Re: Sortable Table Focus Order

While the specific object activated is a link, I would argue that the UI component is actually the entire sortable table, of which the link is only one part. Choosing which column to sort by is changing a setting of the table.

Note that it is possible to build sortable tables that do not reload the whole page. Page reloads are a substantial inconvenience for keyboard and screen-reader users, and worse the farther the sortable table is down the page or the more top navigation options there are.

The ARIA Authoring Practices Guide shows how this can be done:
https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/table/examples/sortable-table/


-Madeleine

From: Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>
Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 4:13 AM
To: P A F <pafalways@gmail.com>
Cc: Juliette McShane Alexandria <mcshanejuliette@gmail.com>, w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: RE: Sortable Table Focus Order
SC 2.4.3 doesn’t apply if the page reloads. The behaviour is exactly what you would expect after operating a link. It’s not as good as updating the table without reloading the page, but it’s an inconvenience rather than a blocker and it sounds pretty insignificant if a user is only likely to change the sort order once or twice. Most websites have got much worse accessibility issues than this.

Steve


From: P A F <pafalways@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 9:03 AM
To: Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>
Cc: Juliette McShane Alexandria <mcshanejuliette@gmail.com>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Re: Sortable Table Focus Order

The interactive element is a link. So, I did not speak of 3.2.2. The closest SC I thought applied was 2.4.3. I was looking at the operability part of that SC. Could it be OK in terms of WCAG but not great for the user?

P A F

On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 8:22 AM Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk<mailto:steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>> wrote:
SC 3.2.2, On Input only applies when changing the setting of a user interface component. It does not apply when buttons or links are operated.

The initial post does not say what the “interactive sort element” is. If it’s a button in each column header, SC 3.3.2 will not apply. If it’s a combobox or set of radio buttons, SC 3.3.2 would apply if the page reload is caused by a change in the setting. It would not apply if the new setting is applied by operating a button.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd


From: Juliette McShane Alexandria <mcshanejuliette@gmail.com<mailto:mcshanejuliette@gmail.com>>
Sent: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 5:29 PM
To: P A F <pafalways@gmail.com<mailto:pafalways@gmail.com>>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: Re: Sortable Table Focus Order

Hi there,

That sounds like an issue under 3.2.2, On Input<https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/on-input.html>. What you are describing is considered a 'change of context<https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/on-input.html#dfn-changes-of-context>'. The solutions here are to adjust the behavior of the component so it does not reload the page or to provide a warning before users encounter the controls that interacting with them will refresh the page.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Juliette

On 4/2/2024 9:26:10 AM, P A F <pafalways@gmail.com<mailto:pafalways@gmail.com>> wrote:
Hello,

I'm using a sortable table. If I activate an interactive sort element, the webpage refreshes and my focus is at the beginning of the webpage. I'll need to renavigate the content I've seen. Does it go against 2.4.3 Focus Order? Is meaning and operability preserved?

P A F

Madeleine Rothberg
Senior Subject Matter Expert
+1 (617) 300-2492