[Other] Can't type into "open file" dialog box

[Krampusz]

I am experiencing a weird issue. When I try to open a file in either chrome or opera browsers, the keyboard input is extremely limited. In the actual file name field I cannot type anything. In the folder field, the first character I hit is recognized and then nothing. It doesn't even react to even 'Esc'...
At first I thought it was a chrome issue, but I could not find any info on it. The I realized that the same thing happens in opera. However, it does not happen in firefox, or any other program I tried.
Any ideas on what is happening?
Thanks!

[jlittle]

... In the actual file name field ...

What's that? Do you mean the address bar?

[Krampusz]

No. When I try to upload a file, there is a dialog box that opens. In that dialog box, I cannot type into the "Name" field. I can choose files and folders with the mouse, but there is no reaction for keyboard input.

[jlittle]

Upload to where? Different sites have different dialogues. Perhaps a screenshot ... unless your problem is with this site, kubuntuforums.net, then you wouldn't be able to upload a screenshot?

Here on KFN, in firefox set to override the font, if I click the "image" button the dialogue opens off the top of the screen, and I can't move it down to enter the URL
I suspect this is caused by my userchrome.css to get the tabs back below the menu and bookmarks bar. Is that the dialogue you mean? (I got around it by drag and drop.)

[Krampusz]

I have only seen the same dialog box regardless of the website. The problem presents itself with this website as well, but as I said I can navigate with the mouse, so a screenshot is attached. However, I cannot type into any text fields, or move around, or even escape from the keyboard.

[Snowhog]

To me, it sounds like a permissions problem.

Open Konsole and check to see who owns the .Xauthority file.

[Krampusz]

Interesting idea, but I own that file with permissions -rw-------. Should it have different permissions?

[Snowhog]

That you are the owner is enough.

Something else to try. Create a new login user. Log in as that user and see if the same behavior is experienced. If it is, then there is certainly something wrong with Chrome/Opera. If not, then there is something amiss with 'something' in your normal login user account.

[Krampusz]

OK, tried your suggestion. The plot thickens....

1) the new user did not experience the problem,
at the same time
2) after the restart it works on my account as well.

However, I hadn't include it this earlier that this has happened before:
Problem arises, I restart the system it goes away, then it starts again.
Just before I posted this I tried a restart and that did not fix it, so even that is not a sure thing.
I realize that I should have included this information as this might help narrow the problem.
So, at the moment it is OK, but based on past experience it will appear again. It would be nice to fix it without having to reboot.

I guess one thing I could do is try to see if I can reproduce the problem on the new user account, but I haven't figured out what it is that I do that causes it, so it might not be easy.

In any case, thanks for the help and please let me know if you have any other ideas to try.

[Snowhog]

Intermittent problems are the hardest to solve; nature of the beast. The possible variables involved are not inconsequential, and that adds to the problem of identifying and resolving the underlying cause.

[Krampusz]

Very true. I guess I'll just watch what happens and when it occurs again, I will try to reconstruct the steps that led to it. Thanks for the help!!

[Krampusz]

OK, in case anyone is still willing to engage in this... I may have identified the trigger, but I am not sure how to counteract it.
In Dolphin I use the "Alt+Up" shortcut to go to a higher directory. I found myself doing that automatically in this "open file" dialog box and then it went into the stage I had described above: It reacts to mouse input, and sometimes to one keystroke, but no more. I am assuming that the "Alt+Up" probably triggers some other action that leads to this, so perhaps the question is if anyone knows what that might be, how to turn it off, or counteract it. I would very much appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

[jlittle]

The open file file dialogue in firefox and chromium work as expected if I press Alt-Up.

In the past, KDE's shortcut handling has got screwed up easily. I've posted a few times about it. See, for example, issues related to hotkeys

I suggest going to system settings, shortcuts, shortcuts, and type "up" in the search bar. I see "Up: Alt-Up" (and mappings for PgUp, Up, and ctrl+PgUp.)

[Krampusz]

OK, interesting. I checked system settings, "Alt-Up" was set in Navigation to go "Up". I removed it, then tried to induce the problem in chrome again. It didn't happen, but I lost the shortcut key in e.g. Dolphin. So, I added it back and now it does not do it. So, either this back and forth solved the issue, or it was not the "Alt-Up" that caused it. Thanks for your continued help, I'll see if it happens again and if it does whether I can isolate the trigger. Thank you!