739990 - [Instant messaging] Implement F6 and shift+f6 to go to some strategic controls

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Disability Access, defect)

Description

[Marco Zehe (:MarcoZ)]

To make keyboard navigation more efficient, I suggest implementing F6, which currently doesn't do anything, to provide a shorter control cycling route than tab. For example it could stop at:

- The tab controls
- The list of contacts7conversations
- The output area
- The input field
- The list of participants (if any)

Shift+F6 would cycle backwards.

Background: If there are lots of links inside an output area, it takes a long time to tab past these to go to the inut field or backwards to the list of conversations. F6, which is used in many contexts to navigate to some important key controls, could be implemented to ease that by implementing the above or a yet-to-be-discussed list of controls only.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Patrick, would this be easy to take on?

It is, afaict, the only accessibility bug filed against instant messaging.  I don't see others listed in 
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?v4=instant&f1=short_desc&o3=anywordssubstr&list_id=12285023&v3=instant&o1=nowordssubstr&j2=OR&resolution=---&classification=Client%20Software&classification=Components&f4=component&query_format=advanced&f3=short_desc&f2=OP&o4=substring&product=MailNews%20Core&product=Thunderbird#

Comment 3

[Patrick Cloke [:clokep]]

Wayne, I can't imagine it being *too* difficult, but I've never really dealt with keyboard shortcuts. Florian should have a better idea.

Comment 4

[Patrick Cloke [:clokep]]

Any thoughts on the UX side of this?

Comment 5

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

For sure this is something we can improve.
We currently have a partial implementation of handling F6 in both the main tab and in the compose window.
In the main tab if I'm not wrong it cycles through folder pane, thread pane, and message pane.

Thomas could give it a stab as he's been drastically improving the compose window shortcut navigation.