ianyh/Amethyst

Cannot cycle through windows when focused on a browser password input field

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#1354 opened on Jan 5, 2023

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 (2 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)Swift (16,121 stars) (516 forks)batch import
bughelp wanted

Description

Describe the bug When focused on a website's password input field in a web browser, the default shortcut for cycling through windows stops working.

Applications A web browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc.) plus at least one other window.

To Reproduce Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  • Open a web browser
  • Open another application (it can be anything)
  • Find a password field, like https://news.ycombinator.com/login for example
  • Click on the password field to focus it
  • Try to cycle focus between the open windows. You'll notice that it doesn't change focus of the active window

Expected behavior It should cycle through the windows.

Versions:

  • macOS: 13.0.1
  • Amethyst: 0.15.4 (91)

Debug Info

Version: 0.15.4 (91)

OS version: Version 13.0.1 (Build 22A400)

Has permissions: false

Screens:
	(0.0, 0.0, 1440.0, 900.0) [(0.0, 0.0, 1440.0, 900.0)]

Manageable applications:
	talagent (com.apple.talagent)
	iTerm2 (com.googlecode.iterm2)
	Finder (com.apple.finder)
	Single Sign-On (com.apple.AppSSOAgent)
	coreautha (com.apple.LocalAuthentication.UIAgent)
	Firefox (org.mozilla.firefox)
	Google Chrome (com.google.Chrome)

Configuration:
window-minimum-width: 0
window-margin-size: 15
mod2: (
    option,
    shift,
    control
)
debug-layout-info: 0
floating-is-blacklist: 1
window-minimum-height: 0
mod1: (
    option,
    shift
)
focus-follows-mouse: 0
screen-padding-right: 0
window-resize-step: 5
ignore-menu-bar: 0
enables-layout-hud: 1
screen-padding-left: 0
window-margins: 0
screen-padding-bottom: 0
restore-layouts-on-launch: 1
new-windows-to-main: 0
mouse-follows-focus: 0
screen-padding-top: 0
enables-layout-hud-on-space-change: 1
floating: (
)
use-canary-build: 0
float-small-windows: 1
follow-space-thrown-windows: 1
layouts: (
    fullscreen,
    column
)

Additional context I am not sure if this is on purpose, but I find it gets in the way because switching to another application, like a password manager, while focused on a password field is a common thing to do.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
swift
Domain
desktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
macOS developmentSwiftaccessibility concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
The issue is that Amethyst fails to cycle windows when a browser password field is focused. This is likely due to macOS's secure text input handling that prevents accessibility events from being sent. Investigate the event handling in Sources/, particularly how keyboard shortcuts are captured. Look for any existing handling of secure text fields or accessibility permissions. The debug info shows 'Has permissions: false', which may be unrelated but worth verifying.