[thelist] The Tao of asking questions on thelist

[Rory.Plaire at wahchang.com]

+| I also think I owe a really large tip for all that ranting:

Hi Richard!

That was a great tip. I knew about the technique for the nefarious other
purposes it is used, but never something so useful and beneficial -- thanks!

This is why I love this list. I am almost continually outside of my little
box I call my world whenever I peek at it. This applies to all aspects of
discourse -- style, tone and timbre of posts, cultural influences on
perspective and thinking process, 24 hr posts (since, I think, the sun never
sets on Evolt), style, application and finesse in technique, strengths where
I am weak, questions where I am strong, and on and on. 

So, I just want to say thanks to everyone. Even those who ignore my posts,
chastise my style (to some, I seem completely incapable of speaking in
normal conversational English 8), and irk me, because you all help me grow
and love an imperfect humanity a little more.

Ahh... I've been saving this one which I am particularly fond of. My first
(and I believe original) contribution to the realm of accessibility.

<tip type="Accessible submit buttons" author="rory">
Have a long list of items from a query on a page and each one can be the
launching point for activity? Does a select box just not give enough
information to allow a meaningful choice? I use a button for each to allow
choice, but this presents both accessibility and clumsiness issues. It takes
people time to scroll and click. Some just want to *wham* and go where they
choose.

Try this technique... this is in ColdFusion, but you can use it in ASP, PHP,
etc.

<input type="submit" name="btnSubmit" value="(#Chr(qry.currentRow+65)#)"
accesskey="#Chr(qry.currentRow+65)# tabindex="#qry.currentRow#">

With tweaking the number 65 in the Chr function, you can make more than 26
buttons available, but this introduces problems when keyboards don't support
a particular character. More than 26 choices for launching, anyway, and it's
time to rethink the information architecture for better navigability. (Every
wonder why there are between 25 and 30 letters in most alphabets in the
world? Even Eastern Asiatic languages are composed to some degree of a
limited number of repeating glyphs.)

The buttons appear with a letter on the face, indicating which access key
will immediately activate that button from the keyboard. This suffices the
usability principles of ease-of-use (buttons are common UI artifacts),
accommodation for experts (keyboard access allows speed and efficiency), and
accessibility for a variety of users.
</tip>

<rory disposition="'The true lover yearneth after tribulation...'"
alt="8)"/>