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RE: Part 2 - Access Keys - your collective help is urgently reque sted!

for

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Oct 4, 2002 5:35AM


I think what you are observing are different keyboard shortcuts, not the
same one.

Pressing the ALT key (in the situations you mention) sets the system focus
to the menu bar. In fact, pressing F10 will do the same action. Then if
you press the access key associated with the menu bar item, that menu will
appear.

Its just a different way to accomplish the same thing as pressing ALT + F.

Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 10:23 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: RE: Part 2 - Access Keys - your collective help is urgently
requested!


> John Foliot wrote:
>
> > My research shows that currently about the only safe
> > combinations still
> > "un-reserved" by an adaptive technology or other software are:
> > "Alt+/" (accesskey="/"),
> > "Alt+" (accesskey=""),
> > and "Alt+]" (accesskey="]")

Not sure how much of a monkey wrench this throws into things, but I'm
curious to know how other pieces of software react -- especially
adaptive technology that recognizes accesskeys.

I've only just retested this behaviour I've noticed before. In IE 5+ PC,
Netscape 6+ PC, and Moz PC I can use access keys that are already
assigned to intrinsic commands for the menus -- they just need to be
invoked differently. Sorry, but my Mac and Linux box are both out of
commission right now, so I'd like to hear from other testers.

Test page at: http://www.furtherahead.com/accesskey.php, which contains
three links (Foo, Bar, and Edit, with F, B and E as accesskeys
respectively.

When an accesskey is defined and appears to conflict:
If I hold down ALT and then press F, I get the access key behaviour.
If I press ALT, release it, and then press F, I invoke the File menu.

When an access key is NOT defined, both key combinations (press and hold
ALT then F, and press and release ALT then F invoke the File menu)

In essence, if I know the difference in the keystrokes, it doesn't
matter if there is conflict with intrinsic functionality (although the
presence of the accesskey might actually confuse a user that is
expecting the menu to be invoked)

I'm curious to know others experiences with this on other platforms and
with other browsers, especially AT.

Best regards,
Derek.
--
Derek Featherstone <EMAIL REMOVED>
Further Ahead Inc.