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<!DOCTYPE bugzilla SYSTEM "https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/page.cgi?id=bugzilla.dtd">

<bugzilla version="5.0.4"
          urlbase="https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/"
          
          maintainer="sysbot+bugzilla@w3.org"
>

    <bug>
          <bug_id>18245</bug_id>
          
          <creation_ts>2012-07-18 17:49:09 +0000</creation_ts>
          <short_desc>Conveying state of an Active tab in tabbed panels to Assistive Technologies like screen readers</short_desc>
          <delta_ts>2016-04-14 14:20:01 +0000</delta_ts>
          <reporter_accessible>1</reporter_accessible>
          <cclist_accessible>1</cclist_accessible>
          <classification_id>1</classification_id>
          <classification>Unclassified</classification>
          <product>HTML WG</product>
          <component>HTML a11y Task Force</component>
          <version>unspecified</version>
          <rep_platform>Other</rep_platform>
          <op_sys>other</op_sys>
          <bug_status>RESOLVED</bug_status>
          <resolution>MOVED</resolution>
          
          <see_also>https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=19159</see_also>
          <bug_file_loc>http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/#the-nav-element</bug_file_loc>
          <status_whiteboard></status_whiteboard>
          <keywords>a11y</keywords>
          <priority>P3</priority>
          <bug_severity>normal</bug_severity>
          <target_milestone>---</target_milestone>
          
          
          <everconfirmed>1</everconfirmed>
          <reporter>contributor</reporter>
          <assigned_to name="Robin Berjon">robin</assigned_to>
          <cc>bhawkeslewis</cc>
    
    <cc>chaals</cc>
    
    <cc>cobaco</cc>
    
    <cc>devarshipant</cc>
    
    <cc>eoconnor</cc>
    
    <cc>faulkner.steve</cc>
    
    <cc>hans.hillen</cc>
    
    <cc>lwatson</cc>
    
    <cc>mike</cc>
    
    <cc>mjs</cc>
    
    <cc>plh</cc>
    
    <cc>public-html-a11y</cc>
    
    <cc>public-html-admin</cc>
    
    <cc>public-html-wg-issue-tracking</cc>
    
    <cc>robin</cc>
          
          <qa_contact name="This bug has no owner yet - up for the taking">dave.null</qa_contact>

      

      

      

          <comment_sort_order>oldest_to_newest</comment_sort_order>  
          <long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>70956</commentid>
    <comment_count>0</comment_count>
    <who name="">contributor</who>
    <bug_when>2012-07-18 17:49:09 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>This was was cloned from bug 17114 as part of operation convergence.
Originally filed: 2012-05-19 00:00:00 +0000

================================================================================
 #0   contributor@whatwg.org                          2012-05-19 00:00:21 +0000 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specification: http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/sections.html
Multipage: http://www.whatwg.org/C#the-nav-element
Complete: http://www.whatwg.org/c#the-nav-element

Comment:
With the prevalence of tabbed navigation in newer websites, it would be nice
to have a block element called &quot;tab&quot; to be used in the nav block element.
Thank you.

Posted from: 173.245.64.56
User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0
================================================================================
 #1   Devarshi Pant                                   2012-06-12 20:19:38 +0000 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When an active tabbed panel is made visually discernable using a different background color, it&apos;s equivalent is not available to screen reader users -- Can this info on active tab be passed on to screen readers using html5? 
Thanks, 
Devarshi

(In reply to comment #0)
&gt; Specification:
&gt; http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/sections.html
&gt; Multipage: http://www.whatwg.org/C#the-nav-element
&gt; Complete: http://www.whatwg.org/c#the-nav-element
&gt; Comment:
&gt; With the prevalence of tabbed navigation in newer websites, it would be nice
&gt; to have a block element called &quot;tab&quot; to be used in the nav block element.
&gt; Thank you.
&gt; Posted from: 173.245.64.56
&gt; User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101
&gt; Firefox/12.0
================================================================================</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73788</commentid>
    <comment_count>1</comment_count>
    <who name="Robin Berjon">robin</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 15:47:51 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;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
Rationale: Tabs are a presentational effect that can (and in a number of cases is) be done in such a way as to be AT friendly. If standardised this could be better handled through CSS.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73802</commentid>
    <comment_count>2</comment_count>
    <who name="Devarshi Pant">devarshipant</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 18:38:47 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #1)
&gt; EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are
&gt; satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If
&gt; you have additional information and would like the Editor to reconsider, please
&gt; reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML
&gt; Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest
&gt; title and text for the Tracker Issue; or you may create a Tracker Issue
&gt; yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
&gt;    http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html
&gt; Status: Rejected
&gt; Rationale: Tabs are a presentational effect that can (and in a number of cases
&gt; is) be done in such a way as to be AT friendly. If standardised this could be
&gt; better handled through CSS.

