Use semantic HTML for easy keyboard wins | Articles

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<ul class="devsite-nav-list"> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Tab: Resources" track-name="resources" > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Resources </span> </span> <ul class="devsite-nav-responsive-tabs devsite-nav-has-menu "> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Tab: Resources" track-name="resources" > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip menu="Resources"> More </span> <span class="devsite-nav-icon material-icons" data-icon="forward" menu="Resources"> </span> </span> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/baseline" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Tab: Baseline" track-name="baseline" data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Baseline" track-type="globalNav" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Baseline </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/blog" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Tab: Blog" track-name="blog" data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Blog" track-type="globalNav" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Blog </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/case-studies" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Tab: Case Studies" track-name="case studies" data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Case Studies" track-type="globalNav" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Case Studies </span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="devsite-mobile-nav-bottom"> <ul class="devsite-nav-list" menu="Resources" aria-label="Side menu" hidden> <li class="devsite-nav-item devsite-nav-heading"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Web Platform </span> </span> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/html" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: HTML" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > HTML </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/css" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: CSS" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > CSS </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/javascript" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: JavaScript" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > JavaScript </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item devsite-nav-heading"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > User experience </span> </span> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/performance" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Performance" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Performance </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/accessibility" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Accessibility" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Accessibility </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/identity" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Identity" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Identity </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item devsite-nav-heading"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Learn </span> </span> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/learn/html" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Learn HTML" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Learn HTML </span> </a> </li> <li 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class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Learn Performance </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/learn/accessibility" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: Learn Accessibility" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Learn Accessibility </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/learn" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: More courses" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > More courses </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item devsite-nav-heading"> <span class="devsite-nav-title" tooltip > <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Additional resources </span> </span> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a 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class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > Developer Newsletter </span> </a> </li> <li class="devsite-nav-item"> <a href="/about" class="devsite-nav-title gc-analytics-event " data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Responsive Tab: About web.dev" track-type="navMenu" track-metadata-eventDetail="globalMenu" track-metadata-position="nav"> <span class="devsite-nav-text" tooltip > About web.dev </span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </devsite-book-nav> <section id="gc-wrapper"> <main role="main" id="main-content" class="devsite-main-content" has-sidebar > <div class="devsite-sidebar"> <div class="devsite-sidebar-content"> <devsite-toc class="devsite-nav" role="navigation" aria-label="On this page" depth="2" scrollbars ></devsite-toc> <devsite-recommendations-sidebar class="nocontent devsite-nav"> </devsite-recommendations-sidebar> </div> </div> <devsite-content> <article class="devsite-article"> <div class="devsite-article-meta nocontent" role="navigation"> <ul class="devsite-breadcrumb-list" aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <li class="devsite-breadcrumb-item "> <a href="https://web.dev/" class="devsite-breadcrumb-link gc-analytics-event" data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Breadcrumbs" data-value="1" track-type="globalNav" track-name="breadcrumb" track-metadata-position="1" track-metadata-eventdetail="" > Home </a> </li> <li class="devsite-breadcrumb-item "> <div class="devsite-breadcrumb-guillemet material-icons" aria-hidden="true"></div> <a href="https://web.dev/articles" class="devsite-breadcrumb-link gc-analytics-event" data-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" data-label="Breadcrumbs" data-value="2" track-type="globalNav" track-name="breadcrumb" track-metadata-position="2" track-metadata-eventdetail="Articles" > Articles </a> </li> </ul> <devsite-thumb-rating