Automatically Jump To First Text Field

Martin Brinkmann
Apr 13, 2009
Updated • Jun 5, 2017
Firefox, userscripts
|
5

We mentioned a setting for the Firefox web browser earlier today that allows you to use the tab key to jump to the first text field on a website so that you can start using it right away. Can be useful on search engine sites, or sites where you want to leave a comment on.

This is handy on websites with no auto focus on the first text field. There is no apparent way, either by installing a Firefox add-on or user script, to automate the process further. The next step would be that the first text field gets focused automatically so that you do not even have to tap on the Tab-key to do so.

A user script for that purpose is great because of the following reasons:

  • It is not limited to the Firefox web browser but can also be added to other web browser supporting scripts.
  • It can be enabled on specific domains (or all).

Before you can install the script, you need to download the Greasemonkey extension for Firefox or a comparable add-on such as Scriptish. If you are using a different browser, you may not need to install an add-on before you can make use of the scripts functionality.

Once that is out of the way, you can head over to the Focus First Textbox script on the Userscript website and click on the install button there to add it to your web browser.

The last step involves adding domain names or strings where this user script should be enabled or disabled on.

Please note that the latest version appears to run on all websites with the exception of Facebook and Google. If you are fine with that, you do not have to do anything and can start using it right away.

A right-click on the Greasemonkey icon in the status bar of Firefox and the selection of Manage User Scripts will open the configuration. Select the Focus First Textbox script from the left sidebar. A click on the Add button next to included pages will open a basic form that can be filled with a domain name.

focus first textbox

You can use the included and excluded pages listing to customize the extension. If you only want it to run on select web pages, edit the script and remove @include * from it and replace it with includes for domains you want to run it on.

Update: The script has not been updated since 2013. While it may still work on most sites and in most browsers, chance is that you may encounter issues while using it due to the lack of updates and progression on the Internet and in technology.

You can check out the list of recent scripts that focus the first form field on the Greasy Fork repository.

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Focus First Textbox
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Comments

  1. Paulus said on April 13, 2009 at 11:09 pm
    Reply

    Great follow up Martin i installed it directly and this realy going to save me time. Main only question is do i have to set back main original firefox settings?

    1. Martin said on April 13, 2009 at 11:11 pm
      Reply

      Paulus that’s up to you. Are you using tab a lot to navigate on a website?`If yes restore the old setting, if not no prob.

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