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combobox keyboard interaction?

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From: Tomlins Diane
Date: May 11, 2022 3:00PM

Hi folks,
I'm doing some testing on an application that is using a Blazor combobox component. The only keyboard interaction to open the list of options is Alt + Down Arrow, which is not what I'm used to at all. The WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices guidelines lists it as "Optional":

"Alt + Down Arrow (Optional): If the popup is available but not displayed, displays the popup without moving focus".

The first interaction WAI-ARIA Practices has is just Down Arrow.

So my question is - how common is this kb interaction/pattern?

Because this is an application that patients would be using, I'm concerned that if Alt + Down Arrow is not all that common, people may find it frustrating to use.
You can use the arrow keys to go through the items in the list one by one, and (for now) the list isn't that long.

They did not include any informative text on how to open the whole list - except as an aria-label - oof :-/

Thanks,

Diane R. Tomlins
HCA Healthcare