287242 - <select multiple> should use checkboxes, not fragile keyboard-mouse combos

Status: NEW

(Core :: Layout: Form Controls, enhancement)

Description

[Matthew T (active 1999-2002)]

Choosing multiple items from a <select multiple> is an awkward and
poorly-accessible task.
*   Discontiguous selection requires using both the keyboard and the mouse. (My
    bug 52004 comment 4 was correct, but short-sighted.)
*   There's no visual distinction between a <select multiple> and a <select
    size="more than 1">; you have to suck it and see.
*   Clicking once accidentally on a non-selected item obliterates your previous
    selection (which might have involved dozens of Ctrl+/Cmd+clicks), with no
    way to restore it other than doing it all over again.

To solve these problems, I suggest:
*   Each row of a <select multiple> should start with a checkbox.
*   Checking the checkbox should select the item for submission; highlighting it 
    should not.
*   For keyboard access, Space should check all highlighted items if any of them 
    are unchecked, or uncheck them all if all of them are checked.

Potential drawback: the approximate 1-em increase in width of each <select
multiple> may disrupt badly-designed page layouts.