Thanks Kerry - that is a very helpful reply. I do have quite a few other keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls but I understand the ease of using the Tab key to toggle between buttons. I recently completed a game for a large organisation and the tab functionality was a must for the accessibility requirements. I think it is probably safer to remove the in game tab and shift tab controls or replace with alternative key shortcuts.
Out of interest, do you think the user should be able to tab between each "square" on the crossword? A-Z: Enter the typed letter into the square Space bar: Change between Across and Down Del: Clear the selected square Backspace: Clear the selected square (or previous if square is empty) Arrow keys: Select the neighbouring square Tab: Select the next word Shift+Tab: Select the previous word Home: Select the 1st square in the selected word End: Select the last square in the selected word Click on an unselected square: Select the square clicked on Click on the selected square: Change between Across and Down Click on a clue: Select the corresponding word Thanks Paul -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kerry Thompson Sent: 22 May 2009 16:47 To: 'Flash Coders List' Subject: RE: [Flashcoders] Using Tab key as a game control Paul Steven wrote: > Is it a bad idea to use the "Tab" key as a game control. Basically in a > crossword game I am creating, I was going to use "TAB" to move to the next > word and "SHIFT TAB" to move to the previous word. I notice however that > when I press the TAB key all the buttons on my game screen are appearing > with yellow boxes around them. I assume this is some kind of accessibility > thing? Yes, it is an accessibility issue. People with compromised muscle control use the tab key to navigate to buttons, URLs, etc. I've built accessible programs a lot in the past, and I've disabled the auto-tab feature. The programs I've written have been tailored to work with specific hardware tools like switches and programmable flat-panel keyboard substitutes. If you're not building alternate accessibility features, though, you might be in a bind. Tab is the way most people navigate crosswords, but I've done crossword games where you can click on the clue or in a blank space in the puzzle. On the other hand, you might be able to get away with disabling Tab. There are other Web tools, like Shockwave, that don't implement Tab for accessibility. However, I'm not an expert on current accessibility requirements. I would recommend you find out more about what the law (and your client) require. Others on this list, and on Flash Tiger, can probably help you with that. Cordially, Kerry Thompson _______________________________________________ Flashcoders mailing list [email protected] http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders _______________________________________________ Flashcoders mailing list [email protected] http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders
