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RE: repetitive navigation

for

From: Paul Bohman
Date: Feb 13, 2003 3:29PM

My comments are inline:

<Philip Pawley said:>
...I disabled the "skip" links altogether for browsers other than Explorer
5 & 6 and Netscape 7 because I couldn't see the point of a "skip" link if
the keyboard focus doesn't also skip. ... On Netscape 4, for instance, if
you use the "skip" link ... when you tab on further, you find that the
keyboard focus never budged. That seems not only pointless but positively
confusing to me. Surely, it must be better to disable the skip link
altogether? ...
<end quote>

My response:
I see. I have long known about the inability of some browsers to change
the keyboard focus, and your're right. This is justification to remove the
"skip to navigation" since it doesn't work in these browsers.
Of course, you are pursuing quite a comprehensive approach that
accommodates each browser's weaknesses. Such thoroughness is certainly the
ideal. Some developers thrive on this sort of challenge, while others shun
it. If you have the time, resources and inclination, the thorough approach
is the best approach. I would also say that having only one well-designed
page is also a reasonable approach, even if it doesn't accommodate every
browser in every way. Pages that have a "skip to main content" link in
Netscape 4 are still "accessible" even if the full functionality of that
particular link is not available. But I applaud your well thought-out
approach.

<Philip Pawley said:>
BTW the "skip"-hiding technique is pure css: no javascript there.
<end quote>

My response: All the better!

<Philip Pawley said:>
In the demo page, without css positioning, the submenu appears in the
navigation column as just a part of the main menu - as you suggested.
Functional but _very_ ugly. That's why, for css-capable browsers with
javascript turned off, the sub-menu is invisible. Instead, as you suggest, I
simply duplicated the link to the second page in the sub-menu on the body of
the first page. (I put it at the top of the page and again at the bottom).
You can see that on the existing site:
http://www.alexanderworks.org.uk/breathing.html where I did the same thing.
<end quote>

Again, your system is well thought-out.

Paul Bohman
Technology Coordinator
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
www.webaim.org
Center for Persons with Disabilities
www.cpd.usu.edu
Utah State University
www.usu.edu


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