ComboBox: JAWS read nothing when press ArrowDown to show combo list

[hyang]

1: start JAWS
2: visit ​http://livedocs.dojotoolkit.org/dijit/form/ComboBox[[BR]] 3: run the first sample(Programmatic example using a dojo.store)
4: move focus to combox with keyboard
5: press ArrowDown? to show the list

Defect: JAWS read nothing in step 5.

My ENV is: Win7 + JAWS14 +FF16+Dojo 1.6.1, this reproduce on newest dojo too

[mikeb]

Hello,

When you press the down arrow to open the ComboBox?, JAWS will read whatever label has been applied to said ComboBox?; if there is no label, JAWS won't read anything, which is what is going on in that test case.

I have attached a sample demonstrating how JAWS behaves differently depending on if there is a label or not.

You can set a label by either setting "aria-label":"my label", "aria-labelledby":{id}, or by using a <label> tag.

[mikeb]

sample html file demonstrating difference in JAWS behavior with labels

[hyang]

Thanks for so rapid response, I do not want to customize what should do when press Arrowdown, please listen the sample below ​http://archive.dojotoolkit.org/nightly/dojotoolkit/dijit/tests/form/_autoComplete.html?testWidget=dijit.form.ComboBox, it read 'bla bla, to select value, use arrow key....' when press Arrowdown, but read nothing in my sample

[mikeb]

The reason that JAWS reads nothing in your sample is because the sample here (​http://livedocs.dojotoolkit.org/dijit/form/ComboBox) does not use a <label> tag. However, the sample on ​http://archive.dojotoolkit.org/nightly/dojotoolkit/dijit/tests/form/_autoComplete.html?testWidget=dijit.form.ComboBox DOES use a label tag. When you press the down arrow to open the ComboBox, JAWS will speak the text in the label. Since your sample has no label text, JAWS doesn't say anything.

You can look at the HTML to see the difference. Here is the first sample HTML, JAWS WILL NOT speak anything when you press the down arrow:

    <select data-dojo-type="dijit/form/ComboBox" id="fruit" name="fruit">
    <option>Apples</option>
    <option selected>Oranges</option>
    <option>Pears</option>
</select>

In order to get JAWS to speak the instructions when you press the down arrow, change the HTML to be this:

    <label for="fruit">Select a fruit</label>
    <select data-dojo-type="dijit/form/ComboBox" id="fruit" name="fruit">
    <option>Apples</option>
    <option selected>Oranges</option>
    <option>Pears</option>
</select>

Now that there is a <label> element for the ComboBox, JAWS will read "Select a fruit, to select a value use arrow key...". JAWS only does this because we have added the label.

If you don't use the label tag, there is no way to get JAWS to speak anything when you press the down arrow. You must use a label (either <label> element, or aria-label, or aria-labelledby) if you want JAWS to speak when you down arrow.