Open Radar

 
Summary:
Sometimes, when clicking on a window to activate it, Mac OS X will make it frontmost, but won’t change app, and won’t make the window key. For example, when in Safari, and clicking on Calendar to make it active, its window will become frontmost, but my previous Safari window will still be key, and Safari will be the current application, and pressing command-Q at that point will quit Safari, not Calendar. You can guess how frustrating that is when it happens roughly 10-20 times a day (so maybe less than one in a hundred clicks, but in a workday I’ll click a lot).

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Work in app A with window A1
2. Have an app B with window B1 in the background
3. Using a Magic Touchpad 2, or the Force Touchpad on a MacBook 12” or recent MacBook Pro Retina, click on window B1

Expected Results:
4. Window B1 becomes key and frontmost, and application B becomes current
5. Press a key or shortcut. Application B receives the key or shortcut.

Actual Results:
4. Window B1 becomes frontmost but not key, and application A remains current
5. Press a key or shortcut. Application A receives the key or shortcut.

Regression:
This does not happen with a non-force capable touchpad on the same machine.

Notes:
For several months, I’ve been thinking that I’m imagining this bug, since I can’t actually tell when it’s happened except later when the wrong application performs the command I ordered, and by then I can’t tell whether I actually clicked, or if I maybe tapped too softly or whatever. My headphone cable keeps dangling over my touchpad interfering with cursor position too, so it’s been difficult to tell.

However, today, I had two windows stacked in such a way that it was SUPER obvious that the bottom-most window became frontmost since it was such a big visual change, but it was not key, so it was super obvious what had happened.

Not sure if this is related to the pressure applied, or if it’s just taps and not clicks, or what it is.