Re: [webwatch] A New Wrinkle: http://www.hp.com/service_locator/

Kelly,

The HP form uses the onChange event with respect to the list box (SELECT
element) to trigger the submission of the immediately enclosing form.
First off, the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines indicate that you
_should_ be able to stop this once and for all by a browser setting, and
not have to "Alt down-arrow" each time to make each list box safe.  Not
that this is available yet.

Second, I do not understand why the onChange behavior is being fired even
before you close the list box.  The onChange event for the SELECT element
should not fire until you close the list with the focus on a selection
which is different from the selection that was in effect when you opened
the box.  

But the accelerators which function as discombobulators in eyes-free mode
keep on creeping in more and more.

This is just a rough idea of what is going on.  I hope someone active in
the User Agent working group will be able to clarify this further.

Al

At 10:40 AM 2000-02-27 -0800, you wrote:
>Hi All,
>
>In browsing the HP web site to locate a repair shop for a broken scanner, 
>I've come on a new wrinkle that I thought folks might want to know about 
>when browsing certain web sites.  HP seems to be using some sort of 
>automatic selection and submission for some of the list boxes on the pages 
>found starting at:
>
>http://www.hp.com/service_locator/
>
>Folks may be more familiar with this problem from combo boxes that 
>automatically submit a choice unless you open the box with alt-down 
>arrow.  That problem has been around for quite a while and is easily solved 
>with the aforementioned alt-down arrow.
>
>In the case of the HP web site, you select the product you want to locate 
>service options for from a series of combo boxes in a frame titled 
>Products.  Once this selection has been made a frame titled Models contains 
>the problem list box.
>
>The list box in question has the various product models listed for the 
>category of product you chose earlier.  The up and down arrows do indeed 
>navigate the list box but if you stay on any entry in the list for more 
>than about half a second, that model selection is automatically submitted 
>and the page changes.  The only way to make a different selection is to use 
>your browser's Back command (usually alt-left arrow) and then the down 
>arrow to select the next item from the troublesome list box.
>
>I attempted to use alt-down arrow on this list box but that didn't seem to 
>alter the behavior.  This is the first time I've encountered this type of 
>list box on a web page and my browsing was being done with Internet 
>Explorer 5.01 and JFW 3.5.
>
>I haven't tested this web page with other browsers or screen readers as of 
>yet so I don't know how much of an issue this is.  I'm mentioning it here 
>just to let folks know that it seems that alt-down arrow may not always be 
>the solution to lists that automatically submit a choice.
>
>Kelly
>

Received on Sunday, 27 February 2000 14:05:42 UTC