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This has always irked me about Windows's implementation of the auto-complete box. If I start typing, in the address bar for one example, and my mouse happens t

This has always irked me about Windows's implementation of the auto-complete box. If I start typing, in the address bar for one example, and my mouse happens to be resting over where the auto-complete will soon appear (as is likely because I just had to move the cursor to the address bar to select it) when I hit "enter" it will go to whatever my mouse cursor was over rather than what I typed. The auto-complete box should detect mouse MOVEMENT not mouse position. The fact that my mouse was there before the auto-complete box even rendered should be a massive red flag that I am NOT selecting something in the list.

Bjartr 14y ago
I didn't know there was a windows native auto-complete implementation? I thought it was up to individual devs to implement that functionality?
- UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
  Windows does: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb776884(v=vs.85).aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb77...
jimbobimbo 14y ago
I think, it depends on Windows version and auto-complete behavior setting. FWIW, Windows 7 doesn't do this with default setting. I do, however, recall observing this kind of behavior on XP.
- alipang 14y ago
  It definitely still happens in Visual Studio on Windows 7, not sure about other places. Resharper might change this behaviour, not sure as I don't currently use it. Nothing beats accidentally creating a new class instead of adding an existing one as a reference just because your cursor was in the wrong place, then spending time on wondering why nothing happens.
  - themstheones 14y ago
    Another great use case for the singleton pattern.
clauretano 14y ago
This happens with Win7's start search. Considering that many power users use start search without the mouse (i.e. hit windows key, start typing the name of something, hit enter) it's a really bad implementation. The Mac equivalent (cmd+space to trigger spotlight, start typing, hit return) behaves as it should. If you move your mouse it'll highlight what is under it, otherwise the highlight stays on the top result as you type.
SonicSoul 14y ago
just tested it on Win7 and it appears they fixed this. pressing windows key and typing reveals a list with the first item selected every time.. unless the mouse moves
bbx 14y ago
The exact same happens with GMail. I use the keyboard shortcut "L" to label my mails. But because my mouse is usually somewhere around the location of the labels submenu before it even renders, I'll often apply the wrong label: the one at the mouse's position rather than the first one in the list. On a side note, starting to type actually hides the mouse cursor, so it took me some time to figure out why the 4th label was applied and not the 1st one.

Bjartr 14y ago

I didn't know there was a windows native auto-complete implementation? I thought it was up to individual devs to implement that functionality?

UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
Windows does: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb776884(v=vs.85).aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb77...

jimbobimbo 14y ago

I think, it depends on Windows version and auto-complete behavior setting. FWIW, Windows 7 doesn't do this with default setting. I do, however, recall observing this kind of behavior on XP.

alipang 14y ago
It definitely still happens in Visual Studio on Windows 7, not sure about other places. Resharper might change this behaviour, not sure as I don't currently use it. Nothing beats accidentally creating a new class instead of adding an existing one as a reference just because your cursor was in the wrong place, then spending time on wondering why nothing happens.
- themstheones 14y ago
  Another great use case for the singleton pattern.

clauretano 14y ago

This happens with Win7's start search. Considering that many power users use start search without the mouse (i.e. hit windows key, start typing the name of something, hit enter) it's a really bad implementation. The Mac equivalent (cmd+space to trigger spotlight, start typing, hit return) behaves as it should. If you move your mouse it'll highlight what is under it, otherwise the highlight stays on the top result as you type.

SonicSoul 14y ago

just tested it on Win7 and it appears they fixed this. pressing windows key and typing reveals a list with the first item selected every time.. unless the mouse moves

bbx 14y ago

The exact same happens with GMail. I use the keyboard shortcut "L" to label my mails. But because my mouse is usually somewhere around the location of the labels submenu before it even renders, I'll often apply the wrong label: the one at the mouse's position rather than the first one in the list. On a side note, starting to type actually hides the mouse cursor, so it took me some time to figure out why the 4th label was applied and not the 1st one.