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How To Stop Developer Tools From Resetting Shortcut Keys

  • 6 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 12 views
  • Last reply by John99

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I'm using the keyconfig extension to customize my shortcut keys for most functions in my Firefox. However I find that in FF's recent versions the Web Developer Tools keep (seemingly abusively) defaulting the shortcut keys every time I restart Firefox. What kind of Saddam Hussein functional logic is this? How do I stop it?

I am a web developer so disabling web development tools is not an option for me. I want to customize to my own shortcut keys.

As many use Ctrl-Q for closing tabs and I personally use Ctrl-Shift-Q for closing windows, I have to ask, what was this product planner smoking when he thought that Ctrl-Shift-Q is a logical shortcut for Web Developer Tools' Network tab???

I'm using the keyconfig extension to customize my shortcut keys for most functions in my Firefox. However I find that in FF's recent versions the Web Developer Tools keep (seemingly abusively) defaulting the shortcut keys every time I restart Firefox. What kind of Saddam Hussein functional logic is this? How do I stop it? I am a web developer so disabling web development tools is not an option for me. I want to customize to my own shortcut keys. As many use Ctrl-Q for closing tabs and I personally use Ctrl-Shift-Q for closing windows, I have to ask, what was this product planner smoking when he thought that Ctrl-Shift-Q is a logical shortcut for Web Developer Tools' Network tab???

All Replies (6)

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You do not actually make it clear which Extension you are using. I guess this is an issue you should take up with the Extension's support site.

I did find this extension

It looks rather as if the new Extension continues to use a very long thread started by a prior Extension version, apparently by a different developer.

Please also note it is unlikely any Firefox Developer will see a post here. The discussion of Development issues and decisions is outside the scope of this forum.

Generally add-ons and extensions are discussed at

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I am using this long running extension since time immemorial http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=72994

It was only recently when the FF Developer Tools started hijacking the shortcut keys on every restart. Once I set the shortcut keys through the extension, it remains fine. Until the next restart.

I do not believe it is a problem with the extension and more of the functional implementation of the new FF version's Dev Tools.

Modified by Canis_Enigmas

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Have you tried the newer version I mentioned ? Maybe that works better, and still has some sort of support from an Extension Developer. The link in the top post of that long Mozillazine thread does not even seem to be a valid download, so you may have updated anyway.

The salient point is Firefox is the Browser software and Browser extensions need to remain compatible with it, not the other way round. Rather like Firefox has to remain compatible with OS software not the OS being expected to be designed to always remain fully compatible with Firefox.

If you think this is a change in Firefox and could have been unintentional you could try to work out what version it changed in and try to ask whether it was intentional. I suspect it may be that it was decided it is a security risk for powerful developer tools to be invoked from unknown keybindings and leads to potential clickjacking, that however is only speculation, but Not really backed up by a quick bug search

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Updated 31-08-2016: I have to retract my statement. Today the problem returned and again Web Developer tools is behaving like ISIS and keeps hijacking all the shortcut keys again!

I've submitted this as a new bug at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1299431

Modified by Canis_Enigmas

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Did you say this started recently. Was that when the Developer tool was introduced, or was it in a later version of Firefox; when it the restart issue rose? If so please try to identify the Firefox version. Better still identify the actual point where it was introduced by using mozregression

Basically if you have some test case and some date range to check mozegression does the legwork of intelligently bisecting the range, installing the version & starting it for you to run the test and report pass/fail it then iterates through the cycle & generates a report showing where the change originated. That enables Developers to work out what precisely caused the regression

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I note the bug did get confirmed, but no one has actuallly said wheter that is a regression or even whether it is intended behaviour.