Problem with hyper-sensitivity of the box where you enter taxon name when adding an identification

Bug Reports
1

Platform (Android, iOS, Website): Website

App version number, if a mobile app issue (shown under Settings or About): N/A

Browser, if a website issue (Firefox, Chrome, etc) : Chrome

URLs (aka web addresses) of any relevant observations or pages: (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify)

Screenshots of what you are seeing (instructions for taking a screenshot on computers and mobile devices: https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/):

sample_for_iNat_2
sample_for_iNat_21830×1065 288 KB

Description of problem (please provide a set of steps we can use to replicate the issue, and make as many as you need.):

Step 1: Start at the identify page. click on thumbnail to pop up an observation

Step 2: click “add ID” button

Step 3: enter taxon where it says “Search Species” (arrow 1 in screen grab)

Step 4: go to another tab on your browser (for example, to copy text or a link to use in the explanatory box (ie. where it says “tell us why”)

Step 5: navigate back to the iNat tab and attempt to enter text where it says “tell us why” (arrow 2 in the screen grab). It is very difficult to enter anything in that box without inadvertently re-activating the “Search Species” dropdown. Often, when doing this quickly, you click the mouse button in an attempt to select the “tell us why” box to enter the explanation, you end up selecting a new (incorrect) taxon instead. If you’re not paying attention, you end up entering a taxon that differs from what you had originally selected. If you are paying attention, you have to then re-select your taxon, which is a waste of time.

There needs to be better separation between the taxon selection and the entering of explanatory text. This constant inadvertent modification of the taxon selection slows down the identification process (I spend several hours per day doing this). I don’t see why the taxon selection dropdown has to be so sensitive that it is activated whenever my mouse goes anywhere near the box. Could it not be set up so that it is only activated when I actively click on that box???

While we are at this, the box where you enter explanation defaults to a very small size - barely enough to enter 2 lines of text. I frequently paste in explanations that are 5 or 6 lines long, which I then want to modify. I have to expand the box to see what I’ve entered properly. Since I’m using a web browser, I don’t understand why this box has to default to such a small size. Could the default not be a few lines longer? What would be the harm? As with the other problem described above, these minor annoyances/delays add up when you are IDing dozens (or possibly hundreds) of observations each day.

2 Likes
2
  1. You need to click edit, and then comment at your existing ID.
  2. Or deliberately click Comment.
  3. If I expect to ID and comment, I click to open both first - so I trigger the display you have at the bottom of your screenshot, and use that (double) space.

For your screenshot, iNat is expecting a comment attached to a ‘new ID which you have not added yet’

1 Like
3

ignore the fact that I have already an ID on this ID (that’s a red herring). I just used this as an example because I already had the observation open. The problem is general, with ANY identification. The dropdown menu to select the taxon pops up whenever the mouse gets anywhere near the box identified by arrow 1. It works fine if you simply select a species, and then enter the comment. The problem occurs if you enter the species, then go to another tab to grab some text or a link you want to paste into the comment field. When you return to this tab, it’s like that “search species” box has become hyper sensitive, and if your mouse strays anywhere near that box, the dropdown pops up (sometime the popup menu with the list of species appears as soon as you return to the tab - you don’t even have to touch the mouse). I don’t understand why the pop-up menu should be activated by the mouse hovering near the box. I don’t see how this is in any way advantageous. IMHO, that menu should only re-activate if the user clicks on it explicitly.

4

I’ve replaced the screenshot with a more general example, where I have yet to enter an ID. Hopefully this will be less confusing.

1 Like
5

For your second scenario -

First click to open ID and comment - then continue as you wish, with ID and comment.

1 Like
6

I don’t think this is what’s happening. At least, I’ve never noticed this happen. I think given your steps the taxon selection dropdown would be reselected whether your mouse was near it or not. I believe you need to move your cursor out of the taxon selection field after you select your taxon and before you navigate to another tab. Otherwise your selection isn’t “saved” and the dropdown reappears when you navigate back to the tab.

3 Likes
7

Not quite. Moving the cursor away from the taxon selection field doesn’t prevent the popup menu from re-appearing. You have to “click” on something outside the taxon selection field before clicking on another tab.

I guess this might be viewed as a minor inconvenience to some, but when you’re submitting dozens of observations per day, it can be hard to keep these things in mind.

NB: this is a problem precisely because I make an effort to provide explanations with links when I correct an ID. If I was simply correcting IDs without explanation, this wouldn’t trouble me at all. Perhaps that is the best solution to the problem.

I find I select the ID, and then it comes to mind that I’ll need a particular link or explanation text, so I go to another tab to fetch it. When I come back, I end up with a different taxon being selected when I start typing. I’ve noted that for some frequently reported species, I end up (re) selecting the same incorrect taxon over and over again. I’ve seen other people also selecting the same “incorrect” taxon (a taxon from the opposite side of the world that the AI doesn’t normally suggest). This leads me to suspect that the same thing must be happening to other people (when one points out the error, they typically say “I have no idea how that taxon got selected”).

