Show TOC

Keyboard Handling for Basic NavigationLocate this document in the navigation structure

The following keys and key combinations are used for navigation between controls within an application.

Standard Navigation

Navigation between controls is done using the TAB key. TAB moves the focus from one control to the next one inside the application. The tab chain is defined by the placement of the control within the DOM tree, therefore apps have a large influence on it.

Note Controls are in the tab chain, if they are interactive, enabled and visible. This includes read-only controls. Disabled or hidden controls are taken out of the tab chain. Non-interactive controls (for example, layout container) can never be reached with TAB.
Key combination Behavior
TAB Forward Navigation:

On enter, move focus to the control.

On leave, move focus to the next control in the application.
SHIFT + TAB Backward Navigation:

On enter, move focus to the control.

On leave, move focus to the previous control in the tab chain.
Group Navigation

Controls which are adjacent within the application can be grouped. Within a group, F6 skips all controls of the group and moves the focus to the first control in the application within the next group. SHIFT + F6 moves the focus to the first control of the previous group.

Key combination Behavior
F6 Forward Navigation:

Move focus to the next control in the tab chain after the group
SHIFT + F6 Backward Navigation:

Move focus to the previous control in the tab chain before the group