RE: Should accesskey focus or activate?

Standard windows behavior is that an access key clicks a button/radio
button/check box, and focuses an object where more input is required, such
as an edit box/combo box/list box.  If we deviate from this, it's going to
become really confusing to anyone that uses programs other than Mozilla
(read: everyone).

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Charles McCathieNevile [mailto:charles@w3.org]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 2:13 PM
> To: Aaron Leventhal
> Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org; mozilla-accessibility@mozilla.org;
> joki@netscape.com
> Subject: Re: Should accesskey focus or activate?
>
>
> Hi Aaron,
>
> In my opinion they should focus. The problem if they activate
> without warning
> is one of discovery, and also of reducing the value of
> accesskey (which
> enables you to move from chunk to chunk in the "tab order" in
> a way that
> tabindex does not do properly).
>
> cheers
>
> Charles
>
> On Tue, 24 Apr 2001, Aaron Leventhal wrote:
>
>   Hello all, a Netscape developer wanted to know whether
> accesskey should
>   focus or activate controls, or whether it depends on the
> type of control.
>   Here's his question in detail:
>
>   > Hey Aaron,
>   >
>   > I wanted to get your opinion as accessibility guy on bug
> 55020, it's a
>   > question of whether or not access keys should just focus
> the element in
>   > question or focus and activate it.  You're cc'd on the
> bug, I'm not sure
>   > if you've read it.  The bug has some valid points about accidental
>   > activation of access key based items, especially since we
> allow the
>   > accesskeys to beat out things like alt-F for menu opening.
>   >
>   > So currently we focus and activate everything.  I tend to
> agree with the
>   > bug writer that we should move to only focusing things.
> All of the
>   > items can be keyboard triggered from there so a full
> keyboard solution
>   > still works.
>   >
>   > And just for extra info's sake, IE's solution is, I
> think, a bit unusual.
>   > They use a mix of focus and activation.  Buttons, for example, are
>   > activated.  Links, however, are not.  Text fields just
> get focus but
>   > what does activation of a text field mean anyway.  IE
> also overrides
>   > stuff like alt-F when an accesskey of that letter is in use.
>   >
>   > So anyway, I'm just curious if you have an opinion from
> an accessibility
>   > point of view.  My current stance is to go with the bug's
> solution and
>   > start doing focus only unless more arguments arise in favor of
>   > activation.
>   >
>   > 	-tom
>
>
>
>
> --
> Charles McCathieNevile    http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
> phone: +61 409 134 136
> W3C Web Accessibility Initiative     http://www.w3.org/WAI
> fax: +1 617 258 5999
> Location: 21 Mitchell street FOOTSCRAY Vic 3011, Australia
> (or W3C INRIA, Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia
> Antipolis Cedex, France)
>

Received on Wednesday, 25 April 2001 05:26:24 UTC