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Thread: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
Number of posts in this thread: 10 (In chronological order)
From: Moore, Michael
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 7:20AM
Subject: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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Good morning folks,
A question has come up regarding the default behavior of the select
element.
When the element has focus you can scroll through the all of the options
using the mouse wheel. Users are accidentally scrolling through the
options when they mean to be scrolling down the page.
My question is simple, is there a way to disable mouse wheel activated
scrolling of the <select> element? If so what is the technique, and
what are the ramifications in terms of accessibility for people with
physical disabilities and those with cognitive disabilities?
Mike
From: Tim Beadle
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 7:30AM
Subject: Re: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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On 07/06/06, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> When the element has focus you can scroll through the all of the options
> using the mouse wheel. Users are accidentally scrolling through the
> options when they mean to be scrolling down the page.
I can't replicate this behaviour in Firefox, which leads me to believe
that it's an IE-only behaviour and therefore a user-agent, not an
HTML, issue.
> My question is simple, is there a way to disable mouse wheel activated
> scrolling of the <select> element? If so what is the technique, and
> what are the ramifications in terms of accessibility for people with
> physical disabilities and those with cognitive disabilities?
I know of no such technique, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't
exist ;-) As you'd be altering the usual (if incorrect) behaviour of
the user agent, I would advise against it.
If it's a real problem, get the users to switch to Firefox :D
Regards,
Tim
From: Moore, Michael
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 7:40AM
Subject: RE: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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Tim Wrote:
I can't replicate this behavior in Firefox, which leads me to believe
that it's an IE-only behavior and therefore a user-agent, not an HTML,
issue.
I know of no such technique, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist
;-) As you'd be altering the usual (if incorrect) behavior of the user
agent, I would advise against it.
If it's a real problem, get the users to switch to Firefox :D
Thanks Tim,
Yes, I should have specified that it is an IE only issue and of course
windows too, since it is the mouse wheel. Unfortunately my users are
bound to IE as a matter of department policy and because a large number
of them use assistive technologies that only work properly with IE.
Mike
From: ben morrison
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 7:50AM
Subject: Re: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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On 6/7/06, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> When the element has focus you can scroll through the all of the options
> using the mouse wheel. Users are accidentally scrolling through the
> options when they mean to be scrolling down the page.
>
> My question is simple, is there a way to disable mouse wheel activated
> scrolling of the <select> element?
This is the default action for any select box on a page and you
shouldn't change the way it works, there has to be a cut-off point
where the end-user has to learn how to use web sites and where
developers try and help them. In this case I would steer clear of
changing any default behaviour as you will also confuse users who are
trying to scroll in the select box and then find themsleves scrolling
donw the page.
ben
From: Patrick Lauke
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 8:00AM
Subject: RE: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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> ben morrison
> This is the default action for any select box on a page and you
> shouldn't change the way it works, there has to be a cut-off point
> where the end-user has to learn how to use web sites and where
> developers try and help them.
Absolutely, yes. Don't change expected browser behaviour. For every
user you think you're helping by disabling their user agent's default,
there will be another user who gets utterly annoyed or impeded by it.
Patrick
________________________________
Patrick H. Lauke
Web Editor / University of Salford
http://www.salford.ac.uk
________________________________
Web Standards Project (WaSP) Accessibility Task Force
http://webstandards.org/
________________________________
From: Jim Allan
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 8:20AM
Subject: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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That's a tough one Mike. A select box should only scroll with the mouse
wheel if the box has focus, otherwise the page should scroll. I do the same
thing...scroll the box rather than the page...so I make sure the proper item
si selected in the box, then click to return focus to the page and scroll
down the page. Its the users responsibility to pay attention to what has
focus.
there may be some way to turn off the functionality of the mouse wheel, but
I see it as akin to breaking the back button. you are breaking functional
expectations of the users mouse/interface/browser/computer.
Jim Allan, Webmaster & Statewide Technical Support Specialist
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
---> Share to Win!! <---
From: Alastair Campbell
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 8:50AM
Subject: RE: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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Moore, Michael wrote:
> Unfortunately my users are bound to IE
Given that, you might try to replicate the Firefox behaviour: only
scroll the select if the mouse is over it (including area available when
open).
However, I'm not sure if there is a JavaScript hook that would work?
Kind regards,
-Alastair
--
Alastair Campbell | Director of User Experience
t. +44 (0)117 929 7333 | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Nomensa Email Disclaimer:
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From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 9:00AM
Subject: RE: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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I think that would be a potential access issue also - just like if you
click the scroll bar in a long document, you shouldn't need to keep the
mouse pointer directly on or above the control. I think that the right
thing to do here is to not modify the default behavior.
That being said, I occasionally have this problem myself when
interacting with an application with a scrollable area and need to
remember toclick outside of the scrolling area to make the uber-window
scroll. Fortunately I don't think that it is a mystery to the user what
is going on - the trick is whether they know to click elsewhere to get
the desired behavior.
AWK
>
From: Alastair Campbell
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 9:10AM
Subject: RE: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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> Fortunately I don't think that it is a mystery to
> the user what is going on
I have seen this create problems in previous usability testing,
particularly for those with moderate visual impairment using a screen
magnifier.
The window can mysteriously (because the select isn't in view) stop
scrolling until clicked.
Kind regards,
-Alastair
--
Alastair Campbell | Director of User Experience
Nomensa Email Disclaimer:
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From: Paul R. Bohman
Date: Wed, Jun 07 2006 7:30PM
Subject: Re: Question about controlling behavior of <select> element
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On 6/7/06, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> Yes, I should have specified that it is an IE only issue and of course
> windows too, since it is the mouse wheel.
>
Just a minor clarification: Windows is not the only operating system with
mouse scroll wheels available to users. My new Mac came with a mouse with a
scroll wheel (and a "right click" button as well, in case you're curious).
You can also use the scroll wheel in Linux/Unix.
--
Paul R. Bohman
Technology Coordinator
Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
George Mason University