Better keyboard and screen reader support in the HTML client

This update to the HTML client is for people who work from the keyboard, including people who use a screen reader. The changes are in the HTML client files for APPX 6.2.1, updated on the downloads page in August.

One button at sign-in

The sign-in form has a new accessibility button, marked with the universal access symbol. It turns on the settings below for that session only, and nothing is saved. The sign-in fields now have labels that a screen reader announces, and a new ? button next to the zoom controls lists the keyboard shortcuts.

Screen reader and keyboard

• Screen reader mode lets the option key and function keys reach APPX while a screen reader is running, and announces each screen’s title as it opens.
• In screen reader mode, F7 announces the options on the current screen with their numbers.
• F6 moves into the icon toolbar. The arrow keys move between icons, Enter activates one, and Escape returns to the field you came from.
• A high-visibility focus ring can be turned on to show which field or control has the keyboard.
• Toggle switches and checkable menu items now tell a screen reader whether they are on or off.

If your applications already use F6 or F7 as function keys, either key can be turned off in the HTML client options.

Keys pressed while APPX is busy

Before this update, the HTML client ignored any key pressed while it was waiting for APPX. It now holds Enter, Page Up, Page Down and the function keys, and sends them in order as APPX becomes ready for each one.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 guided this work, and more is planned. If your HTML client was installed from the 6.2.1 files before August 24, the current files on the downloads page include these changes.