RE: Buttons vs links

The issue I've had has primarily been one of expectations - I expect if something looks like a link, it takes me to another page, so, for instance, I can open it in a new window.  When that fails it's often a page with the title "javascript: void()" or something similarly useless.  If it looks like a button, but isn't related to a form, I assume it's going to do something on the current page.  If it actually takes me to another page, that's an unexpected shift of context which is annoying at a minimum, and sometimes altogether confusing.  Further, if a button is used to take me to another page, rather than a link, the button probably won't be coded to allow opening in a new tab, which removes something I'm normally able to tell my browser to do.

So if you are taking me somewhere else, please, give me a link so the semantic link behavior can be used.

-----Original Message-----
From: Janina Sajka <janina@rednote.net> 
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2020 07:14
To: Savage, Angela (ITS) <Angela.Savage@its.ny.gov>
Cc: Jan Hellbusch <jan@hellbusch.de>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org; Léonie Watson <lwatson@tetralogical.com>
Subject: Re: Buttons vs links

 I must confess I've always found the buttons vis a vis links  distinction one without much of a difference from the user perspective.

 Either way most users click to invoke the associated result.

 Those of us who are mouseless by necessity may press spacebar for  buttons, but pressing enter also works. And, there are two many  instances where that which perports to be a button won't respond to  spacebar. Enter seems always to work. Off hand I can't think of an  exception.

 Thus my distinction without a difference conclusion.

 Best,

 Janina

Savage, Angela (ITS) writes:
> Thank you for the responses. These have been helpful!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jan Hellbusch <jan@hellbusch.de>
> Sent: Thursday, May 7, 2020 12:28 PM
> To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Subject: RE: Buttons vs links
> 
> ATTENTION: This email came from an external source. Do not open attachments or click on links from unknown senders or unexpected emails.
> 
> Hi,
> 
> according to HTML spec, links are for resources and buttons are for actions.
> There are exceptions:
> 
> * in general, use links for going to a new page or downloading a document..
> * links can also be used within a web page (skip navigation links etc.).
> 
> * buttons are used for sending forms (most often to a script).
> * Otherwise they should be used for performing actions on the web page (e..g.
> widgets).
> 
> * Actions can, of course, mean calling a new resource in a process. It will not always be clear, whether a button or a link is more appropriate.
> 
> Jan
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Savage, Angela (ITS) <Angela.Savage@its.ny.gov>
> > Sent: Thursday, May 7, 2020 6:02 PM
> > To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> > Subject: Buttons vs links
> >
> > I was wondering what is the proper usage for a button and a link 
> > when
> building
> > an accessible application or website?
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm reading multiple articles on this topic and I read an article 
> > from the
> Nielsen
> > Norman Group on command links and they state that buttons should not 
> > be used for navigation and that users should click a plain link to 
> > move to
> another
> > page of information. Multiple articles I have read  on using buttons 
> > and
> links
> > when creating an accessible application or page mention this too.
> >
> >
> >
> > Article: Command Links
> > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nngroup.com/articles/comman
> > d-links/__;!!C5qS4YX3!Wc8fmBNs-wjzCzZV-AQh3zPsC6xMWV8aLnaYdsK0dx2pcg
> > sCrVmL-MXDdXBPwAegWQ$ >
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you in advance,
> >
> >
> >
> > Angela Savage
> >
> > Accessibility Auditor
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 

Janina Sajka

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://a11y.org__;!!C5qS4YX3!Wc8fmBNs-wjzCzZV-AQh3zPsC6xMWV8aLnaYdsK0dx2pcgsCrVmL-MXDdXA_APpRYg$ 

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.w3.org/wai/apa__;!!C5qS4YX3!Wc8fmBNs-wjzCzZV-AQh3zPsC6xMWV8aLnaYdsK0dx2pcgsCrVmL-MXDdXBvA1kkNQ$

Received on Friday, 8 May 2020 22:11:25 UTC