Re: Alt keys verses accesskey

DN: When I make accesskeys for items on my page do I need to consider the
accesskey defaults of each browsers' Menu items.  For instance IE for
windows has F- file, E-edit, V-view, A-favorites, etc.  If I was to want to
use accesskey="a" on my page it seems to override my default.  I think
overriding default ALT keys could render the browser inaccessible.

DN: I was hoping to use sequential accesskeys for my page to make it simple
to
navigate from one item to another.  I initially was using ABCDEF.  When
doing so I rendered the Favorates, Edit and File menus inoperable on IE for
windows.

GJR: the "Favorites", "Edit", & "File" menus are not rendered inoperable due
to IE's implementation of ACCESSKEY, but they simply are no longer
"directly" accessible via the keystroke users are accustomed to use to
invoke them -- they can, however, still be accessed via the keyboard by
simply tapping the ALT key, which activates the application menu bar, and
then typing the "hotkey" designated for the desired menu option -- so, on a
page which uses "f" as an ACCESSKEY, instead of typing ALT+F to open the
"Favorites" menu using IE5+, you would hit the ALT key, wait a moment, and
then type f

you should convey this information to visitors to your site on an "About
This Site" type page, in which you should also document the site's
accessibility features -- such as recurring accesskeys -- as well as known
conflicts, such as that which you described in your post to the GL mailing
list, as well as any and every known work-around...

gregory.

PS: for more on accesskey, check the following archived posts (Warning:
expect all URIs to be obscenely long and to line-wrap):
1. http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ig/1999OctDec/0725.html
2. http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/1999OctDec/0008.html
3. http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/1999OctDec/0243.html

Received on Thursday, 23 August 2001 14:07:38 UTC