Case ce-0202-thai-ime-tab-cancels-safari · Scenario scenario-ime-composition-tab-key

Thai IME composition cancelled by Tab key in Safari

OS: macOS 14.0 Device: Desktop or Laptop Any Browser: Safari 17.0 Keyboard: Thai (IME) Status: draft
composition ime tab navigation thai safari macos

Phenomenon

When composing Thai text with IME in a contenteditable element, pressing Tab cancels the composition and causes focus to navigate to the next element. The composed text including tone marks and vowel marks may be lost or partially committed before navigation occurs.

Reproduction example

  1. Focus the editable area (e.g., in a form or table).
  2. Activate Thai IME.
  3. Type Thai text with tone marks and vowel marks (e.g., “สวัสดี”).
  4. Press Tab to navigate to the next element.

Observed behavior

  • The compositionend event fires with incomplete data
  • Focus moves to the next element
  • Composed text including combining marks may be lost
  • The Tab key behavior conflicts with composition handling

Expected behavior

  • Composition should complete before Tab navigation occurs
  • All combining characters should be preserved
  • Tab navigation should work consistently with or without active composition

Browser Comparison

  • Safari: Tab may cancel composition and navigate focus, especially on macOS
  • Chrome: May have different Tab key behavior during composition
  • Firefox: May have different Tab key behavior during composition

Notes and possible direction for workarounds

  • Prevent Tab during active composition
  • Wait for composition to complete before allowing Tab navigation
  • Handle Tab key events carefully during composition, especially with combining characters
Before
Hello สวัส
Thai composition in progress (สวัส), includes tone marks and vowel marks
After Tab (Bug)
Hello
Tab key cancels composition, focus moves, composition text lost
vs
✅ Expected
Hello สวัสดี
Expected: Tab navigation after composition completes or composition text preserved

Browser compatibility matrix

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Current case
Confirmed
Draft
No case documented

All variants (detailed table)

Complete list of all cases for this scenario with full environment details.

Case OS Device Browser Keyboard Status
ce-0189-chinese-ime-tab-cancels-firefox Windows 11 Desktop or Laptop Any Firefox 120.0 Chinese (IME - Pinyin) draft
ce-0202-thai-ime-tab-cancels-safari macOS 14.0 Desktop or Laptop Any Safari 17.0 Thai (IME) draft

Playground for this case

Use the reported environment as a reference and record what happens in your environment while interacting with the editable area.

Reported environment
OS: macOS 14.0
Device: Desktop or Laptop Any
Browser: Safari 17.0
Keyboard: Thai (IME)
Your environment
Sample HTML:
Event log
Use this log together with the case description when filing or updating an issue.
0 events
Interact with the editable area to see events here.

Comments & Discussion

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