Maintaining the Focus

This section explains how to design applications according to the following WCAG 2.0 standards:

  • 2.4.7 - Focus Visible: Any keyboard operable user interface has a mode of operation where the keyboard focus indicator is visible.

  • 3.2.1 - On Focus: When any component receives focus, it does not initiate a change of context.

PeopleTools is designed to provide clear feedback on the position of the cursor on-screen and to enable assistive technology to track the cursor focus. When accessibility layout features are on, the on-screen focus is indicated by a thick dark outline around the field that is in focus.

To help assistive technology maintain the focus, set up applications to use the Deferred processing mode, which batches field-level events and processes them the next time the user triggers a server trip. Interactive mode processes field level events as they occur, giving users immediate feedback. However, each server trip refreshes the page. This refresh may cause some screen readers to lose focus of the field that the user was on, resulting in the screen readers going back to the top of the page and reading the page from the beginning. Some screen reader users may waste time finding their place again after a screen refresh. Interactive mode might still be appropriate in some situations, such as when one field on a page is dependent on another, but use it judiciously and test it with screen readers.

You can select Deferred mode at the page control, grid, page (include subpage and secondary page), and component levels. For a page control in the component to run in Deferred mode, you must select Deferred mode at each of those levels. Deferred mode is the default processing mode at all levels.

To set Deferred mode at the page control or grid level:

  1. Open the properties for the control or grid in PeopleSoft Application Designer.

  2. On the Use tab, select the Allow Deferred Processing check box.

To set Deferred mode at the page level:

  1. Open the page properties in PeopleSoft Application Designer.

  2. On the Use tab, select Allow Deferred Processing.

To set Deferred mode at the component level:

  1. Open the component definition in PeopleSoft Application Designer.

  2. Select the Allow Deferred Processing check box for every page in the component.

  3. Open the component properties.

  4. On the Internet tab, select Deferred for the processing mode.