Ext.js - Accessibility



In general accessibility means availability, the content is accessible means the content is available.

In software terms, the application is accessible means the application is available for all. Here, all means the persons with disabilities, the visually impaired or those who use screen readers to use a computer or those who prefer to navigate using the keyboard instead of using a mouse. navigation with keyboard instead of using a mouse.

Applications which are accessible are called ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications).

Accessibility in Ext JS

Ext JS is designed to keep this in mind that it should work with all keyboard navigations. It has built-in tab indexing and focus-ability, and it is always on by default so we do not need to add any property to enable this functionality.

This functionality allows all keyboard-enabled components to interact with the user when tabbed into. For example, we can use tab for moving on to the next component instead of a mouse. Same way, we can use shift+tab for moving backward and use enter on the keyboard to click, etc.

Focus Styling and Tabs

Focus is inbuilt in Extjs when using keystroke for tabbing.

Following example shows how to the style changes, when the focus changes with the tabs.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <link href = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/extjs/6.0.0/classic/theme-crisp/resources/theme-crisp-all.css" 
         rel = "stylesheet" />
      <script type = "text/javascript" 
         src = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/extjs/6.0.0/ext-all.js"></script>
      
      <script type = "text/javascript">
         Ext.onReady(function(){
            Ext.create('Ext.Button', {
               renderTo: Ext.getElementById('button1'),
               text: 'Button1',
               
               listeners: {
                  click: function() {
                     Ext.MessageBox.alert('Alert box', 'Button 1 is clicked');	
                  }
               }
            });
            Ext.create('Ext.Button', {
               renderTo: Ext.getElementById('button2'),
               text: 'Button2',
               
               listeners: {
                  click: function() {
                     Ext.MessageBox.alert('Alert box', 'Button 2 is clicked');	
                  }
               }
            });
            Ext.create('Ext.Button', {
               renderTo: Ext.getElementById('button3'),
               text: 'Button3',
               
               listeners: {
                  click: function() {
                     Ext.MessageBox.alert('Alert box', 'Button 3 is clicked');	
                  }
               }
            });
         });     
      </script>
   </head>
   
   <body> <p>Please click the button to see event listener:</p>
      <span id = "button3"/>
      <span id = "button2"/>
      <span id = "button1"/>
   </body>
</html>

To see the effect, use tab for moving from the next button and shft+tab for focusing backward. Use enter and see how the focused button's related alert would pop up.

ARIA Theme

ExtJS provides the theme aria for the visually impaired.

Following example shows the aria theme which is easily accessible for the visually impaired.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <link href = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/extjs/6.0.0/classic/theme-aria/resources/theme-aria-all.css" 
         rel = "stylesheet" />
      <script type = "text/javascript" 
         src = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/extjs/6.0.0/ext-all.js"></script>
      
      <script type = "text/javascript">
         Ext.require([
            'Ext.grid.*',
            'Ext.data.*'
         ]);
         
         // Creation of data model
         Ext.define('StudentDataModel', {
            extend: 'Ext.data.Model',
            fields: [
               {name: 'name', mapping : 'name'},
               {name: 'age', mapping : 'age'},
               {name: 'marks', mapping : 'marks'}
            ]
         });

         Ext.onReady(function() {
            // Store data
            var myData = [
               { name : "Asha", age : "16", marks : "90" },
               { name : "Vinit", age : "18", marks : "95" },
               { name : "Anand", age : "20", marks : "68" },
               { name : "Niharika", age : "21", marks : "86" },
               { name : "Manali", age : "22", marks : "57" }
            ];
            
            // Creation of first grid store
            var firstGridStore = Ext.create('Ext.data.Store', {
               model: 'StudentDataModel',
               data: myData
            });
            
            // Creation of first grid
            var firstGrid = Ext.create('Ext.grid.Panel', {
               store            : firstGridStore,
               columns          :
               [{ 
                  header: "Student Name",
                  dataIndex: 'name',	
                  id : 'name',    
                  flex:  1,  			
                  sortable: true
               },{
                  header: "Age", 
                  dataIndex: 'age',
                  flex: .5, 
                  sortable: true
               },{
                  header: "Marks",
                  dataIndex: 'marks',
                  flex: .5, 
                  sortable: true
               }],
               stripeRows       : true,
               title            : 'First Grid',
               margins          : '0 2 0 0'
            });
     
            // Creation of a panel to show both the grids.
            var displayPanel = Ext.create('Ext.Panel', {
               width        : 600,
               height       : 200,
               
               layout       : {
                  type: 'hbox',
                  align: 'stretch',
                  padding: 5
               },
               renderTo     : 'panel',
               defaults     : { flex : 1 }, 
               items        : [ 
                  firstGrid
               ]
            });
         });
      </script>
   </head>
   
   <body>
      <div id = "panel" > </div>
   </body>
</html>

The above program will produce the following result. You can use tab and mouse up and down keys for moving the focus across the grid and the theme is basically for the visually impaired people.

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