Enhancing PHP Web Application for Keyboard Navigation Compliance with WCAG 2.1
I'm updating my dependencies and Quick question that's been bugging me - I'm performance testing and While enhancing our PHP-based web application, I’m focused on improving accessibility, specifically for keyboard navigation... I need to ensure that users can navigate our app without relying on a mouse, aligning with WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Currently, I'm using Laravel 8 alongside Bootstrap 5 for the frontend, but I’m unsure how to handle focus management effectively. I’ve implemented basic keyboard navigation by using tabindex attributes in HTML elements. However, I’ve noticed that certain dynamic components, like modals and dropdowns, are not easily accessible. For instance, here’s how I initially set up a modal: ```html <button class="btn btn-primary" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#exampleModal">Launch demo modal</button> <div class="modal fade" id="exampleModal" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="exampleModalLabel" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="modal-dialog"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <h5 class="modal-title" id="exampleModalLabel">Modal title</h5> <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> ... </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button> </div> </div> </div> </div> ``` The modal opens as expected, but keyboard users struggle to close it since the focus does not return to the triggering button. To address this, I thought about capturing the `keydown` event to manage focus appropriately when the modal opens and closes. Here’s a snippet I wrote: ```javascript document.addEventListener('keydown', function(event) { if (event.key === 'Tab') { const isModalOpen = document.getElementById('exampleModal').classList.contains('show'); if (isModalOpen) { // Logic to cycle through modal elements } } }); ``` Despite this, it feels incomplete. I want to ensure that focus returns to the button after the modal is closed. I’ve also thought about using ARIA roles to improve screen reader support, but I’m unsure how to implement them effectively in this context. Are there recommended best practices for handling focus in dynamically created elements with PHP that can help me refine this implementation? Any insights or code examples would be greatly appreciated! Additionally, if you’ve tackled similar accessibility challenges, I’d love to hear how you approached it. Cheers for any assistance! This is part of a larger desktop app I'm building. How would you solve this?