GNU bug report logs - #79788
top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi,

I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and
Gnome. I can go to the top bar with F10, but I can't navigate with the
arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the arrow
keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next
menu (=Edit) blinking, but then it is immediately jumping to the main
buffer, like I would press ESC.

I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also
present when running emacs -q. When using the non PGTK version everything
is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not work, but
maybe this is how it is supposed to be.

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>,
 Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79788: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2025 11:32:49 +0200

> From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100
> 
> I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and Gnome. I can go to the top bar
> with F10, but I can't navigate with the arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the
> arrow keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next menu (=Edit) blinking, but
> then it is immediately jumping to the main buffer, like I would press ESC.
> 
> I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also present when running emacs -q.
> When using the non PGTK version everything is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not
> work, but maybe this is how it is supposed to be. 

Thanks.

Po Lu, is this a known limitation of PGTK, or can we fix this somehow?

Message #11 received at 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
Subject: Re: bug#79788: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:10:40 +0800

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
>> Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100
>> 
>> I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and Gnome. I can go to the top bar
>> with F10, but I can't navigate with the arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the
>> arrow keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next menu (=Edit) blinking, but
>> then it is immediately jumping to the main buffer, like I would press ESC.
>> 
>> I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also present when running emacs -q.
>> When using the non PGTK version everything is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not
>> work, but maybe this is how it is supposed to be. 
>
> Thanks.
>
> Po Lu, is this a known limitation of PGTK, or can we fix this somehow?

I think it's a byproduct of the fact that Emacs deferrs menu bar updates
to when the menu bar is first opened, and I suppose browsing the same as
the OP illustrates occasions redundant updates of this description.  It
would be edifying for the OP to break on set_frame_menubar and report
whether it is invoked during menu bar navigation with the arrow keys.

Message #14 received at 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, marconeumaier <at> gmail.com
Subject: Re: bug#79788: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:38:12 +0200

> From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
> Cc: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>,  79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:10:40 +0800
> 
> Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
> 
> >> From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
> >> Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100
> >> 
> >> I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and Gnome. I can go to the top bar
> >> with F10, but I can't navigate with the arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the
> >> arrow keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next menu (=Edit) blinking, but
> >> then it is immediately jumping to the main buffer, like I would press ESC.
> >> 
> >> I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also present when running emacs -q.
> >> When using the non PGTK version everything is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not
> >> work, but maybe this is how it is supposed to be. 
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Po Lu, is this a known limitation of PGTK, or can we fix this somehow?
> 
> I think it's a byproduct of the fact that Emacs deferrs menu bar updates
> to when the menu bar is first opened, and I suppose browsing the same as
> the OP illustrates occasions redundant updates of this description.  It
> would be edifying for the OP to break on set_frame_menubar and report
> whether it is invoked during menu bar navigation with the arrow keys.

You are saying that menu-bar navigation with keyboard is implemented
in Emacs, at least in the PGTK build?  IOW, it is not the feature of
the toolkit menu-bar support?

Here, on w32, set_frame_menubar is not called when navigating the
menu-bar menus with keyboard keys, and neither does this code:

	    /* Redisplay the menu bar in case we changed it.  */
  #ifdef HAVE_EXT_MENU_BAR
	    if (FRAME_WINDOW_P (f))
	      {
  #if defined (HAVE_NS)
		/* All frames on Mac OS share the same menubar.  So only
		   the selected frame should be allowed to set it.  */
		if (f == SELECTED_FRAME ())
  #endif
		  set_frame_menubar (f, false);
	      }
	    else
	      /* On a terminal screen, the menu bar is an ordinary screen
		 line, and this makes it get updated.  */
	      w->update_mode_line = true;  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
  #else /* ! (HAVE_EXT_MENU_BAR) */

which is its TTY equivalent, get executed when navigating TTY menu-bar
menus with keyboard keys.  Which is consistent with what I knew: the
support for keyboard navigation of the menus is not in the "normal"
input queue of Emacs in TTY case and in the toolkit in the GUI toolkit
case.

Message #17 received at 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: luangruo <at> yahoo.com
Cc: marconeumaier <at> gmail.com, 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79788: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 13:05:32 +0200

Ping!  Po Lu, could you please answer my questions?

