Re: Pop-up windows -- is there any situation where they are OK?

Well, "if user agents now allow users to turn off spawned windows" then the
checkpoint that prohibits it would appear that the relevant checkpoint
(10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause
pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window
without informing the user) seems not to be applicable anymore.

But otherwise, if there is another window open already and you warn the user,
you can bring up the help content in that (and change to it) in accrdance
with WCAG.

I would suggest
1) That you write to the WCAG group w3c-wai-gl@w3.org and check the status of
user agents with respect to turning off spawned windows.
2) That there is an inconsistency in that it is apparently OK to make use of
existing windows to change the focus around, but not if they are not there
yet. This seems like an error, so I will raise an issue with the grou myself.
(this is also relevant to the Authoring Tool Accessibiltiy Guidelines Group -
as shown by the fact that an authoring tool developer asked it <grin/>)

cheers

Charles

On Wed, 5 Dec 2001, Chris Croome wrote:

  Hi

  I'm working on a web content management system [1] that I'm trying to
  make as accessible as possible.

  On pages that are used to edit content there are 'Help?' hyperlinks to
  on-line help documentation, a link for each form input element.

  At the moment these are just regular links.

  Two users have complained that when they follow these links and then go
  back the edit content page they have lost any content that they had
  started to write (this is true, it's how it works in most browsers).

  Half the people here are of the view that we shouldn't pop-up new
  browsers windows for help and that users should learn how to open new
  browser windows if they want new windows.

  The other half think this is stupid and that we should use links that
  pop-up new browser windows for the help documentation.

  OK, my question: is that a way to use links that open new browser
  windows that is accessible and complies with WCAG Double-A?

  Chris


  [1] http://mkdoc.com/



-- 
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 Saturday, 8 December 2001 03:17:46 UTC