Re: PM pages should have Tabindex attributes

[Prior Nacre V]

Firstly, the introduction of tabindex attributes is an excellent idea; however, limiting them to the home page and citing the use of a password manager as the primary reason for adding them is, in my opinion, entirely the wrong focus.

(Note: the term 'Tab key', as used here, indicates any input to the browser which achieves tabbing functionality, e.g. 'Down Arrow' in Lynx.)

Consider why someone would want to use the Tab key to navigate this site. The reasons may be generally grouped into two broad categories:

Physically unable to use a mouse

The user may have some disability or handicap which could range from arthritis to quadriplegia.

A mouse is inappropriate for the browser being used

The user might be me testing site navigation with Lynx prior to writing this (more on that in a minute) or someone who is visually impaired and accesses this site using an audio- or tactile-based browser (e.g. a speech synthesiser or Braille interface).

Regardless of whether you agree with my categorisations, the fact remains that someone wishing to navigate this site with the Tab key wants to do just that: navigate the site not just the home page.

So, what's it like navigating the site with the Tab key. Prior to writing this I used the Lynx (text-based keyboard-driven) browser to log in and access this thread. In short, it was bloody tortuous! For instance, it requires over 20 keystrokes just to get past the links at the top of the page.

Can it be fixed? The short answer is yes but the longer answer requires another question: "What precisely needs fixing?". And that question should be answered by all Monks that have any accessibility or usability issues with this site.

Let's fully define the problem before attempting to formulate a solution!

[Joost]

For instance, it requires over 20 keystrokes just to get past the links at the top of the page.

I think a good (and simple) solution is to add a <a href="#content">skip navigation</a> to the top of the page, which will jump to the content. This is fairly standard practice for "accessible" websites, if you have a large navigation list (like this site).

Joost

[ambrus]

There is an option in User Settings that turns off the the four lines of links at the top of the page. It's called "No navigation menu under title bar".

[Prior Nacre V]

Yes, that's the standard solution to that specific issue and the one I use on my own website.