I do not understand your rationale and basis for rejection. The intent is to create a semantic equivalent of this presentational effect and its state (e.g., active) that you refer to. Please clarify why it cannot be done.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73803</commentid>
    <comment_count>3</comment_count>
    <who name="steve faulkner">faulkner.steve</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 18:57:21 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #1)
&gt; EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are
&gt; satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If
&gt; you have additional information and would like the Editor to reconsider, please
&gt; reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML
&gt; Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest
&gt; title and text for the Tracker Issue; or you may create a Tracker Issue
&gt; yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
&gt; 
&gt;    http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html
&gt; 
&gt; Status: Rejected
&gt; Rationale: Tabs are a presentational effect that can (and in a number of cases
&gt; is) be done in such a way as to be AT friendly. If standardised this could be
&gt; better handled through CSS.

Hi Robin, claiming it is a presentational effect appears to be at odds with every accessibility API which provide distinct roles to identify the semantic structures of tabs [1](tab, tablist, tabpanels) which are implemented across OS&apos;s and platforms. They are provided because almost all UI languages have tab widgets. tabs are not merely presentational they are UI controls and have a role and states and properties that cannot be handled by CSS. 

[1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/aria-implementation/#mapping_role</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73804</commentid>
    <comment_count>4</comment_count>
    <who name="steve faulkner">faulkner.steve</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 18:58:17 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #1)
&gt; EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are
&gt; satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If
&gt; you have additional information and would like the Editor to reconsider, please
&gt; reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML
&gt; Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest
&gt; title and text for the Tracker Issue; or you may create a Tracker Issue
&gt; yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
&gt; 
&gt;    http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html
&gt; 
&gt; Status: Rejected
&gt; Rationale: Tabs are a presentational effect that can (and in a number of cases
&gt; is) be done in such a way as to be AT friendly. If standardised this could be
&gt; better handled through CSS.

Hi Robin, claiming it is a presentational effect appears to be at odds with every accessibility API which provide distinct roles to identify the semantic structures of tabs [1](tab, tablist, tabpanels) which are implemented across OS&apos;s and platforms. They are provided because almost all UI languages have tab widgets. tabs are not merely presentational they are UI controls and have a role and states and properties that cannot be handled by CSS. 

[1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/aria-implementation/#mapping_role</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73805</commentid>
    <comment_count>5</comment_count>
    <who name="Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis">bhawkeslewis</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 19:18:54 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>For a CSS approach see:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2009Apr/0298.html</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73807</commentid>
    <comment_count>6</comment_count>
    <who name="steve faulkner">faulkner.steve</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 19:33:58 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #5)
&gt; For a CSS approach see:
&gt; 
&gt; http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2009Apr/0298.html

doesn&apos;t ppaear to provide any info about how the semantics/states and properties of the tabs are to be conveyed or am I missing something?</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73808</commentid>
    <comment_count>7</comment_count>
    <who name="Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis">bhawkeslewis</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 19:47:23 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #6)
&gt; (In reply to comment #5)
&gt; &gt; For a CSS approach see:
&gt; &gt; 
&gt; &gt; http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2009Apr/0298.html
&gt; 
&gt; doesn&apos;t ppaear to provide any info about how the semantics/states and
&gt; properties of the tabs are to be conveyed or am I missing something?

Don&apos;t think you are.

It&apos;s just an example of what a tabbing mechanism might look like in CSS. If this was added, mappings to accessibility API roles, states, and properties would have to be derived. If we also added markup for tab views that could use the CSS mechanism.

Not sure of the merits of tab views being expressed as part of the structure of the document/application rather than presentation.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73809</commentid>
    <comment_count>8</comment_count>
    <who name="James Craig">jcraig</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-13 19:59:56 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Steve&apos;s concern is that semantics are needed for the controlling elements (e.g. tabs and tablist) versus the controlled elements (e.g. tabpanel). 

While I don&apos;t agree with Robin&apos;s statement that tabs are a presentational effect, the semantics mentioned in the CSS card-stack example are for the content sections (similar to ARIA&apos;s tabpanel role or a generic hidden/shown div) and may therefore only need to be marked as shown or hidden in the accessibility APIs rather than to have semantic roles or properties applied. 

Perhaps the confusion is that Robin should have said &quot;card-stacks&quot; rather than &quot;tabs&quot; are a presentational effect that can be used for semantic controls like tab panels, but in cases where the controlling elements indicate some additional functionality, it&apos;s the page authors responsibility to convey semantics through use of appropriate HTML elements or ARIA roles.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73826</commentid>
    <comment_count>9</comment_count>
    <who name="Maciej Stachowiak">mjs</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-14 04:12:29 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>&lt;with chair hat off&gt;
I personally disagree that tabs are purely presentational.  While a set of panels where you show one at a time is a generic idea that could in principle be done with @hidden or with pure CSS, the tab strip and its relation to the set of views is clearly semantic, at least as much as a push button.

