[Bug 13616] New: Allow specifying categories/keywords for commands

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13616

           Summary: Allow specifying categories/keywords for commands
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: All
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Keywords: a11y, a11ytf
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: gcl-0039@access-research.org
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org, public-html-a11y@w3.org


HTML5 should allow the user to associate a category or, even better, multiple
categories or keywords, with each author-defined command. This may be possible
using RDFa or Microformats, or a keywords or tags attribute on any element that
can be used to define a command. There would also be value in letting the
author define a primary keyword or category, but that's probably less critical
than allowing multiple keywords or categories. 

Defining generic commands that have associated keybindings is an extremely
powerful mechanism that lets user agents give the user control over
keybindings. One use of this is to automatically generate documentation for the
user providing a reference and guide to the keyboard commands as they're
actually configured. However, a long, unorganized list of keybindings, while
better than nothing, is still extremely difficult to use. This could be much
easier if the user agent (or tool) could organize the list, as well as allowing
the user to filter and navigate it intelligently. This would be possible if the
author could provide hints with each command, such as recommended categories or
keywords.

Use case: Carlos relies on the keyboard, and command keybindings are very
important way for him to perform tasks efficiently. He is using a web-based
application, and asks his web browser to present a list of all the commands
defined by the web-app, which he can consult and print out for future
reference. The browser has already processed all the commands defined in the
HTML source, including those created by interactive elements with acccesskey as
well as those command elements that associate an action with a keyboard input.
Unfortunately, this list is very long, especially if it's combined with the
browser's own commands. Luckily, the browser's dialog box contains buttons for
sorting the list alphabetically or by category (e.g. commands relating to
tables, commands relating to view options, commands for formatting, etc.), and
it's able to do that because the author was able to supply a user-friendly name
and category (or keywords) for each command. When Carlos wants to look up a
command but doesn't know the name assigned to it, or wants to look up a bunch
of related commands, he can use the category view, just like those provided in
printed software user guides. When he already knows the official name of the
command, he can use the alphabetical view to find it quickly. Note that this is
particularly important when Carlos moves between different user agents that
assign different keybindings to the author's commands.

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Received on Wednesday, 3 August 2011 17:19:48 UTC