Re: User Controlled Dynamic Page Updates

Hi Joel,

following a link meaans that the page is expected to change (I think this is
a default assumption). And doing it by changing the existing page instead of
forcing a new window is a good technique. (It is possible to use HTML that
offers a new window, but have a user agent that doesn't open the new window,
instead sticking to the original...)

cheers

Charles

On Fri, 10 Nov 2000, Joel Sanda wrote:

  Hi all - I have a question about the accessibility of user controls that
  automatically update a page.

  Some search engines will allow a user to click on a button or link called
  "more" to retrieve additional information about the search result in
  question. Often this will load a new page with the description or a
  JavaScript function to pop-up a second window.

  My question is this: is there a problem with using that technique to load
  additional information in the same page with a server-side language, thereby
  avoiding the issues of JavaScript? The function could load additional
  information on the search result from the database and post the information
  below the result the user wanted more information about. This means the page
  will reload but retain the original list of search results with the
  additional information posted below the "parent" result.

  I suppose this could cause a conflict with WCAG #6.2, though I'm unsure of
  how this technique applies to that checkpoint. Checkpoint 10.1 states to
  "not change the current window without informing the user". My hunch is the
  button "more information" would alert the user that the content is to
  change.

  Using this technique could make large chunks of data - like search engine
  results - more manageable if the user is listening to the results.

  Thanks for any feedback!

  Joel


-- 
Charles McCathieNevile    mailto:charles@w3.org    phone: +61 (0) 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative                      http://www.w3.org/WAI
Location: I-cubed, 110 Victoria Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
September - November 2000:
W3C INRIA, 2004 Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

Received on Friday, 8 December 2000 17:44:54 UTC