Hi everyone. Josh here with Online ADA, bringing you another video from the WCAG Accessibility guidelines. We’re covering 2.5.2 in this video, Pointer Cancellation.
This is a Level A requirement. The description reads, for functionality that can be operated using a single pointer, at least one of the following is true. No down event. The down event of the pointer is not used to execute any part of the function, abort or undo. Completion of the function is on the up event and the mechanism is available to abort the function before completion or to undo the function after completion. Up reversal. The up event reverses any outcome of the proceeding down event or essential completion of the function, on the down event is essential.
I’m gonna take each of these use cases here and break them down individually and give you some examples.
No down event. The down event of the pointer is not used to execute any part of the function. This is saying that, in this circumstance, you would never execute any sort of functionality when you have tapped the device. So pushing down on it does not do anything. It would be on the up that something would happen. Let’s say, checking a box or navigating away to a new page, you tap on the anchor or you click, even, cause a mouse is also a single pointer. Clicking on a link would not activate the link, it would happen on the up event. Okay.
Abort or undo, this one is saying that if you have a circumstance, like a check box, if you do happen to execute on the down event and that checks the box, then you have either the ability to click it again and undo it so you haven’t changed context. The checkbox hasn’t gone away. Or if you click on the link, you can drag your mouse off of that link and let up and that would abort it. Same thing with a tap or touch, you could drag your finger away from the elements you were interacting with and that would cancel on the up event. That would be an abort.
Up reversal. This would be a circumstance where you have, like a tool tip. You click on the tool tip link on the down event. It shows the information that’s you’re trying to get to and then when you let up, it goes away. It just shows and then goes away. That would be up reversal.
And then essential is the term used by WCAG for, basically, saying that there is no other way to do it. You have to be able to use it this way, it would lose functionality or meaning if you did a different way. There aren’t a lot of circumstances like that. I’ve certainly never run into those myself.
So, in summary, we just wanna avoid activating functions on the down click or down tap, and if you do make sure there’s a way to abort it or to undo it. Or that the up action reverses it.
That’s all there is for pointer cancellation. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you in the next video.