Re: Accesskey Discussion

On 23/09/2010 19:44, Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:04:19 -0400, Egan, Bim <Bim.Egan@rnib.org.uk> 
> wrote:
>
>> Sorry to butt in here, but it concerns me that as accesskey bindings
>> frequently conflict with keyboard access to browser  toolbars or
>> plug-ins, and can also change settings in access technology that runs in
>> the background while being sensitive to all keystrokes, such as screen
>> readers, defined accesskeys could result in all HTML5 pages using them
>> being inaccessible to people  who navigate via keyboard or use access
>> tech software, instead of the current situation where it is difficult
>> only on some sites using code that conforms to specification.
>
> Actually, the problem is stupid browser implementation binding 
> author-assigned accesskeys to something that normally has a different 
> function.
>
I Agree with that!

There is also a problem of authors using javascript to trap the 
keyboard, which has the same effect.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
> ...
>> I seems to me that HTML5 is becoming increasingly platform like. In this
>> case I suggest that HTML5 specify a number of predefined accesskeys for
>> common functionality including those useful for WebApps.
>
> No, that is what rel attributes are for. That allows browsers to 
> define whatever activation they want, that will be common across 
> sites, and won't interfere with the existing browser UI.

Not really, this works over one site but not over the all sites - and 
until we have a standard we can't expect a specific key binding 
definition to give us next / prev / menu / sidebars and the like - as 
well as the finer commands of say document processing WebApps, we can't 
expect cross site compatibility. In fact the rel was really good over 
things like sections, pages chapters etc however I only found Amaya 
implemented it last time I looked (admittedly years ago) - however if a 
standard can be reached for page movement and document jumping - surely 
we can do something across sites.

Cheers
Si.

=======================

Simon Harper
University of Manchester (UK)

More: http://simon.harper.name/about/card/

Received on Monday, 27 September 2010 16:36:01 UTC