Forms input for file uploads botched in FF3
Chuck Anderson
developers changed a lot about the way the file input field works.
I'm talking about form fields where you click on the Browse button to
select a file for uploading.
There have been several changes that break browser based applications
that depend on it working a certain way (e.g., ... no longer get full
path to the file to upload - this breaks applications written to run on
a local network that need this info. ..... can no longer style the
display window .... can no longer enter file names directly by typing or
pasting, ..... clicking on the entry window pops up the file browser
.... ). All of those are very annoying to anyone who creates or uses
browser based applications that use the file upload field to accomplish
various tasks.
The FF3 developers seem to be stonewalling on this one. Many people
have asked for a config option to turn off this "so-called necessary
security feature," but no one seems willing to make any changes.
The issue that really annoys me now is that I can not delete the value
in a file upload field once I've selected one. Imagine using multiple
upload fields, selecting files for several of them and the deciding you
do not want to upload one of the selections. The way it is configured
now, you can not delete that value. Your only option is to reload the
page (and a shift- reload, btw), to remove all selections and then start
over.
(To see what I mean - using one file upload field - go here:
http://cgi-lib.berkeley.edu/ex/fup.html Browse to select a file to
upload and then try to clear the value. You can't! Try to select the
text - it can be done - then try to right-click, perhaps to copy the
text. Again, you can't! Try to change the text .... you can't!)
Navigating the developers forums and bugzilla is a daunting and
difficult task - and appears to do little good once you do.
I'm curious if anyone here has noticed the changes in the way the file
upload field works and has anything to say about it. I am growing more
and more irritated as I waste more and more of my time creating yet
another kludgey workaround to this new annoyance.
I really may step back to FF2. The FF developers seem to have lost
their way on this one. In their attempt to increase security, they have
introduced a buggy annoyance
--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man.
***********************************
Yeebok Shu'in
> Deciding the file upload - File Browser - was a security issue, the FF
> developers changed a lot about the way the file input field works.
>
> I'm talking about form fields where you click on the Browse button to
> select a file for uploading.
>
> There have been several changes that break browser based applications
> that depend on it working a certain way (e.g., ... no longer get full
> path to the file to upload - this breaks applications written to run on
> a local network that need this info. ..... can no longer style the
> display window .... can no longer enter file names directly by typing or
> pasting, ..... clicking on the entry window pops up the file browser
> .... ). All of those are very annoying to anyone who creates or uses
> browser based applications that use the file upload field to accomplish
> various tasks.
>
I agree, the text control should not do this. Perhaps there's an add on
you can write ? ;)
randomacce...@gmail.com
Yes this extemely annoying for many.
Not being able to delete the entry is one issue (which seems to have
been noticed and fixed by a firefoxer : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7296),
but another, imho much more annoying issue is not being able to
manually enter the filenames. I couldn't say better than this poor
frustrated user: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=644517
(actually, the replies some lusers give is even more frustrating. It
continually surprises me how some people have such narrow-minded view
of things.)
Some even think this is a bug! https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox-3.0/+bug/216146
> I am growing more
> and more irritated as I waste more and more of my time creating yet
> another kludgey workaround to this new annoyance.
>
> I really may step back to FF2. The FF developers seem to have lost
> their way on this one. In their attempt to increase security, they have
> introduced a buggy annoyance
>
You were too kind to FF people here. It is not just a buggy annoyance.
It is a ridicilous mis-fix for some silly vulnerability (http://
www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2007/mfsa2007-32.html) that anyone
with some sense of things would hardly ever run into. This reminds of M
$-Vista's security "feature" (I am talking UAC prompt in case you
missed the fun; well at least you could disable that). I hate to see
such a sophisticated project as FF being guided by actions of some
hypothetical nitwit who could not tell a malicious website with a
sleazy file upload form.
- sly
sfwas...@gmail.com
> with some sense of things would hardly ever run into. This reminds of M
> $-Vista's security "feature" (I am talking UAC prompt in case you
> missed the fun; well at least you could disable that). I hate to see
> such a sophisticated project as FF being guided by actions of some
> hypothetical nitwit who could not tell a malicious website with a
> sleazy file upload form.
>
> - sly
I haven't had that issue, but I did notice that recently to Browse
buttons to launch access to local files so you can pull the from your
system no longer works at all...any idea if that is related?