HTML accesskey

HTML accesskey is an attribute that allows you to specify a keyboard shortcut for accessing a specific element on a web page. Using accesskeys, users can navigate through a website more efficiently with their keyboard rather than using a mouse.

Syntax

The syntax for using accesskey attribute is:

<tag accesskey="key">...</tag>

Here, "tag" is the HTML tag for which you want to define an accesskey, and "key" is the keyboard shortcut you want to assign to it.

Example

Let's take an example to understand this better. Suppose you have a search input field on your web page. Here's how you can assign an accesskey to it:

<form>
   <label for="search">Search:</label>
   <input type="text" id="search" name="search" accesskey="s">
   <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

In the above code, the 's' key is assigned to the search input field. Now, the user can simply press the 'Alt + s' key to focus on the search input field directly.

Best Practices

• Accesskeys should be assigned to frequently used elements such as search boxes, navigation menus, etc.
• Don't use the same accesskey for different elements on the same page.
• Avoid using accesskeys that conflict with browser or system shortcuts.
• Provide a way to view/access the accesskey shortcuts for users who are not familiar with them.

Conclusion

HTML accesskey is an extremely useful attribute for web developers to make the website more accessible for keyboard-only users. Although it's not widely used, it's always a good practice to include accesskeys in your web pages.