开云体育

  1. GroupManagersForum
  2. Topics

Apparently An Inconsistency When Searching Through Groups.io's Archive

Marcio
 

开云体育

Hi,
First, I'd like to preface it by saying that it's likely a question more to screen readers users (as I am).
That being said, though, if anyone can reproduce it or tell me why that is it will be very appreciated.

Second, it's a bit long, so have patience :)

Let's go.
Using:
  • Firefox
  • NVDA
Steps to reproduce:
  1. Open the messages page of a group, which is /g/[groupname]/messages
  2. Activate the "search button".
Here's the thing. I've noticed? that, doing it, I'm presented with a very strange edit field which NVDA reports as "MSG". I couldn't figure out how it's different from the "search" field, but keep reading.

Steps to reproduce (2)
  1. Open a group home page, which is /g/[groupname]
  2. Click on "Messages"
  3. Activate the search button
Now here's the thing again. Doing this, it's possible to see the "search" edit field, as it should be in the first place.

In other words:
When we open the Messages page directly, activating the "Search button", apparently the "Search" field is being displayed as something else. Plus, there are also a few buttons, some of them by the way NVDA will report as just "button", with no label at all.
Now, if we open a group home page, clicking on Messages and activating the "Search" button, everything is displayed as it should.

Thoughts?

As always, thanks for any and all help :)

Cheers,
AKA Starboy

Sent from a galaxy far, far away.
 

Marcio,

Now here's the thing again. Doing this, it's possible to see the
"search" edit field, as it should be in the first place.
To a sighted user of Firefox, the Search button yields a pop-up that appears identical in those two cases. It has a text box to enter the search target, and two buttons: Search and Cancel. It also has a close (X) in the upper right corner.

I'm astounded that NVDA "sees" them as different.

a very strange edit field which NVDA reports as "MSG".
One possibility occurs to me. When navigating directly an URL ending in /messages page one sees the Messages view of the list. Near the top of that page is a bar that includes a menu for selecting your view, the Hashtags button, the Search button, a button with a funnel icon (expands a date selector), a search box for finding messages by number, the date order control, and the left-right buttons for previous and next page in the message list. NVDA's report of "MSG" makes me think you may have somehow clicked into search by number box (which does hint "Msg #" to the sighted) rather than into the search dialog proper.

By contrast, when one navigates starting at the home page and clicking the Messages button in the left column one may actually be taken to a page whose URL ends in /topics. This is the Topic view of the Messages list, and it lacks the search by message number box.

You may want to report your observations on beta as a suggestion that the NVDA rendering needs investigation and correction. Mark has been very receptive to fixing screen-reader issues.

Shal


--
Help: /static/help
More Help: /g/GroupManagersForum/wiki
Even More Help: Search button at the top of Messages list
Marcio
 

开云体育

Shal,
To a sighted user of Firefox, the Search button yields a pop-up that appears identical in those two cases. It has a text box to enter the search target, and two buttons: Search and Cancel. It also has a close (X) in the upper right corner.

I'm astounded that NVDA "sees" them as different.
Actually, NVDA sees it exactly like you said. The "unlabeled" button was being misinterpreted by me (misinterpretation cases will happen with me more than I'd ever like. LOL). It's the button which will open the menu with the "Moderate topic" option etc.. In my defence, it's indeed unlabeled :)

One possibility occurs to me. When navigating directly an URL ending in /messages page one sees the Messages view of the list. Near the top of that page is a bar that includes a menu for selecting your view, the Hashtags button, the Search button, a button with a funnel icon (expands a date selector), a search box for finding messages by number, the date order control, and the left-right buttons for previous and next page in the message list. NVDA's report of "MSG" makes me think you may have somehow clicked into search by number box (which does hint "Msg #" to the sighted) rather than into the search dialog proper.

By contrast, when one navigates starting at the home page and clicking the Messages button in the left column one may actually be taken to a page whose URL ends in /topics. This is the Topic view of the Messages list, and it lacks the search by message number box.
Well, that's what I was going to say :) it seems that /messages and /topics are different things, yet related to each other. I could've discovered it if I keep experimenting, but I was a bit nervous with this whole new situation so I haven't.

You may want to report your observations on beta as a suggestion that the NVDA rendering needs investigation and correction. Mark has been very receptive to fixing screen-reader issues.
Well, I guess the only thing that needs to be reported after it all is the unlabeled button on topics. Maybe I will post about it later on :)

Thank you so much for diving into this adventure with me. I'm really glad to know that this kind of question also will get attention here and with Mark. He seems to be such a nice guy, and same goes to y'all on this group!

Cheers,
AKA Starboy

Sent from a galaxy far, far away.
 

Marcio,

Well, that's what I was going to say :) it seems that /messages and
/topics are different things, yet related to each other.
You are correct.

The /messages page is a list of all the messages, ignoring each message's inclusion in a topic.

A topic is a list of one or more messages that have the same Subject text. When you view a topic the Subject text is shown only at the top of the page, not repeated for each message shown below.

The /topics page then is a list of all the topics.

There are a variety of subtle differences between the /messages page and the /topics page.

Some of the differences seem natural. For example on the /topics page next to the Subject of each topic is a count of the messages in that topic, if the count is greater than 1. That count wouldn't make any sense in the /messages page.

On the other hand some of the differences seem questionable to me. For example, as we discussed the /topics page lacks the search by number box. Also, the /messages page lacks the "pinned" topic at the top. I get it, in the sense that each of those concepts goes with the other view, but nevertheless I believe it would be more convenient (and more consistent) to show each of those in both /messages and /topics so that the user doesn't have to switch views just to find them.

Those may be all of the differences between the /messages and /topics pages, I'm not sure. I don't remember and I don't immediately see others at the moment.

For further amusement check out the /expanded page. Basically the same as the /messages page, but showing the whole message bodies rather than linking to them.

Shal


--
Help: /static/help
More Help: /g/GroupManagersForum/wiki
Even More Help: Search button at the top of Messages list
Marcio
 

开云体育

Shal,
For example, as we discussed the /topics page lacks the search by number box.
Here, even the /topics webpage sometimes will display the "msg" box. Then if I activate the "search" button it will change to "search". That's very odd indeed.
Are you experiencing it as well or is it only hapening to me? I guess I'll have to report it along with the "unlabeled button" :)

Cheers,
AKA Starboy

Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

1 - 5 of 5