Wireshark · Ethereal-dev: [Ethereal-dev] Bugs in 0.10.4

["Stuart MacDonald" <stuartm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I reported the following bugs recently for
Ethereal: 0.10.3
Interface: GTK2
OS: Windows XP

They are still present in
Ethereal: 0.10.4
Interface: GTK2
OS: Windows XP


Bug #1: Disappearing Capture Stats Dialog
Severity: High
Effect: Ethereal cannot be quit except via the Task Manager -> End
        Process method
Steps to Reproduce:
- <ctrl-k> to get the Capture Options dialog
- click the minimise button *on the main window*, not the dialog box
- notice the Ethereal main window minimises but the Capture Options
  dialog does not
- click Ok
- notice capture starts, but there is no Capture Stats dialog, which
  also means there's no Stop Capture button
Notes:
Nothing I can do will bring up the Capture Stats dialog, and thus
Ethereal is in an infinite loop. <alt-tab> still only shows one
Ethereal icon, the main window. Selecting it gives it the focus, but
it stays minimised. Right-clicking on it in the task bar and selecting
either Restore or Maximise will cause the main window to display, but
all the buttons/menus are inactive, and there is still no Capture
Stats dialog.
Only using the time-honoured <ctrl-alt-del> -> End Process method can
I get Ethereal to quit.
Seems to be GTK2 related, does not happen with GTK1.


Bug #2: Packet List Context Menu Sometimes "Autoclicks" First Item
Severity: Low
Effect: Infrequently you'll get a Follow TCP Stream that you didn't
        want, and will have to quit out if it and manually clear the
        display filter list. An annoyance, but has a workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
First method:
- start Ethereal 0.10.4
- load the attached capture di.eth, or capture a new one, or
  whatever. This step has no effect on the problem.
- right click a packet in the packet list that isn't the currently
  selected packet list.
- notice that the Follow TCP Stream option has been invoked
  automatically
Second method:
- right click any packet in the packet list, and hold the mouse button
  for a period of several seconds
- context menu appears while button is held (not standard Windows
  behaviour)
- optionally scroll around the context menu
- release the mouse button
- notice this activates the selected menu item
Notes:
Seems to be GTK2 related, does not happen with GTK1.
Specifically it seems to be a problem with GTK2 using MAC mode for the
GUI instead of Windows mode.


Bug #3: Improper Window Layering
Severity: Low
Effect: You don't get the main Ethereal window when you thought you
        would, and have to <alt-tab> to it. An annoyance, but has a
        workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- start a capture
- <alt-tab> to a different application
- <alt-tab> back to Ethereal's Capture Stats dialog
- stop capture
- notice that the other app pops to the front instead of the main
  Ethereal window
Notes:
Seems to be GTK2 related, does not happen with GTK1.


Bug #4: Prompt to Save Capture Not Configurable
Severity: Low
Effect: Extra clicking. Has workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- capture a capture
- start a new capture
- notice the Save Capture dialog pops up
Notes:
This should be configurable in the preferences as "Don't prompt to
save unsaved captures", so that the old behaviour of no warning is
available. I'm working on a network product, and use Ethereal to check
the network traffic. A debugging session might be: run a test, check
trace, didn't get result. Twiddle code, run test, check trace, didn't
get result. Twiddle code, run test, didn't get result. I don't care
about the useless traces, and always having to say No, Don't Save is a
PITA.


Bug #5: Toolbar Buttons Sometimes Unresponsive
Severity: Low
Effect: User confusion until they figure out the workaround. Has
        workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- right click a packet in the packet list so the context menu appears
- change your mind and left click a toolbar button
- notice context menu disappears
- left click button again, *without moving the mouse off the button*
- notice it has no effect
- left click again
- notice it has no effect
- move mouse to somewhere else
- move mouse to toolbar button
- left click
- button now works as normal
Notes:
GUIs have seemed to have one of two ways of dealing with this.
1: The first left click merely dismisses the context menu, and is not
   passed on to the toolbar button underneath. You are required to
   click a second time to activate the button.
2: The first left click dismisses the menu *and* activates the button.
Ethereal takes a third method:
3: Left click dismisses context menu. All subsequent clicks fail to
activate button, *until* mouse is moved off-button and back on-button.
This odd behaviour does *not* affect the menu bar, but does affect the
column headers in the packet list, and the display filter buttons at
the bottom.
Seems to be GTK2 related, does not happen with GTK1.




I have reported the following bugs in 0.10.3, but have not checked
them in 0.10.4 yet:


Bug #6: Canceling a Parse Crashes Ethereal
Severity: High
Effect: Lost user data. No workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- when a large capture is parsing the progress dialog appears
- click cancel
- notice that Ethereal exits entirely
Notes:
This is reproducible, but I don't have a solid test case yet.
Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.




I am reporting the following bugs for the first time in 0.10.4:


Bug #7: Graphical Corruption
Severity: Low
Effect: Occassionally the pane has graphical artifacts left lying
        around. An annoyance, but has a workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- grab a pane divider bar and wiggle it around some
- notice that the packet list and/or the pane divider itself leaves
  uncleared remenants. See attached screen shot.
Notes:
I haven't seen this before, and regularly resize the panes, so it is
likely new to 0.10.4.


Bug #8: Pane Layout Preference Not Saved
Severity: Medium
Effect: You always have to apply your pane layout preference when you
        start Ethereal. A large annoyance, but has a workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Edit -> Preferences -> User Interface -> Layout -> select any
  non-default layout
- click Ok
- notice that the new layout is selected
- exit Ethereal
- start Ethereal
- notice that the default layout is presented and selected in the
  Preferences
Notes:


Bug #9: Drop Down List Displayed Incorrectly
Severity: Low
Effect: List looks funny. Has a workaround.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Edit -> Preferences -> User Interface -> Columns -> Properties ->
  Format drop down list
- notice that when it displays there's a large empty area at the top
- using the scroll arrow at the bottom shows that the display size is
  calculated as if all the entries were shown, even though they
  weren't
Notes: 




I reported the following bugs, but they are now fixed in 0.10.4:


Bug:
When starting a capture, the dialog box comes up, but the focus is
*not* on the OK button, meaning I can no longer use <ctrl-k><enter> to
start a capture. I am forced to use lots of tabs or the mouse.


..Stu

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