution, you souldn't need to do the first, and it will let you tab to all standard GUI controls in all Mac OS applications.
posted by zsazsa at 7:18 PM on June 6, 2006

Yep, just enable all keyboard controls in the OSX prefs.
posted by mathowie at 7:23 PM on June 6, 2006

Option-tab will also allow you to move between any controls. You can use it right before the state field to select it without enabling all keyboard controls which you probably don't need enabled most of the time.
posted by Amaterasu at 8:15 PM on June 6, 2006

Nice post. Always wondered the same.
posted by rleamon at 8:46 PM on June 6, 2006

I know this isn't my question, but holy crap, I've been looking for that option for ages. Thanks!
posted by Sibrax at 8:53 PM on June 6, 2006

When I updated to the most recent release -- I was at 1.0.something and went to 1.5.something -- this was fixed. I don't know if it was the update or something else concurrent that I overlooked, but I was SO HAPPY.
posted by librarina at 9:26 PM on June 6, 2006

in most cases (90%) when you tab to the STATE panel - even though the menu does not pop up - if you type the first two letters, it should work ... of course, I live in California so typing C-A works pretty well since there are no other CA states ... try it next time. Then you can tab to next panel. No idea is this works with WIN
posted by jbelkin at 9:33 PM on June 6, 2006

God I hate that. How freaking difficult is it to type TWO letters? Why do the Web designers insist that this be a pull down menu with 50 (or more) freaking possibilities for a two letter input? ArgHH!

Sorry, but man that burns my thermal paste.
posted by Gungho at 4:25 AM on June 7, 2006

Gungho - they usually do it to ensure that people at least get the state exactly right - you'd be amazed at the dumb mistakes/typos/etc. that come through on forms with just freeform text fields.
posted by chr1sb0y at 5:06 AM on June 7, 2006