[whatwg] Accesskey in Web Forms 2

[Sander]

Laurens Holst wrote:
> That could have been implemented much better with Javascript, which
> wouldn't require you to press ALT with the keys.

And is often disabled. Plus, given the choice between adding one 
attribute (and a styling hook), or numerous line of javascript with all 
the cross-browser compatibility testing that entails - I know what I 
prefer to do.

>>most users probably wouldn't know the
>>functionality existed unless they were told about it, and even then
>>they wouldn't use it most of the time.
> 
> Do you think it is different for access keys? They are even more
> useless. Most people have no clue about the existence of access keys,

Based on feedback I've received on just that photo-album - from 
completely not computer-oriented people - I'd say that just a visual 
indication like that is enough to make them discoverable. Users have no 
clue that it's "accesskeys" they're using - but there's an underline 
just like in the menu, and they do know (barely) that they can hit 
alt-underlined letter to open the menu, so that's enough to get them to 
try it.

> and when you do you still have to depend on the page's author to both
> have 1. implemented them, and 2. indicated which keys to use.

1. goes for everything. 2. can be suggested in the spec to be something 
the useragent should do. (If not detected to have already been done by 
the page author.)

> In any case, the access key should be suggestive, nothing more.

As long as any such suggestions (which do not clash with the useragent) 
will work by default for the majority of users and will not have to be 
specifically approved, for that is not something the majority of users 
will ever do.

Sander