I will try to remember to click on a different spot before clicking on a different tab, but as workarounds go, it seems woefully inadequate. Hopefully, there’s a better fix for this. As it stands, it strikes me that this discourages identifiers from providing explanations when making/correcting IDs. In fact, at times when I feel I’m behind, I do sometimes skip entering explanations because a voice in the back of my mind says “life’s too short - I shouldn’t have to deal with this nonsense”.

8

I just use the keyboard so I don’t have to click anything. That also makes it go faster. “i” for add ID, type in ID, tab, enter, tab, add explanation if necessary.

1 Like
9

And I guess that works if you don’t have to go to another tab to copy information that you want to include in the explanation. I have a file of “canned” explanations that I reuse over and over again. I keep it open in a different browser tab. So I end up having to reach over to the mouse anyway to switch tabs and to highlight the text in the file that I want to copy.

So I guess your suggested “fix” is that I remember to hit “tab” after I select the ID, before switching browser tabs.

What I’m suggesting is that once I select the ID, that selection box should become inactive until I click on it again. In other words, rather than requiring me to perform another action (click elsewhere or hit tab) to end the species selection dialogue, why not end it when I’ve clicked on the species? Why require the extra step?

10

Related, for what it’s worth, I’ve noticed that when I select a species in the “Species” search box, often in the “Explore” tab, the species will successfully be searched/filtered, but then the dropdown will randomly “drop down” again even though I’ve already selected the species I wanted. The cursor is not in or near the “Species” search box when this happens.

11

Oh yeah, I’ve noticed that as well. Very annoying, but I don’t use the Explore tab very often so I was sort of picking my battles. Judging by the responses to my original complaint, I’m guessing that the responses to that one will also be some variation on “you’re doing it wrong. do it this way instead”.

Although most of the responses so far suggest I live with this (ie. take additional actions to prevent it from happening), there’s still the matter of the very small comment boxes that come up by default, requiring them to be resized often, when there’s almost always plenty of real estate available on the screen.

12

Entering a taxon always triggers a dropdown list. Even if it is just a list of one taxon, you still have to pick your choice from the list and then move out of the Search Species box before the dropdown will close.

So, with mouse: enter name, click on choice in dropdown, click in “Tell us why” box, then navigate to your separate tab to grab boilerplate text. When you come back to the observation tab, you should be ready to paste without further navigation, then save.

Or, with keyboard shortcuts: enter name, arrow down to choice, press Enter to select, then Tab to “Tell us why” box. Grab and paste text, then Tab to Save button and press Enter.

1 Like
13

so far, all the responses amount to “this is how it is, live with it”

Nobody has ventured to respond to my question: "if I’ve selected a taxon from the dropdown list, why doesn’t that close it? Why to I have to click somewhere else, or hit tab to “close” the dropdown menu? "

14

Mainly I was just making sure that you and I are seeing the same existing functionality. Sounds like we are.

If I understand your workflow correctly, you would eventually be clicking somewhere else anyway, either before or after going to your separate browser tab. So using my suggestions wouldn’t be adding any steps, just putting them in a different order than what you are accustomed to.

I don’t know the answer to your question of why. If you are wanting the dropdown box to behave differently, I think that would be a feature request, though I don’t know if the devs have that fine of control over its behavior. But I don’t think the existing behavior is a bug, per se.

3 Likes
16

I didn’t read everything above, but I could reproduce the issue just by following the instructions in the initial post.

I would propose a fix as follow: when the iNat browser tab looses the focus (or when it gets back the focus), if the current focus is there then the focus has to be removed from there:

image
image1011×433 43.4 KB

Removing the focus from there should prevent the list of suggested taxa to drop down again (with the risk to click on it at the same time (this bug)).

1 Like
17

True (sort of), but it means remembering to do something when your mind is actually on piecing together an argument with evidence from (potentially) different sources.

That could be a valid argument. But I maintain that if I’ve selected a taxon, I don’t see why it should remain labile, and subject to inadvertent change.

NB: the person posting after you seems to suggest a technical reason for the behavior and a way to correct it (I’m just taking what they have said at face value).

2 Likes
18

I’m not really convinced it’s an intentional behavior.

If I go to Explore, type in a taxon, click to select from the drop-down, alt-tab to another window, and alt-tab back, I find the drop-down expanded again.

If I go to Explore, type in a location, click to select from the drop-down, alt-tab to another window, and alt-tab back, I do not find the drop-down expanded again.

Why would they intend for the taxon drop-down to behave differently from the Location drop-down?

3 Likes
19

Could you work with a text expander? Then you don’t need to open another tab.

20

@rcavasin if you need to leave the iNat web browser tab, do it at the right time to avoid the issue (leave it when the taxon “control” has not the focus anymore):

  • “i” for add ID, type in ID, tab, enter, tab,
  • go wherever you need to pick up some text,
  • come back,
  • add explanation

Or, if you don’t use the keyboard like this, just click on “Tell us why” before leaving the iNat web browser tab.

3 Likes
21

Thanks but as I’ve said several times, I realize that this avoids the problem, but to my mind, what you are suggesting is a workaround for a bug. And as pointed out by @jwidness above, this does seem to be a bug.

1 Like