6:56 a.m.
Dear Netsurf community!
I'm applying to GSOC for keyboard navigation, but got no response yet,
and was told on IRC that I should post my ideas to the mailing list.
Here are they (a little revised from what is in the application):
My proposal's content from the user's perspective:
(this is mainly for the PC's keyboard, but can be extended for others too)
- One-key default shortcuts for the most basic operations - like in Opera, for
example
F8 - focus the address bar
Z/Backspace - navigate back in history
X/Shift+Backspace - navigate forward in history
maybe J,K,^F,^B,^D,^U - scrolling the content for Vi fanatics
etc.
- highlight current text field - this is beneficial for the user for detecting
where is his focus as Jeff Atwood points out
[http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001055.html]
- TAB and SHIFT-TAB for jumping between text fields (for example at login
screens)
- keyboard navigation - when the Shift key is being pressed, a little number or
character or string of characters next to each link is displayed on the
screen, which when typed on keyboard focuses that link. Four links will be
special which next to the string also display a little custom colored arrow,
each with different color, with the meaning which will be the next focused
link when navigated with Shift+Arrows (this is called spatial navigation)
An alternative way for displaying those strings next to the links without
worrying ALT/CTRL/SHIFT portability problems is to do it the Konqueror way:
hit and release CTRL. Just try it in Konqueror. It is pretty neat,
pretty much what I have on mind, but in K. it is restricted only to one
character.
Altogether this is something like the spatial navigation + keyboard links
together.
The workarounds for the pages with lots of links or with long
scrollable content should also be discussed well.
The typing of links is very similar to MS Office's new GUI and to a Firefox
extension or to Konqueror for which I have no screenshot (unfortunately I
don't have much time to do it right now):
again, a Jeff Atwood article for a screen shot of Office
[http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000825.html], and a screen shot of
hit-a-hint can be found here:
[http://weblogs.asp.net/jgalloway/archive/2006/06/14/Mouseless-Computing.aspx]
- support for Access Keys - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_keys]
Konqueror seems to use this effectively in his navigation
(when you press Ctrl twice)
What do you think? Are these feasible ideas?
Thank you!
Bye!
Balazs Kezes
8:01 a.m.
Balazs Kezes wrote:
My proposal's content from the user's perspective: (this is mainly
for the PC's keyboard, but can be extended for others too) - One-key
default shortcuts for the most basic operations - like in Opera, for
example
These default shortcuts have to be mapped on a platform by platform
basis. Different platforms have different norms. For instance Windows
uses Ctrl-S for save while Risc OS uses f3.
--
(\/)atthew
9:02 p.m.
Matthew Hambley wrote:
These default shortcuts have to be mapped on a platform by platform
basis. Different platforms have different norms. For instance Windows
uses Ctrl-S for save while Risc OS uses f3.
My proposal is mainly for the keyboard navigation, activating links,
focusing edit boxes with typing some kind of strings. This would be
kinda modal. You press a button, you enter this mode and those strings
appear next to links and edit boxes. This button is configurable, for
default it can be the Konquerorish tapping CTRL [pressing and
releasing CTRL]. But it could be configured to use CTRL+M, CTRL+K,
F12, triangle when on playstation (just joking) or anything
non-disturbing key close to the characters to type. When you enter
this mode you can only type those strings, which when typed completely
focuses the given element. You can quit this mode retapping CTRL. In
this mode some of the quick-keys/shortcuts (mentioned by Matthew) just
won't work, but you can navigate quicker.
I think this is wouldn't have much of portability problems.
Also, when not focused in an edit box, shift+arrows (also configurable
to other modifiers) would also enter this mode (for spatial
navigation) but it would be in this mode only till the shift is held
down.
About those strings which will appear: they should be quite "static".
What I mean common links, edit boxes should have the same string
displayed, even when the content has changed.
Imagine a person who is reading an another persons blog daily and
every time leaves a comment. For him every day when opens the blog and
reads it, has just to tap CTRL, type "co" for example (this scrolls to
the edit box and focuses it), leave the comment, press TAB to focus to
the submit button and press enter. No mouse involved and also no
annoying lengthy tabbing through the page.
One of my worries is how to handle long pages with lots of links, for
example a generated page with tables which contain links. I guess, a
good idea would be just to process the first N links and edit boxes on
a page.
--
Balázs Kezes
1:02 a.m.
Balazs Kezes wrote:
Matthew Hambley wrote:
> These default shortcuts have to be mapped on a platform by platform
> basis. Different platforms have different norms. For instance
> Windows uses Ctrl-S for save while Risc OS uses f3.
My proposal is mainly for the keyboard navigation, activating links,
focusing edit boxes with typing some kind of strings. This would be
kinda modal. You press a button, you enter this mode and those
strings appear next to links and edit boxes.
Somewhat belated reply:
Fair enough. If you're looking at a modal interface then it's less of an
issue although beware, modal interfaces can be annoying. I was really
just pointing out that keys you expect to be available for navigation
may already be used for something else.
--
(\/)atthew
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3 comments
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participants (2)
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Balazs Kezes -
Matthew Hambley