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Re: Flexbox layout ordering and tabbing order

for

From: Alastair Campbell
Date: Oct 14, 2015 4:01AM

So if people use form controls in a data table, it seems unlikely that
within the cells you would do any re-ordering.

However, if people use semantically neutral HTML (e.g. divs) and CSS grids
instead of a data-table structure, would you want the visual-order and
tabbing / reading order to be different?

If the site completely re-orders things using CSS (or JavaScript come to
think of it), they will almost certainly focus their design effort on the
visual structure, i.e. does it look right and read well visually?

Therefore I think the better result from an accessibility point of view
would be to follow the visual order as that is what people are designing
for.

The is fairly easy for flexbox, as it is one-dimensional and has the
concept of a 'flow direction', so there is an obvious linear order.

The more complex scenario is grids, as that is two-dimensional, and can
place blocks anywhere. Are there standard algorithms for working out flow
in a 2D set of blocks?

I think Opera used to have something like that for it's keyboard controls?
(Pre-engine switch to blink.)

-Alastair