&lt;with chair hat on&gt;
Given where we are in the process with HTML5, and given that this is a new feature request, I recommend deferring this request to a future version of HTML.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73855</commentid>
    <comment_count>10</comment_count>
    <who name="steve faulkner">faulkner.steve</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-14 09:28:29 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #9)
&gt; &lt;with chair hat off&gt;
&gt; I personally disagree that tabs are purely presentational.  While a set of
&gt; panels where you show one at a time is a generic idea that could in principle
&gt; be done with @hidden or with pure CSS, the tab strip and its relation to the
&gt; set of views is clearly semantic, at least as much as a push button.
&gt; 
&gt; &lt;with chair hat on&gt;
&gt; Given where we are in the process with HTML5, and given that this is a new
&gt; feature request, I recommend deferring this request to a future version of
&gt; HTML.

Hi Maciej, 

I was acting under the assumption that this was something being disucussed for html.next. Would be good if we could define a keyword that flags bugs for html.next. I realise we have a sperate product for it, but if bugs get filed or re-opened against the html spec then it would be helpful to be able to flag as html.next rather having to refile.

note this issue has been previously raised: http://www.w3.org/html/wg/tracker/issues/134 and marked as postponed.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73926</commentid>
    <comment_count>11</comment_count>
    <who name="Maciej Stachowiak">mjs</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-14 13:25:26 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #10)

&gt; 
&gt; I was acting under the assumption that this was something being disucussed for
&gt; html.next. Would be good if we could define a keyword that flags bugs for
&gt; html.next. I realise we have a sperate product for it, but if bugs get filed or
&gt; re-opened against the html spec then it would be helpful to be able to flag as
&gt; html.next rather having to refile.
&gt; 
&gt; note this issue has been previously raised:
&gt; http://www.w3.org/html/wg/tracker/issues/134 and marked as postponed.

You can just change the product to HTML.next. You can even do that right when reopening.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>73935</commentid>
    <comment_count>12</comment_count>
    <who name="Devarshi Pant">devarshipant</who>
    <bug_when>2012-09-14 17:35:14 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>&gt; You can just change the product to HTML.next. You can even do that right when
&gt; reopening.

It is already categorized as HTML.next.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>81723</commentid>
    <comment_count>13</comment_count>
    <who name="Robin Berjon">robin</who>
    <bug_when>2013-01-21 15:59:29 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Mass move to &quot;HTML WG&quot;</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>81841</commentid>
    <comment_count>14</comment_count>
    <who name="Robin Berjon">robin</who>
    <bug_when>2013-01-21 16:02:14 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Mass move to &quot;HTML WG&quot;</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>84179</commentid>
    <comment_count>15</comment_count>
    <who name="">cobaco</who>
    <bug_when>2013-03-09 15:29:34 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>there&apos;s actually no css/html additons needed for that:

You can already do it by adding a (visually hidden) &lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot; aria-controls=&quot;tabpanelid&quot;&gt; to store the tabstate (along with the appriate role attributes)

An example page showing this approach can be found at http://freemen.be/examples/tabs_example.html

Tested to work in the current incarnation of all 4 major browsers.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>84223</commentid>
    <comment_count>16</comment_count>
    <who name="Devarshi Pant">devarshipant</who>
    <bug_when>2013-03-11 15:02:35 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>A form field list (Ins + F5 in JAWS 13 / IE8 / Win 7) shows radio button controls as &apos;Tab 1 Tab&apos; &apos;Tab 2 Tab&apos; etc. A radio button control list (Ins + Ctrl + r) gives a list of radio buttons as &apos;Tab 1 radio button checked&apos; &apos;Tab 2 radio button not checked&apos; etc.
Where is the semantic equivalent for the active tab, unless the key word here is &apos;radio button checked&apos;?
-Devarshi

(In reply to comment #15)
&gt; there&apos;s actually no css/html additons needed for that:

You can already do
&gt; it by adding a (visually hidden) &lt;input type=&quot;radio&quot;
&gt; aria-controls=&quot;tabpanelid&quot;&gt; to store the tabstate (along with the appriate
&gt; role attributes)

An example page showing this approach can be found at
&gt; http://freemen.be/examples/tabs_example.html

Tested to work in the current
&gt; incarnation of all 4 major browsers.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>117426</commentid>
    <comment_count>17</comment_count>
    <who name="Léonie Watson">lwatson</who>
    <bug_when>2015-01-22 13:56:42 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>This draft extension proposes a number of elements and attributes for implementing tabs and other similar constructs:
http://bkardell.github.io/common-panel/</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>125847</commentid>
    <comment_count>18</comment_count>
    <who name="Charles McCathieNevile">chaals</who>
    <bug_when>2016-04-14 14:20:01 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>In WICG: http://bkardell.github.io/common-panel/</thetext>
  </long_desc>
      
      

    </bug>

</bugzilla>