[Proposal][Desktop] Let "ESC" key de-select currently selected item

[Seirdy]

Use case

Users expect de-selection to work like it does in other programs.

Selected items (including selected text, widgets, and tab-focused items) all require the mouse to de-select, which is inconvenient. Other desktop programs typically allow de-selecting items with the ESC key.

Proposal

Selected items should be de-selected when a user presses the ESC key. This includes:

• Selected text
• Selected (long-pressed) widgets: see screenshot below
• Tab-focused buttons

I had previously filed a ticket for Fluffychat and was directed to file it here.

I observed the lack of support for ESC deselection on the Linux desktop on Wayland, but I think it should be universal.

[HansMuller]

Interesting proposal. CC @gspencergoog

[justinmc]

@Seirdy Could you provide a code sample to reproduce this?

If the selection has caused the focus to change and we can receive the escape key, then I think this could be a straightforward fix by firing something like a DismissIntent.

[Seirdy]

On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 10:42:57AM -0800, Justin McCandless wrote: ***@***.*** Could you provide a code sample to reproduce this? I was simply referred to this bugtracker from the Fluffychat bugtracker; I'm not a Flutter dev. Maybe KrilleFear could share; I'll ping him in the Fluffychat Matrix room.

If the selection has caused the focus to change and we can receive the escape key, then I think this could be a straightforward fix by firing something like a DismissIntent.

I think that any sort of selection or focus, from tab-selection, text-selection, long-tap selection (IDK what the technical term is but that's what's in the screenshot), to being in a text box, should be cancelled with ESC. If I'm in a text box but I press ESC then tab, I shouldn't type a tab; I should change focus. If I'm using keyboard nav with tab-selection and arrow-key navigation, pressing ESC should cancel it. Otherwise, I have to use the mouse to quit keyboard navigation, which kind of defeats the point of keyboard navigation. Essentially this could be considered a meta-issue for grouping together all forms of deselection that ESC should handle.