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Re: Drop-down menus using javaScript to navigate and Accessibility Issues

for

From: Chris Heilmann
Date: May 28, 2004 8:53AM

> How would you suggest handling the requirement of these
> navigational/actionable drop-down menus? Additional text links at page
> bottom? Is there an accessible script hack? What exactly are all the
> issues and arguments? (ok - maybe a bit much to ask... hoping someone
> can
> point me to some articles....)

First tip, cut some whitespace in your emails :-)

The problem is not the script itself but the handling by the browser.
First of all you create dead form elements when javascript is not
available. Secondly onchange means you cannot use a keyboard to send off
the form, as every change in the form (tabbing to it - hitting cursor
down) will send it off, meaning I can never reach any other option but the
next one.

AFAIR there is no way around that onchange problem, for the script
dependence you could do a clever script that replaces the original
functionality of a certain element or even replace it with something
different altogether.

Some examples are in my course:
http://www.onlinetools.org/articles/unobtrusivejavascript/chapter1.html
especially in 6. Keep effects mouse independent and the datepicker and
imagepop example in
http://www.onlinetools.org/articles/unobtrusivejavascript/chapter3.html

HTH

Chris


--
Chris Heilmann
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