Quicklook should steal focus when previewing files

[ghost]

Describe the bug
When I press spacebar to preview a file, and the file is not what I want, I want to press esc to close the preview, so that I can select another file.

Instead of stealing focus, quicklook opens a preview, but focus stays on the windows where preview was called from.

Which means that when previewing from "Open files", it instead will dismiss the "Open files" windows and accidentally close the whole damn thing instead.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Preview with quicklook from an open files window.
2. Press esc

Expected behavior
Quicklook window should close.

Observed behavior
The "Open files" window closes.

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS Version: Windows 10 1903
• QuickLook Version: v3.6.5 from MSI Installer

[xupefei]

QL is designed to not steal focus.
As for your issue, you can press the Spacebar for a second time to close the window. No need to press Esc :)

[ghost]

QL is designed to not steal focus.
As for your issue, you can press the Spacebar for a second time to close the window. No need to press Esc :)

If I'm on windows explorer, and I preview a file with quicklook, I press Esc to dismiss the quicklook window. This works.

If I'm on a "Open FIle" dialog, and I press esc, I frequently press esc to dismiss the window from muscle memory, but instead of dismiss the quicklook window, it dismiss the whole open file dialog, which is not what I want.

I feel like esc should always dismiss the quicklook window, or it should never dismiss the quicklook window.

[rabelux]

I feel like esc should always dismiss the quicklook window, or it should never dismiss the quicklook window.

The only solution would be to never dismiss the window and that wouldn't change the behaviour you are experiencing, as quicklook is intended to not steal fokus and open/save-dialogs do close when pressing Esc. So what you are asking for is to change the software and kill a feature, that others might find helpfull. For the sake of your muscle-memory and educational purpose.

How about you train yourself into using Spacebar for closing instead of Esc? Try to see it as a bonus, that sometimes you can use Esc instead of Spacebar, but the usual (and on my opinion faster workflow because your finger doesn't have to move) is to open and close preview with Spacebar.

[ghost]

I feel like esc should always dismiss the quicklook window, or it should never dismiss the quicklook window.

The only solution would be to never dismiss the window and that wouldn't change the behaviour you are experiencing, as quicklook is intended to not steal fokus and open/save-dialogs do close when pressing Esc. So what you are asking for is to change the software and kill a feature, that others might find helpfull. For the sake of your muscle-memory and educational purpose.

How about you train yourself into using Spacebar for closing instead of Esc? Try to see it as a bonus, that sometimes you can use Esc instead of Spacebar, but the usual (and on my opinion faster workflow because your finger doesn't have to move) is to open and close preview with Spacebar.

@rabelux
I am training to use spacebar, and its actually better, but I only learned about it because I came to complain here.

[bmix]

I have the exact opposite problem. ;-) QL-Win does steal the focus for me, which I do not want, since this way I can not navigate to the next file in the filemanager beneath it via cursor up/down.

3.6.5-37-g2d8a38f MSI
Windows 10.0.18362

[rabelux]

@bmix I assume you are using standard explorer and do not interact with the file? Which means your procedure looks like "press space -> press arrow up/down" and no different file is selected?

[bmix]

@rabelux Oh, I forgot to mention, that I am not using standard Explorer, but DirectoryOpus Pro 12. But besides that, yes, this is how I use QuickLook: I select a file, and, without any other action in between, I hit arrow up/down and no different file is selected. I guess it will be DirectoryOpus causing the unexpected behavior.

[brazenCoding]

@bmix I assume you are using standard explorer and do not interact with the file? Which means your procedure looks like "press space -> press arrow up/down" and no different file is selected?

I am experiencing this issue with Quicklook, pressing arrows of any direction after opening preview with spacebar unfocuses the windows explorer window. It seems to work properly intermittently but more often than not it unfocuses.

[brazenCoding]

@bmix I assume you are using standard explorer and do not interact with the file? Which means your procedure looks like "press space -> press arrow up/down" and no different file is selected?

I am experiencing this issue with Quicklook, pressing arrows of any direction after opening preview with spacebar unfocuses the windows explorer window. It seems to work properly intermittently but more often than not it unfocuses.

@xupefei Still having this issue, now on Windows 11 with File explorer. (Before was with directory opus 12 on windows 10)