In most text fields in the Home Assistant UI (specifically in Chrome on MacOS), I cannot use the backspace key to delete a character, and it’s VERY annoying.
It works in Safari, and it even works in Chromium on my Pi. And it’s a trend I’ve noticed happening more and more on certain websites.
EDIT:
So as I posted this, I had a random brainwave. I did one last google and all I could find for were results about Chrome removing the “backspace to go back a page” functionality.
Which sparked a memory that I’d at some point installed an extension to do this for me, and it turns out that I still had this extension running, and it was stopping backspace from working at all
So this is a PSA for anyone using “Backstop” extension in Chrome, you can disable it now, Chrome removed the feature anyway.
The backspace key functionality within text input fields in Home Assistant is consistently non-operational in Chromium-based browsers. This issue, despite its longstanding presence, has not been addressed or even acknowledged by the Home Assistant development team. While Firefox provides full functionality, recent changes to that browser’s policies have made it less desirable for some users.
The absence of standard backspace behavior necessitates a significant and disruptive change in typing habits, potentially leading to substantial data loss when editing complex configurations, such as automations. This is a particularly frustrating experience, especially considering the otherwise robust functionality of Home Assistant.
Given that this issue appears to be specific to Home Assistant within Chromium environments, it raises questions about the root cause. While it may be attributable to specific coding within Home Assistant, the lack of a resolution over an extended period is concerning for a platform that relies on community contributions.
I understand that Home Assistant is an open-source project, and I appreciate the dedication of its developers. However, the persistence of this fundamental usability problem warrants greater attention and a timely solution.
Edit: This does seem to be an extension issue, I had one that I used in Youtube that would close a video tab when you used the back button on your mouse but i guess it also interfered with the backspace button and was causing the above issue … so others having issues like this should disable all their extensions and then enable them one at a time and check each time until you have the issue. The extension i had was called “Last Tab Back”
