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Thread: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
Number of posts in this thread: 10 (In chronological order)
From: Jean-Michel Brevelle
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 2:47AM
Subject: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Hello. This is my first message to the list.
I'm trying to add accesskey definitions to navigational links on a new web
site. It's my first attempt and I'm not doing so well with it.
I think the problem is a conflict between the accesskey statement and the
class definition -- the links are coded in javascript to highlight on
mouseover -- but as this is my first attempt, I'm not really sure.
Here is a sample statement:<a href="Default.htm" title="Return to this web's
Home Page" class="inactive" highlight>Home</a>
The statement otherwise does what it's supposed to do: the link highlights
and a link description appears.
Can anyone help me out with this? If you want to review the rest of the
script, just ask and I'll send it.
Much appreciated. Thanks!
Jean-Michel Brevelle
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From: Keith Patton
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 4:09AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Hi there,
Here is an example of a link which has javascript functions called for
on/off state setting (remember to use keyboard friendly event triggers as
well as mouse only ones for accessibility reasons).
You then just need to add the accesskey reference as an attribute of the a
tag.
<a onmouseover="JSfunctionOn();" onfocus="JSfunctionOn();"
onmouseout="JSfunctionOff();" onblur="JSfunctionOff();" class="cssClass"
accesskey="1" href="../homepage/">
we just implemented accesskeys on our site, the details on which you can
view at: http://www.ethicalmedia.com/stories/accessingoursite/
Hope that helps,
Keith Patton
Technical Director
Ethical Media
www.ethicamedia.com
From: Jukka K. Korpela
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 4:21AM
Subject: Re: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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On Fri, 20 Feb 2004, Jean-Michel Brevelle wrote:
> I'm trying to add accesskey definitions to navigational links on a new web
> site. It's my first attempt and I'm not doing so well with it.
Just don't do it. It's extra burden to you, it complicates the markup
somewhat, and it does not improve accessibility - rather the opposite.
In special cases authors might use the accesskey attribute, but they
should really know what they are doing, and probably do it in closed
circles (such as intranets where users can be educated) only.
Most importantly, accesskey attributes mess up _built-in_ accessibility
features in user agents. For some details, check
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/forms/accesskey.html
> I think the problem is a conflict between the accesskey statement and the
> class definition
No, accesskey attributes and class attributes are not coupled in any way.
> -- the links are coded in javascript to highlight on
> mouseover --
It's useful to people using graphic browsers to highlight a link on
mouseover, but it's unnecessary to use JavaScript for it. CSS works fine.
Any use JavaScript makes some people suspicious, and that's good -
Paranoia is good, as the User's Security Handbook says.
> Here is a sample statement:<a href="Default.htm" title="Return to this web's
> Home Page" class="inactive" highlight>Home</a>
I don't see any accesskey attribute there, or any attribute that would
call JavaScript on mouseover. (Whether the title attribute is useful is
another thing. What's the point? If you are telling such things, telling
what "this web" is would probably be more useful.)
What does the highlight attribute mean? It's surely nonstandard, but which
browsers recognize it, and what do they do with it
> Can anyone help me out with this? If you want to review the rest of the
> script, just ask and I'll send it.
What script? I think you should just post the URL if you need help with a
particular page. But I don't think you should create more problems by
using accesskey.
--
Jukka "Yucca" Korpela, http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/
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From: Keith Patton
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 4:53AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Hi,
I would take issue a little with advice never to use access keys (although i
admit conflicts are possible), as long as a standard is developed and
followed, this should minimise conflict with screen reader access. The UK
government for example has established such reserved keys for it's sites via
http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/Resources/WebHandbookIndex1Article/fs/en?CONTENT_I
D=4000092&chk=XHiT3L which we are aiming to follow.
Also, make sure the link to information on accessing your site (which would
include information on tab indexes and any access keys in use) is made
prominent on the site near the top, and also provide tab indexing on the
links using the tabindex attribute to allow keyboard users to easily get to
the link if it is not near the top of the page in terms of number of tabs.
Keith
www.ethicalmedia.com
From: Jukka K. Korpela
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 8:11AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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On Fri, 20 Feb 2004, Keith Patton wrote:
> I would take issue a little with advice never to use access keys
I didn't say "never". Just "don't". And I referred to special cases where
they might make sense. Between consenting adults, so to say.
> (although i admit conflicts are possible)
On the Web, accesskey attributes are guaranteed to conflict
with user agent functions, which can be far more important than
any site-specific or page-specific idea about shortcuts.
> as long as a standard is developed and followed,
There's no sign of any standard being developed, unless you count local
rules as standards.
> this should minimise conflict with screen reader access.
