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Add notes to 2.4.3 understanding to try and address static content receiving focus and what does/doesn't constitute a focus order failure #1643

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Add notes to 2.4.3 understanding to try and address static content receiving focus and what does/doesn't constitute a focus order failure #1643

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Add notes to 2.4.3 understanding
patrickhlauke Feb 15, 2021
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Tweak note about redundant focus stops
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Expand note to mention "card" component, give code example for nested…
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63 changes: 42 additions & 21 deletions understanding/20/focus-order.html
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Expand Up @@ -8,11 +8,9 @@
<body>
<h1>Understanding Focus Order</h1>


<section id="intent">
<h2>Intent of Focus Order</h2>


<p>The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that when users navigate sequentially
through content, they encounter information in an order that is consistent with the
meaning of the content and can be operated from the keyboard. This reduces confusion
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -55,6 +53,28 @@ <h2>Intent of Focus Order</h2>
sets of users and does not appear to either of them to jump around randomly.
</p>

<p>Focus order also does not need to follow the visual presentation of the web page,
as long as the order in which elements receive focus is logical, and the hierarchy and relationship
of content implied by the visual presentation is preserved. For instance, in a two-column
layout, the assumption in western left-to-right systems may be that elements in the
left-hand column would receive focus first – and, more generally, that focus order proceeds across lines,
from components in the top-left corner of the viewport to the bottom-right corner.
However, if meaning and operation are not affected, in this case it is not a failure if elements in the right-hand
column receive focus first. As a best practice, though, make sure the focus order reinforces the reading order.
</p>

<div class="note">
<p>It is not a failure of this success criterion if static/non-interactive content
receives focus. Making an element that does not act as an actionable user interface component
focusable, or programmatically moving focus to such an element, does not necessarily constitute
a failure of this success criterion. This situation is a failure if these additional focus stops
impede the operation of the content, or create illogical focus orders - for example, a control
appearing to receive focus multiple times due to the use of nested focusable elements.</p>
<pre><code>&lt;div tabindex="0"&gt;&lt;button&gt;...&lt;/button&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</code></pre>
<p>As a best practice, avoid having focusable elements which cannot be operated
or actioned, as these are likely to make operation tedious for keyboard users.</p>
</div>

<p>For clarity:</p>

<ol>
Expand All @@ -63,6 +83,8 @@ <h2>Intent of Focus Order</h2>
operability only when navigation sequences affect meaning and operability.
</li>

<li>Focus order does not need to follow visual presentation or layout.</li>
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@awkawk awkawk Jun 27, 2023

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I don't think that I agree with this statement. The issue is that the interpretation of the visual presentation is subjective.

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@patrickhlauke patrickhlauke Jun 27, 2023

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does not necessarily need to follow visual presentation, perhaps? i've seen extreme cases where auditors gleefully fail things if they're not exactly in the same order as the visual, with things like three little icon-based buttons that receive focus right-to-left instead of left-to-right (because the author used CSS floats that effectively reversed the order) ... but where the meaning was not impacted and it was not really a problem.

there must be some way we can somehow make that clear...

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@mbgower mbgower Jun 27, 2023

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Yeah, add "necessarily".

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@patrickhlauke patrickhlauke Jun 27, 2023

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wonder if it's too handwavy though. maybe best to expand this, or add some more words that reflect what @awkawk rightly says...that it's subjective?

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@awkawk awkawk Jun 27, 2023

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Who is deciding what is the visual presentation order? Shouldn't the tab order follow whatever that is decided to be?

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@patrickhlauke patrickhlauke Jun 27, 2023

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or adding "as long as meaning/operation are not affected"

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@patrickhlauke patrickhlauke Jun 27, 2023

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"Who is deciding what is the visual presentation order?" not sure i follow...is this rhetorical? the author/designer will work on the visual/layout, but for various reasons the focus order may be slightly different. the point is that as long as meaning/operation aren't affected (and it's...subjectively...not too haphazard jumping all over the place) it's not necessarily a failure if the focus order doesn't strictly follow the western top-to-bottom/left-to-right (in left-to-right writing cultures)


<li>In those cases where it is required, there may be more than one order that will preserve
meaning and operability.
</li>
Expand All @@ -71,14 +93,16 @@ <h2>Intent of Focus Order</h2>
them needs to be provided.
</li>

<li>Static/non-interactive elements can receive focus, as long as they don't significantly
impede operation of the content.
</li>

</ol>


</section>
<section id="benefits">
<h2>Benefits of Focus Order</h2>


<p>These techniques benefit keyboard users who navigate documents sequentially and expect
the focus order to be consistent with the sequential reading order.
</p>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -110,7 +134,6 @@ <h2>Benefits of Focus Order</h2>
<section id="examples">
<h2>Examples of Focus Order</h2>


<ol>

<li>On a web page that contains a tree of interactive controls, the user can use the up
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -176,7 +199,6 @@ <h2>Examples of Focus Order</h2>
<section id="resources">
<h2>Resources for Focus Order</h2>


</section>

<section id="techniques">
Expand All @@ -190,11 +212,11 @@ <h3>Sufficient Techniques for Focus Order</h3>
<ol>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G59" class="general">Placing the interactive elements in an order that follows sequences and relationships
within the content
</a>

</li>

<li>
Expand All @@ -206,9 +228,9 @@ <h3>Sufficient Techniques for Focus Order</h3>
<ul>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/css/C27" class="css">Making the DOM order match the visual order</a>

</li>

<li>
Expand All @@ -234,23 +256,23 @@ <h3>Sufficient Techniques for Focus Order</h3>
<ul>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/client-side-script/SCR26" class="script">Inserting dynamic content into the Document Object Model immediately following its
trigger element
</a>

</li>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/client-side-script/SCR37" class="script">Creating custom dialogs in a device independent way</a>

</li>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/client-side-script/SCR27" class="script">Reordering page sections using the Document Object Model</a>

</li>

</ul>
Expand All @@ -269,23 +291,22 @@ <h3>Additional Techniques (Advisory) for Focus Order</h3>
<section id="failure">
<h3>Failures for Focus Order</h3>


<ul>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/failures/F44" class="failure">Failure of 2.4.3 due to using tabindex to create a tab order that does not preserve
meaning and operability
</a>

</li>

<li>

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/failures/F85" class="failure">Failure of Success Criterion 2.4.3 due to using dialogs or menus that are not adjacent
to their trigger control in the sequential navigation order
</a>

</li>

</ul>
Expand Down