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Re: vertical tabs and programmatic focus

for

From: Murphy, Sean
Date: Jan 23, 2020 4:06PM

Glen and All,

From memory the ARIA specs do not recommend automatic focus change when changing tab items within a tab list. What Glen outlined is the approach I would recommend. If you use automatic focus, you get the old issue with drop downs (combo boxes) where the person cannot easily go to the 4th tab item in the tab list.

Sean

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of glen walker
Sent: Friday, 24 January 2020 7:19 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] vertical tabs and programmatic focus

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Not sure I'm understanding completely but a few basic points on a tab
control:

* The tab list is typically one focus/tab stop. You tab (key) to the tab list and then arrow through all the tabs.
* When arrowing between tabs, you can choose whether the tab panel is automatically loaded or if the user has to select the tab first (space or enter key)
* If the tab panel is automatically loaded, I would not automatically move the focus into the tab panel contents. That would be an annoyance if I was trying to arrow through the tab list to get to my desired tab
* If the user has to select the tab in order for the tab panel to be loaded, I still would not move the focus automatically into the tab panel contents but that's a decision up to you
* The tab panel contents should be the next tab stop after the tab list (DOM order). That way I can arrow through the tab list, select the tab (if not automatically loaded), then tab (key) into the tab panel contents

Now, all that being said, in your situation, it sounds like you have some links under the tab list. Since the tab panel contents should be the next tab stop after the tab list, your extra links would come in the tab/focus order after the tab panel contents.


On Thu, Jan 23, 2020 at 1:57 PM Reinhard Stebner < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> I am currently reviewing a page that has a vertical tab control in the
> left and side of the page and the tab panel in the right side. the
> left rail has additional links under the tabs that are not part of the
> tab interface. How should focus be placed back on the tabs once focus
> is on the tab panel seeing that there is additional links in the left
> rail. I'm talking about when shift tabbing back to the tabs. thanks
> for your help.
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >