What is the proper implementation of tabindex?

[Adrian M.H.]

How should it be used, how does it function, etc.?

I would like to use this technique in my current project and maybe add it to another site that I look after, but I can't see how it really works and therefore how it benefits anyone.

I have tested it out recently based on a tutorial that I found (can't recall the source) but it seems as if it does nothing different compared to tabbing through anchors and form fields without tabindex in place.

[corbyboy]

By default, tabbing between fields in a form will switch them in the order they appear in the html. If you use tabindex you can customise the order in which they are tabbed.

This page explains it a bit better: http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/form..._TABINDEX.html

[Adrian M.H.]

Does it also work well for anchors? That's really my main aim; making the anchors as easily navigable as possible. I have been trying it on anchors, but it seems to ignore the first couple of links that I placed in the order (in a separate list, which is above the main list in both the mark up and on the page).

[corbyboy]

Yes it works for anchors toop. Take a look at the SitePoint reference page for it: http://reference.sitepoint.com/html/a/tabindex

[Adrian M.H.]

OK, thanks. I'll stick with it.

[felgall]

If you want to make a page more accessible then you delete the tabindex references from the page. Most of the time they hinder rather than help accessibility. It was an idea that was meant to improve accessibility that turned out to have the reverse effect.

[Adrian M.H.]

If you want to make a page more accessible then you delete the tabindex references from the page. Most of the time they hinder rather than help accessibility. It was an idea that was meant to improve accessibility that turned out to have the reverse effect.

That's interesting and surprising. Not something that I have read about before.

Thanks for the info.

[paul_wilkins]

Here's some reference material about tabindex and the accessibility issues involved.