position="header"> </devsite-thumb-rating> </div> <h1 class="devsite-page-title" tabindex="-1"> Use semantic HTML for easy keyboard wins </h1> <devsite-feature-tooltip ack-key="AckCollectionsBookmarkTooltipDismiss" analytics-category="Site-Wide Custom Events" analytics-action-show="Callout Profile displayed" analytics-action-close="Callout Profile dismissed" analytics-label="Create Collection Callout" class="devsite-page-bookmark-tooltip nocontent" dismiss-button="true" id="devsite-collections-dropdown" dismiss-button-text="Dismiss" close-button-text="Got it"> <devsite-bookmark></devsite-bookmark> <span slot="popout-heading"> Stay organized with collections </span> <span slot="popout-contents"> Save and categorize content based on your preferences. </span> </devsite-feature-tooltip> <div class="devsite-page-title-meta"><devsite-view-release-notes></devsite-view-release-notes></div> <devsite-toc class="devsite-nav" depth="2" devsite-toc-embedded > </devsite-toc> <div class="devsite-article-body clearfix "> <p> <div class="wd-authors" translate="no"> <div class="wd-author"> <img class="devsite-landing-row-item-icon" alt="Rob Dodson" src="https://web.dev/images/authors/robdodson.jpg" decoding="async" height="64" loading="lazy" width="64"> <div> <span> Rob Dodson </span> <div class="wd-author__links"> <a href="https://twitter.com/rob_dodson" aria-label="Rob Dodson on X" rel="me"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 300 271"> <title>X</title> <path fill="currentColor" d="m236 0h46l-101 115 118 156h-92.6l-72.5-94.8-83 94.8h-46l107-123-113-148h94.9l65.5 86.6zm-16.1 244h25.5l-165-218h-27.4z"></path> </svg></a> <a href="https://github.com/robdodson" aria-label="Rob Dodson on GitHub" rel="me"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 32.6 31.8"> <title>GitHub</title> <path d="M16.3 0C7.3 0 0 7.3 0 16.3c0 7.2 4.7 13.3 11.1 15.5.8.1 1.1-.4 1.1-.8v-2.8c-4.5 1-5.5-2.2-5.5-2.2-.7-1.9-1.8-2.4-1.8-2.4-1.5-1 .1-1 .1-1 1.6.1 2.5 1.7 2.5 1.7 1.5 2.5 3.8 1.8 4.7 1.4.1-1.1.6-1.8 1-2.2-3.6-.4-7.4-1.8-7.4-8.1 0-1.8.6-3.2 1.7-4.4-.1-.3-.7-2 .2-4.2 0 0 1.4-.4 4.5 1.7 1.3-.4 2.7-.5 4.1-.5 1.4 0 2.8.2 4.1.5 3.1-2.1 4.5-1.7 4.5-1.7.9 2.2.3 3.9.2 4.3 1 1.1 1.7 2.6 1.7 4.4 0 6.3-3.8 7.6-7.4 8 .6.5 1.1 1.5 1.1 3V31c0 .4.3.9 1.1.8 6.5-2.2 11.1-8.3 11.1-15.5C32.6 7.3 25.3 0 16.3 0z" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" fill="currentColor" /> </svg></a> <a href="https://glitch.com/@robdodson" aria-label="Rob Dodson on Glitch" rel="me"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 32 32"> <title>Glitch</title> <path fill="currentColor" d="M31.734 16.76c-.385-.198-4.536 1.865-5.427 1.693-2.24-.401-1.828-.667-4.839-1.359-1.203-.266-1.031-.109-1.297-.307-.172-.135-.344-.161-.599-.401 4-.719 6.026-1.693 6.734-1.839.76-.146 5.161 1.958 5.427 1.469.266-.495-.964-1.578-.401-3.031.589-1.464-.693-2.422.016-3.583.719-1.161.573-2.932.396-3.026-.396-.203-4.531 1.865-5.438 1.693-2.24-.417-1.828-.682-4.839-1.359-1.203-.271-1.031-.12-1.297-.323-.266-.198-.521-.13-1.036-.974-.521-.839-6.51-2.13-6.906-2.13-.828 0-2.375 2.13-2.375 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1-.203-.51v-.026l.042-.078.078-.292c.182-.589.344-1.177.479-1.776.161-.708.229-1.281.203-1.599-.016-.12-.031-.24-.052-.359a7.996 7.996 0 0 0-.521-1.708l-.052-.12-.031-.068-.026-.063c-.12-.271.057-.578.323-.563h.188l.531.042 2.12.104 1.135.083a28.14 28.14 0 0 1 10.573 2.823l.891.401c.172.078.266.307.188.505z"/> </svg></a> <a href="https://robdodson.me" aria-label="Rob Dodson's homepage" rel="me"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 30 30"> <title>Homepage</title> <circle cx="14.5" cy="14.5" r="13.5" stroke-width="2" stroke-miterlimit="10" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" /> <ellipse cx="14.5" cy="14.5" rx="6.1" ry="13.5" stroke-width="2" stroke-miterlimit="10" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" /> <path d="M1.6 9.6h25.8M1.6 19.4h25.8" stroke-width="2" stroke-miterlimit="10" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" /> </svg></a> </div> </div> </div> </div></p> <p>By using the correct semantic HTML elements you may be able to meet most or all of your keyboard access needs. That means less time fiddling with <code translate="no" dir="ltr">tabindex</code>, and more happy users!</p> <h2 id="keyboard_support_for_free_and_better_mobile_experiences" data-text="Keyboard support for free (and better mobile experiences)" tabindex="-1">Keyboard support for free (and better mobile experiences)</h2> <p>There are a number of built-in interactive elements with proper semantics and keyboard support. The ones most developers use are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Element/a"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><a></code></a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Element/button"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><button></code></a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Element/input#Form_%3Cinput%3E_types"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><input></code> (and its many types)</a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Element/select"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><select></code></a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Element/textarea"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><textarea></code></a></li> </ul> <p>In addition, elements with the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTML/Global_attributes/contenteditable"><code translate="no" dir="ltr">contenteditable</code></a> attribute are sometimes used for freeform text entry.</p> <p>It's easy to overlook the built-in keyboard support that these elements offer. Below are some example elements to explore. Instead of using your mouse, try using your keyboard to operate them. You can use <code translate="no" dir="ltr">TAB</code> (or <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SHIFT + TAB</code>) to move between controls, and you can use the arrow keys and keys like <code translate="no" dir="ltr">ENTER</code> and <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SPACE</code> to manipulate their values.</p> <div class="wd-embed" style="height: 450px;"> <iframe allow="camera; clipboard-read; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; geolocation; microphone; midi" loading="lazy" src="https://glitch.com/embed/#!