Prevent files from losing focus in Nautilus?

Question

One of my pet peeves in Ubuntu:

I open up a folder with ~50 files in it. I start typing in the file name, and it matches something. I notice that the file I want is right beside it. I press the right arrow... nothing happens. I press it again, thinking it was a mis-press... still nothing happens. Nothing happens until I press Escape, and then select the file -- because the incremental search box has grabbed the focus.

Is there any way to fix this?

Answer 1

Hit tab to restore focus to the file list. Then you should be able to navigate with the arrow keys.