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Bug 17489 - Using ARIA to provide keyboard access
Summary: Using ARIA to provide keyboard access
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: ARIA
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Core AAM (show other bugs)
Version: 1.0
Hardware: PC other
: P4 enhancement
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: ARIA UA Implementors
QA Contact: ARIA UA Implementors
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2012-06-14 18:08 UTC by Devarshi Pant
Modified: 2018-05-11 22:08 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

See Also:


Attachments

Description Devarshi Pant 2012-06-14 18:08:48 UTC
Use ARIA to send keyboard focus to certain elements. A use case could look something like: 
1. Indicate using ARIA (within the body of html?) that <H1> and <H2> get keyboard access. 
2. User agents then render this page where all <H1> and <H2> headers receive keyboard focus.

If this sounds convincing, the same logic could be applied to important text alerts in red, instructional text that adjacent to the form control, etc. etc.
Comment 1 David Bolter 2012-07-24 16:56:11 UTC
Hi Devarshi, it sounds like what you are describing is already achievable via setting the tabindex="0" attribute in html?

Perhaps you'd like to confirm that tabindex can be controlled via CSS selector? I don't know off hand if all browser implement this.

Please reopen if you disagree, but I think ARIA is the wrong place for this request.
Comment 2 Devarshi Pant 2012-07-25 13:28:47 UTC
(In reply to comment #1)
> Hi Devarshi, it sounds like what you are describing is already achievable via
> setting the tabindex="0" attribute in html?
> Perhaps you'd like to confirm that tabindex can be controlled via CSS selector?
> I don't know off hand if all browser implement this.
> Please reopen if you disagree, but I think ARIA is the wrong place for this
> request.

Hi David,

Isn't tabindex="0" applied per element for it to receive keyboard focus? I was hoping that using ARIA, a group of elements (in this case, headers) could have been given keyboard focus at one go.

Not sure about CSS.

-Devarshi
Comment 3 Devarshi Pant 2016-04-14 16:45:26 UTC
I think an aria equivalent of tabindex="0" might be a good idea, like specifying role="xstop" (where "x" is H [heading] or P [paragraph]) in a <div> would allow developers to set keyboard focus on such elements. Reopening in case anyone wants to chime in and brainstorm.
-Devarshi
Comment 4 James Nurthen 2018-05-11 22:08:38 UTC
ARIA is not allowed to change browser behaviour. tabindex is the correct way to ensure something gets focus.
It would be nice to be able to apply tabindex via CSS IMO but that is an ask of another group.