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Bug 10782 - problems with button example for accesskey
Summary: problems with button example for accesskey
Status: CLOSED MOVED
Alias: None
Product: HTML WG
Classification: Unclassified
Component: pre-LC1 HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson) (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All All
: P2 normal
Target Milestone: LC
Assignee: Charles McCathieNevile
QA Contact: HTML WG Bugzilla archive list
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: a11y, a11ytf, a11y_focus
Depends on:
Blocks: 10888 23612 23613
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Reported: 2010-09-27 18:10 UTC by Gregory J. Rosmaita
Modified: 2014-05-01 15:36 UTC (History)
11 users (show)

See Also:


Attachments

Description Gregory J. Rosmaita 2010-09-27 18:10:03 UTC
QUOTE
In the following example, a button has possible access keys described. 
A script then tries to update the button's label to advertise the key 
combination the user agent selected.

<input type=submit accesskey="N @ 1" value="Compose">
...
<script>
 function labelButton(button) {
   if (button.accessKeyLabel)
     button.value += ' (' + button.accessKeyLabel + ')';
 }
 var inputs = document.getElementsByTagName('input');
 for (var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i += 1) {
   if (inputs[i].type == "submit")
     labelButton(inputs[i]);
 }
</script>

On one user agent, the button's label might become "Compose (&#8984;N)". On 
another, it might become "Compose (Alt+&#8679;+1)". If the user agent doesn't 
assign a key, it will be just "Compose". The exact string depends on 
what the assigned access key is, and on how the user agent represents 
that key combination.
UNQUOTE


PROBLEM 1: The user should be the ultimate arbiter of which accesskey
to apply, not the user agent

    The exact string depends on which of the suggested access key sets 
    is in use, and upon how the user agent represents the key 
    combinations that comprise that set of accesskeys.


PROBLEM 2: there are characters used in the last paragraph that are
not exposed when using a screen reader -- in particular: 

   "<samp>Compose (&#8984;N)</samp>". On another, it might become
   "<samp>Compose (Alt+&#8679;+1)</samp>"

since the use of special characters constitutes ascii art, the 
character entities should be glossed using ABBR as follows:

   "<samp>Compose (<abbr title="Command-Key">&#8984;</abbr>N)</samp>"
   "<samp>Compose (Alt+<abbr title="UpArrow">&#8679;</abbr>+1)</samp>"

such extended characters should NOT be used in UA notifications, as the
values expressed using symbolic characters will not be read by a 
screen reader -- it is better for the UA to report "CommandKey+N"
and "ALT + UpArrow + 1"


PROBLEM 3: currently, the draft states: "If the user agent doesn't 
assign a key, it will be just "Compose". The exact string depends on 
what the assigned access key is, and on how the user agent represents 
that key combination."

PROPOSED:
If a user has set their user agent to use a specific key or key 
combination as accesskey modifiers, or if no modifier key has been 
pre-set as a default by the user agent, the user agent must not 
assign a specifc key, but simply report "Compose". The exact string 
depends on what the assigned access key is, and on how the user agent 
represents that key combination.


PROBLEM 4: how does the user notify the script which set of access 
keys that user wishes to use?
Comment 1 Ian 'Hixie' Hickson 2010-09-28 07:14:51 UTC
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: This is an Editor's Response to your comment. If you are satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If you have additional information and would like the editor to reconsider, please reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest title and text for the tracker issue; or you may create a tracker issue yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
   http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html

Status: Rejected
Change Description: no spec change
Rationale: Invalid use of bug system. Please only report one issue per bug.


Regarding the listed problems:

> PROBLEM 1: The user should be the ultimate arbiter of which accesskey
> to apply, not the user agent

The user agent acts on the user's behalf. It is up to the user agent implementor to ensure that the user's wishes are represented here.


> PROBLEM 2: there are characters used in the last paragraph that are
> not exposed when using a screen reader -- in particular: 
> 
>    "<samp>Compose (&#8984;N)</samp>". On another, it might become
>    "<samp>Compose (Alt+&#8679;+1)</samp>"

If screen readers do not read these characters to the user then they are buggy and should be fixed.


> PROBLEM 3: currently, the draft states: "If the user agent doesn't 
> assign a key, it will be just "Compose". The exact string depends on 
> what the assigned access key is, and on how the user agent represents 
> that key combination."
> 
> PROPOSED:
> If a user has set their user agent to use a specific key or key 
> combination as accesskey modifiers, or if no modifier key has been 
> pre-set as a default by the user agent, the user agent must not 
> assign a specifc key, but simply report "Compose". The exact string 
> depends on what the assigned access key is, and on how the user agent 
> represents that key combination.

I don't understand what the problem is here.

 
> PROBLEM 4: how does the user notify the script which set of access 
> keys that user wishes to use?

The script just gets told by the user agent.
Comment 2 Joshue O Connor 2010-11-09 16:31:59 UTC
 The HTML a11y bug triage sub-team thinks Gregory should file seperate bugs for each of these issues. 10888 would be the master bug for all accesskey related issues.
Comment 3 Mark Sadecki 2013-10-23 19:48:36 UTC
a11ytf decision to move to HTML.next:
http://www.w3.org/2013/10/17-html-a11y-minutes.html#item04

New bug:
https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=23611
Comment 4 Mark Sadecki 2013-10-23 19:49:43 UTC
correction

New bug:
https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=23612