Bug 519579 - Application Launcher acts on out-of-date results when Enter is pressed
Summary: Application Launcher acts on out-of-date results when Enter is pressed
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Application Launcher (Kickoff) widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.4.5
Platform: Kubuntu Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords: usability
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2026-04-29 17:10 UTC by Jonathan Gilbert
Modified: 2026-05-13 13:32 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In: 6.7.0
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Video demonstration (449.44 KB, video/mp4)
2026-04-29 17:10 UTC, Jonathan Gilbert
Details
Video demonstration (neon unstable 2026-05-03 / 1152) (549.20 KB, video/mp4)
2026-05-04 20:33 UTC, Jonathan Gilbert
Details

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Description Jonathan Gilbert 2026-04-29 17:10:31 UTC
Created attachment 191910 [details]
Video demonstration

SUMMARY
After opening the Application Launcher (or, if I have the terminology wrong, the pop up "start menu" type component that appears when clicking on the logo icon in the task bar or pressing the super key on the keyboard), typing text initiates a search for items related to that text. Pressing enter activates the selected item, which will be the first search result. Except, pressing enter activates the item that is currently visible, even if debouncing of the search input has resulted in it becoming out-of-date. If I open the Application Launcher, type "inkscape" and press enter right away, it actually launches "Input Method", despite the fact that I have in fact typed the full exact name of an installed program. Triggering this bug requires fast typing skills.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Ensure that the system is running KDE Plasma and that Inkscape is an installed program.
2. Press the Super key and quickly type "inkscape" followed by Enter.

OBSERVED RESULT
As "inkscape" is being typed, an initial search is done with the first character received, just the string "i". On my system, this results in search results which place "Input Method" at the top of the list. "Debouncing" to avoid triggering a search on every single keystroke results in the search results not having been updated when the Enter keystroke is received. As a result, "Input Method" is launched even though the input box contains the full string "inkscape".

EXPECTED RESULT
Inkscape should be launched.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.17.0
Qt Version: 6.9.2
(Kubuntu 25.10)
Comment 1 Bug Janitor Service 2026-04-29 17:33:46 UTC
Thank you for the bug report!

However Plasma 6.4.5 no longer receives updates or maintenance from KDE; active versions are 6.6 or newer. Please upgrade to an active version as soon as your distribution makes it available to you. Plasma is a fast-moving project, and bugs in one version are often fixed in the next one.

If you need help with Plasma 6.4.5, please contact your distribution, who bears the responsibility of providing help for older releases that are no longer receiving updates from KDE.

If you can reproduce the issue after upgrading to an active version, feel free to re-open this bug report.
Comment 2 Jonathan Gilbert 2026-05-04 20:26:02 UTC
I have confirmed that the same bug is present in the bleeding edge neon unstable from 2026-05-03.

KDE Plasma Version: 6.6.80
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.27.0
Qt Version: 6.10.2
Kernel Version: 6.17.0.23-generic

"neon-unstable-20260503-1152.iso"
Comment 3 Jonathan Gilbert 2026-05-04 20:33:29 UTC
Created attachment 192039 [details]
Video demonstration (neon unstable 2026-05-03 / 1152)
Comment 4 Bug Janitor Service 2026-05-06 18:21:45 UTC
A possibly relevant merge request was started @ https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-desktop/-/merge_requests/3703
Comment 5 Jonathan Gilbert 2026-05-06 18:33:08 UTC
Awesome! :-) Thanks!
Comment 6 cwo 2026-05-13 13:32:14 UTC
Git commit f04eb85deb73768759651e6d3fab7e61313a9b94 by Christoph Wolk.
Committed on 13/05/2026 at 12:58.
Pushed by cwo into branch 'master'.

applets/kickoff: better handling of fast return presses

A common complaint about our launcher widgets is that they do not
support the usage pattern of fast typing and immediate return to
yolo-launch an app, without confirming whether the query's top result is
actually what the user intended. If a user attempts this, what they
generally get is either nothing (if there are no results yet) or the
top match of whatever query reported last (typically a partial version
of the current query), which is often not what the user intended to
launch.

Instead, we queue enter presses, and launch only as soon as any of
the following conditions hold (including immediately, if applicable):

- no query is running/the running query finishes
- the current best match contains the queries string in its text
- the user presses return/enter again
- 750 ms have passed and there are query results (if there are not,
  check again in another 750ms)

We also need to tweak a few other places to work: The ListView only
handles key presses when it has contents, so we need to also allow
Return/Enter without them (so that presses while still searching are not
lost), and we need to update a property while its StackView status is
still activating, rather than only when it's activated, or very fast
return presses will still go to the regular view, rather than the search
view.
FIXED-IN: 6.7.0

M  +5    -3    applets/kickoff/FullRepresentation.qml
M  +34   -3    applets/kickoff/KickoffListView.qml

https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-desktop/-/commit/f04eb85deb73768759651e6d3fab7e61313a9b94