> Cc: 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, marconeumaier <at> gmail.com
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:38:12 +0200
> From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
> 
> > From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
> > Cc: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>,  79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> > Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:10:40 +0800
> > 
> > Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
> > 
> > >> From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
> > >> Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100
> > >> 
> > >> I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and Gnome. I can go to the top bar
> > >> with F10, but I can't navigate with the arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the
> > >> arrow keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next menu (=Edit) blinking, but
> > >> then it is immediately jumping to the main buffer, like I would press ESC.
> > >> 
> > >> I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also present when running emacs -q.
> > >> When using the non PGTK version everything is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not
> > >> work, but maybe this is how it is supposed to be. 
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> > >
> > > Po Lu, is this a known limitation of PGTK, or can we fix this somehow?
> > 
> > I think it's a byproduct of the fact that Emacs deferrs menu bar updates
> > to when the menu bar is first opened, and I suppose browsing the same as
> > the OP illustrates occasions redundant updates of this description.  It
> > would be edifying for the OP to break on set_frame_menubar and report
> > whether it is invoked during menu bar navigation with the arrow keys.
> 
> You are saying that menu-bar navigation with keyboard is implemented
> in Emacs, at least in the PGTK build?  IOW, it is not the feature of
> the toolkit menu-bar support?
> 
> Here, on w32, set_frame_menubar is not called when navigating the
> menu-bar menus with keyboard keys, and neither does this code:
> 
> 	    /* Redisplay the menu bar in case we changed it.  */
>   #ifdef HAVE_EXT_MENU_BAR
> 	    if (FRAME_WINDOW_P (f))
> 	      {
>   #if defined (HAVE_NS)
> 		/* All frames on Mac OS share the same menubar.  So only
> 		   the selected frame should be allowed to set it.  */
> 		if (f == SELECTED_FRAME ())
>   #endif
> 		  set_frame_menubar (f, false);
> 	      }
> 	    else
> 	      /* On a terminal screen, the menu bar is an ordinary screen
> 		 line, and this makes it get updated.  */
> 	      w->update_mode_line = true;  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>   #else /* ! (HAVE_EXT_MENU_BAR) */
> 
> which is its TTY equivalent, get executed when navigating TTY menu-bar
> menus with keyboard keys.  Which is consistent with what I knew: the
> support for keyboard navigation of the menus is not in the "normal"
> input queue of Emacs in TTY case and in the toolkit in the GUI toolkit
> case.
> 
> 
> 
> 

Message #20 received at 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: marconeumaier <at> gmail.com, 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#79788: top menu bar navigation broken in pgtk versions
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:56:24 +0800

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

> Ping!  Po Lu, could you please answer my questions?
>
>> Cc: 79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, marconeumaier <at> gmail.com
>> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 08:38:12 +0200
>> From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
>> 
>> > From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
>> > Cc: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>,  79788 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
>> > Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:10:40 +0800
>> > 
>> > Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:
>> > 
>> > >> From: Marco Neumaier <marconeumaier <at> gmail.com>
>> > >> Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2025 16:00:31 +0100
>> > >> 
>> > >> I'm using emacs 30.2 PGTK snap version on Ubuntu 24.04 with Wayland and Gnome. I can go to the top bar
>> > >> with F10, but I can't navigate with the arrow keys or with C-b/f left and right. Up down works fine with the
>> > >> arrow keys, but not with C-p/n. When using the arrow keys I shortly see the next menu (=Edit) blinking, but
>> > >> then it is immediately jumping to the main buffer, like I would press ESC.
>> > >> 
>> > >> I tried also the beta PGTK  version with the same behaviour. Issue also present when running emacs -q.
>> > >> When using the non PGTK version everything is fine, at least when using the arrow keys. C-p/n/f/b does not
>> > >> work, but maybe this is how it is supposed to be. 
>> > >
>> > > Thanks.
>> > >
>> > > Po Lu, is this a known limitation of PGTK, or can we fix this somehow?
>> > 
>> > I think it's a byproduct of the fact that Emacs deferrs menu bar updates
>> > to when the menu bar is first opened, and I suppose browsing the same as
>> > the OP illustrates occasions redundant updates of this description.  It
>> > would be edifying for the OP to break on set_frame_menubar and report
>> > whether it is invoked during menu bar navigation with the arrow keys.
>> 
>> You are saying that menu-bar navigation with keyboard is implemented
>> in Emacs, at least in the PGTK build?  IOW, it is not the feature of
>> the toolkit menu-bar support?

No, it's implemented by the toolkit, but it's possible that the OP's
attempts to navigate with the arrow keys are prompting set_frame_menubar
to be called redundantly from a toolkit callback, which would update the
menu bar and thus account for the menu bar's dismissal.

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