/embed/interactive-elements?attributionHidden=true&sidebarCollapsed=true&path=index.html&previewSize=100" style="height: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0;" title="interactive-elements on Glitch" ></iframe> </div> <p>If you have a phone handy, you can see that many times these built-in elements have unique interactions on mobile. Attempting to reproduce these mobile interactions yourself is a lot of work! It's another good reason to stick to built-in elements whenever possible.</p> <h2 id="use_button_instead_of_div" data-text="Use button instead of div" tabindex="-1">Use <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code> instead of <code translate="no" dir="ltr">div</code></h2> <p>A common accessibility anti-pattern is to treat a non-interactive element, like a <code translate="no" dir="ltr">div</code> or a <code translate="no" dir="ltr">span</code>, as a button by adding a click handler to it.</p> <p>But to be considered accessible, a button should:</p> <ul> <li>Be focusable via the keyboard</li> <li>Support being disabled</li> <li>Support the <code translate="no" dir="ltr">ENTER</code> or <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SPACE</code> keys to perform an action</li> <li>Be announced properly by a screen reader</li> </ul> <p>A <code translate="no" dir="ltr">div</code> button has none of these things. That means you'll need to write additional code to replicate what the <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code> element gives you for free!</p> <p>For example, <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code> elements have a neat trick called *<strong><em>synthetic click activation</em></strong>*. If you add a "click" handler to a <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code>, it will run when the user presses <code translate="no" dir="ltr">ENTER</code> or <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SPACE</code>. A <code translate="no" dir="ltr">div</code> button doesn't have this feature, so you'll need to write additional code to listen for the <code translate="no" dir="ltr">keydown</code> event, check that the keycode is <code translate="no" dir="ltr">ENTER</code> or <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SPACE</code>, and then run your click handler. Ouch! That's a lot of extra work!</p> <p>Compare the difference in this example. <code translate="no" dir="ltr">TAB</code> to either control, and use <code translate="no" dir="ltr">ENTER</code> and <code translate="no" dir="ltr">SPACE</code> to attempt to click on them.</p> <div class="wd-embed" style="height: 346px;"> <iframe allow="camera; clipboard-read; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; geolocation; microphone; midi" loading="lazy" src="https://glitch.com/embed/#!/embed/synthetic-click?attributionHidden=true&sidebarCollapsed=true&path=index.html&previewSize=100" style="height: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0;" title="synthetic-click on Glitch" ></iframe> </div> <p>If you have <code translate="no" dir="ltr">div</code> buttons in your existing site or application, consider swapping them out for <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code> elements. <code translate="no" dir="ltr">button</code> is easy to style and full of accessibility wins!</p> <h2 id="links_versus_buttons" data-text="Links versus buttons" tabindex="-1">Links versus buttons</h2> <p>Another common anti-pattern is to treat links as buttons by attaching JavaScript behavior to them.</p> <div></div><devsite-code><pre class="devsite-click-to-copy" translate="no" dir="ltr" is-upgraded syntax="HTML"><code translate="no" dir="ltr"><a href="#" onclick="// perform some action"> </code></pre></devsite-code> <p>Both buttons and links support some form of synthetic click activation. So which should you choose?</p> <ul> <li>If clicking on the element will perform an <em>action</em> on the page, use <code translate="no" dir="ltr"><button></code>.</li> <li>If clicking on the element will <em>navigate</em> the user to a new page then use <code translate="no" dir="ltr"><a></code>. This includes single page web apps that load new content and update the URL using the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/API/History">History API</a>.</li> </ul> <p>The reason for this is that buttons and links are announced differently by screen readers. Using the correct element helps screen reader users know which outcome to expect.</p> <p>TODO: DevSite - Think and Check assessment</p> <h2 id="styling" data-text="Styling" tabindex="-1">Styling</h2> <p>Some built-in elements, in particular <code translate="no" dir="ltr"><input></code>, can be difficult to style. With a bit of clever CSS you may be able to work around some of these limitations. The (hilariously named) <a href="http://wtfforms.com/">WTFForms</a> project contains an <a href="https://github.com/mdo/wtf-forms/blob/master/wtf-forms.css">example stylesheet</a> that demonstrates a number of techniques for styling some of the tougher built-in elements.</p> <h2 id="next_steps" data-text="Next steps" tabindex="-1">Next steps</h2> <p>Using built-in HTML elements can greatly improve the accessibility of your site, and significantly cut down on your workload. Try tabbing through your site and look for any controls which lack keyboard support. If possible, switch them out for standardized HTML alternatives.</p> <p>Sometimes you may find an element that doesn't have a counterpart in HTML. That's okay! Read on to learn how to add keyboard support to custom interactive controls using <code translate="no" dir="ltr">tabindex</code>.</p> </div> <devsite-thumb-rating position="footer"> </devsite-thumb-rating> <div class="devsite-floating-action-buttons"> </div> </article> <devsite-content-footer class="nocontent"> <p>Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License</a>, and code samples are licensed under the <a href="https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0">Apache 2.0 License</a>. For details, see the <a href="https://developers.google.com/site-policies">Google Developers Site Policies</a>. 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