Accessibility: keyboard navigation to the list of messages

Thunderbird
#1

With Thunderbird in vertical view, and the message pane visible:

  • after I click (or select something) in the body of an e-mail, it’s unreasonably difficult to reach the list of messages with the keyboard alone.

I can either:

  1. Tab
  2. Tab
  3. Tab
  4. Tab
  5. Tab
  6. Tab
  7. Tab

– or:

  1. F8
  2. Shift-Tab

– which is quicker, but the second key combination is physically uncomfortable:

  • little finger on left Shift, arch my hand then middle finger (above little finger) on Tab.†

In addition, there’s often a bug, with the message pane visible:

  • Tab never enters the list of messages

– pressing and holding the key cycles through various elements of the UI without focusing on any listing :frowning: – I should find, or report, this bug.

Bugs and multi-step operations aside

Is there any way for the list of messages to gain focus with a single step?

(Using the keyboard, not a pointer.)

Is there a internal hook of some sort, that might allow a future extension to serve this purpose?

Screenshots (two-step)

2022-01-15 13-31-52
2022-01-15 13-31-521720×1051 375 KB

2022-01-15 13-33-18
2022-01-15 13-33-181720×1051 336 KB

† I know, I should learn to use the little middle finger of my right hand for right Shift, but old habits die hard. I simply don’t enjoy back-tabbing.