RE: auto set focus and accessibility

Interesting issue.  What about the issue of client side form validation…
when the form is validated and, say, the third field contains invalid data,
in that case, is it assisting usability to put the focus on the first field
where the data needs to be edited?  How should this be handled?  Just ignore
using focus?

Geoff Deering
P.S.  I’ve been missing in action on these lists for a while, but hope to be
able to contribute again (whilst I have the time and opportunity).


-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org]On Behalf
Of Lisa Seeman
Sent: Wednesday, 7 August 2002 3:52 AM
To: W3c-Wai-Gl@W3.Org (E-mail); W3c-Wai-Pf@W3.Org (E-mail)
Subject: auto set focus and accessibility

I came across something new as I was Jaws browsing along, and that is the
auto focused of the page had been set to a text box mid way down the page
(you can see it at
http://www.Amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/002-5628707-8901611)

this made the screen reader start from the text box and miss the info above
it.
It stumped me how they had managed to do this, but then I found in their
code
onLoad="document.searchform.elements[1].focus()"
That did it.

Did I miss this in WCAG ?  it seems an accessibility issue.
It also may be an issue for the DOM object model - allowing a script to move
and control the focus and bounce you around the page without your knowledge.
All the best,
Lisa Seeman
UnBounded Access
Widen the World Web
http://www.UBaccess.com