With _all_ screen readers? Are you sure? So what about the billions of
users who use other user agents? Many of us _need_ browser shortcuts.
Many of us just _like_ them very much.
> Also, make sure the link to information on accessing your site (which would
> include information on tab indexes and any access keys in use) is made
> prominent on the site near the top, and also provide tab indexing on the
> links using the tabindex attribute to allow keyboard users to easily get to
> the link if it is not near the top of the page in terms of number of tabs.
That would be distracting to the vast majority of users, who are just
interested in getting to the content, not technical (and so often
_too technical_) instructions on accessing something. Make the content
reachable in as normal ways as possible, instead of telling users what
interface they should try to adapt themselves on _this_ page or site.
And tabindex attribute is mostly just confusing too. When I tab around a
page, I don't like to see myself jumping from one place to another in
unnatural ways. Just design the page so that the default tab order is
suitable.
--
Jukka "Yucca" Korpela, http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/
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From: Keith Patton
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 8:36AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Ok, i'll just ignore what the RNIB, W3C and Uk Government recommend then;)
keith
From: John Foliot - WATS.ca
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 9:39AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Hey all,
For regular readers of this list, sorry to sound like a broken record...
For others (and BTW, welcome to new readers), we at WATS.ca have done our
own research and testing regarding accesskeys and now advise people not to
use them. We were instrumental in convincing the Canadian Government to
reverse their use of Accesskeys due to potential conflicts. Rather than
re-parrot all of the facts here, interested parties are invited to read our
articles on our site:
Using Accesskeys - Is it worth it? - http://wats.ca/articles/accesskeys/19
More reasons why we don't use accesskeys -
http://wats.ca/articles/accesskeyconflicts/37
Accesskeys and Reserved Keystroke Combinations -
http://wats.ca/resources/accesskeysandkeystrokes/38
Link Relationships as an Alternative to Accesskeys -
http://wats.ca/articles/accesskeyalternatives/52
The bottom line for us is that due to a) non-standardization, b) real
possibilities of user agent conflicts, and c) effort vs. gain considerations
that Accesskeys be abandoned. However, in every forum in which we
participate, and in our own resources/articles that we post, we are also
very careful to state clearly that:
1. We like the idea behind accesskeys,
2. We find the implementation very problematic
3. We believe that we collectively need to examine the issue and determine
if we need to develop other solutions that better suit the needs of
everyone.
Dave Shea at mezzoblue (and the driving force behind the Zen CSS Garden)
also makes some good points in favor of *NOT* using Accesskeys in his blog
entry - "I Do Not Use Accesskeys":
http://www.mezzoblue.com/archives/2003/12/29/i_do_not_use/ (Note - there are
also some interesting comments made as "Replies").
Finally, Keith, Accesskeys can create accessibility issues with more than
just screen reading technology, although that is where the greatest "Harm"
can take place, but as Dave Shea points out, even non-handicapped users were
having issues with his site and the Accesskey implementation.
FWIW
JF
--
John Foliot = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Web Accessibility Specialist / Co-founder of WATS.ca
Web Accessibility Testing and Services
http://www.wats.ca 1.866.932.4878 (North America)
>
From: Keith Patton
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 9:43AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Thanks John,
Much appreciated, our intentions are in the right place including them in
our site and if/when we do remove them, we'll be sure and post up these
links and the insights i've received from this list even in the short period
i've been a member.
Keith Patton
Technical Director
Ethical Media
www.ethicalmedia.com
From: Paul Bohman
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 9:51AM
Subject: Re: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Just for the sake of adding a voice of agreement on the issue, WebAIM
used to have access keys at one time, but discontinued them, for the
reasons that have been outlined in this thread.
For similar reasons, we have also discontinued the use of tabindex.
Still, there are some instances in which both can be useful, especially
in Web applications (as opposed to average Web sites), but since the
WebAIM site is not a Web application (at least in the sense that I'm
thinking of), we don't have a need for those extra features.
John Foliot - WATS.ca wrote:
> we at WATS.ca have done our
> own research and testing regarding accesskeys and now advise people not to
> use them.
--
Paul Ryan Bohman
Web Accessibility Specialist/Project Coordinator
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
www.webaim.org
Center for Persons with Disabilities
www.cpd.usu.edu
Utah State University
www.usu.edu
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From: Jean-Michel Brevelle
Date: Fri, Feb 20 2004 11:10AM
Subject: RE: Help with adding ACCESSKEY statements?
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Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question and offer a
remedy to the problem. LOL! Of course, there seem to be some in favor and
some opposed to accesskey inclusion. I appreciate hearing from both sides.
:) Jean-Michel