WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: enter key to check radio button?

for

From: Mike Warner
Date: Apr 21, 2022 12:58PM


Thanks, TJ. I don't know which key they want to submit the form. (I sent a
follow-up email to ask) Since consistency is the rule of accessibility, it
seems that this could cause more confusion than it prevents. For example,
keyboard-only users who expect to submit forms using the enter key,
because that's how it works everywhere else. I can add an event listener
to the radio buttons (and checkboxes) to prevent the default action of the
enter key, allowing it to check the box/button, but would that be confusing
to some users?

Mike

Mike Warner
Director of IT Services
MindEdge, Inc.


On Thu, Apr 21, 2022 at 2:32 PM TJ McElroy < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Hi Mike,
>
> I do think that it is a reasonable request to have the enter key check a
> button,
> however it should also be able to submit the form.
>
> Your user does have a point, that you should allow for many different ways
> to use the form
>
>
> Not to read to much into your question, but if your user does not want the
> enter key to submit the form, what key do they suggest?
>
> TJ
>
>
> On 4/21/2022 1:37 PM, Mike Warner wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> we have a client who was saying that we should also allow the enter key to
> check a radio button and not to let that enter key submit the form on
> the page. They said that we should be prepared for however a keyboard user
> may try to check the button. I explained that spacebar is the standard key
> for that and sent the W3C page that talks about it. Has anyone else been
> asked to accept the enter key to check a radio button? Is it a reasonable
> request?
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
> Mike Warner
> Director of IT Services
> MindEdge, Inc.
> > > > >
>
>
>
> 6270 Corporate Drive
> Indianapolis, IN 46278
>
> bosma.org
>
> *Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/bosmaenterprises> / Twitter
> <https://twitter.com/Bosmaenterprise>* / *Linkedin*
> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/306575?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Acompany%2CclickedEntityId%3A306575%2Cidx%3A2-1-2%2CtarId%3A1477402422293%2Ctas%3Abosma%20enterhttp://>;
> Bosma Enterprises office is closed Monday May 30th, for Memorial Day
> Holiday.
>