obsproject / obsproject/obs-studio

Accessibility: shift+tab records shift in hotkeys dialog

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Dominant language
C
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Description

Operating System Info

Windows 11

Other OS

No response

OBS Studio Version

31.1.2

OBS Studio Version (Other)

31.1.2

OBS Studio Log URL

https://obsproject.com/logs/EsBZuE3N0TAhaGnL

OBS Studio Crash Log URL

No response

Expected Behavior

When navigating through the hotkeys dialog using just the keyboard, pressing Shift+Tab should move focus backward through the interface elements (hotkey input fields, buttons, and other controls) without triggering any input recording functionality. This is standard keyboard navigation behavior across all applications and is essential for users that rely on a screen reader, are low vision, or that otherwise have a physical impairment necessitating the use of alternative input devices which simulate keyboard presses.

Current Behavior

When focus is on a hotkey input field and the user presses Shift+Tab, intending to navigate backward to the previous control, the input field incorrectly interprets this as a hotkey assignment attempt and records "Shift" as the hotkey value. This is a pretty standard navigation pattern for anyone who isn't using a mouse.

It is worth noting that there is a logical workaround, which is to just tab through the page until you reach the field you were looking for. However, this can get pretty cumbersome especially when multiple plugins are installed.

Steps to Reproduce
  1. Launch OBS Studio and ensure the main window has focus
  2. Open the Settings dialog by pressing Alt+F, then S (File > Settings)
  3. Navigate to the Hotkeys tab by pressing H or using down arrow
  4. Use Tab key multiple times to navigate forward through the dialog until focus reaches any hotkey input field (such as "Start Recording", "Stop Recording", "Start Streaming", etc.)
  5. Once focused on a hotkey input field, press Shift+Tab to attempt to move backward
  6. Observe that instead of moving focus to the previous control, "Shift" appears in the hotkey field
  7. Note that Tab (forward navigation) works correctly, but Shift+Tab (backward navigation) is broken
Anything else we should know?

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the issue in OBS Studio 31.1.2 by opening Settings, selecting Hotkeys, and pressing Shift+Tab in a hotkey input field. Trace the hotkey dialog's keyboard handling and verify that Shift+Tab moves focus backward without recording a hotkey, while normal hotkey assignment still works.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
accessibility, desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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