What is tabster?
Tabster is a JavaScript library that helps manage focus and keyboard navigation in web applications. It provides a set of utilities to create accessible and user-friendly navigation experiences, especially for users who rely on keyboard interactions.
What are tabster's main functionalities?
Focus Management
This feature allows you to manage focus within a specific root element. You can define which elements are focusable and control the focus flow within the root.
const tabster = createTabster(window);
const root = getTabsterAttribute({ root: {} });
const focusable = getTabsterAttribute({ focusable: {} });
// Apply attributes to elements
document.getElementById('rootElement').setAttribute('data-tabster', root);
document.getElementById('focusableElement').setAttribute('data-tabster', focusable);
Keyboard Navigation
This feature enables keyboard navigation within a defined area. By setting the 'mover' attribute, you can control how keyboard navigation behaves within that area.
const tabster = createTabster(window);
const mover = getTabsterAttribute({ mover: {} });
// Apply attributes to elements
document.getElementById('moverElement').setAttribute('data-tabster', mover);
Modal Management
This feature helps manage focus within modal dialogs. By setting the 'modalizer' attribute, you can ensure that focus is trapped within the modal and does not escape to the underlying content.
const tabster = createTabster(window);
const modalizer = getTabsterAttribute({ modalizer: {} });
// Apply attributes to elements
document.getElementById('modalElement').setAttribute('data-tabster', modalizer);
Other packages similar to tabster
focus-trap
Focus-trap is a library that traps focus within a DOM node. It is useful for creating accessible modals, dialogs, and other components that require focus management. Compared to Tabster, focus-trap is more specialized and simpler, focusing primarily on trapping focus within a specific area.
react-focus-lock
React-focus-lock is a React component that traps focus within a child component. It is similar to focus-trap but specifically designed for React applications. It provides a higher-level abstraction for managing focus in React components, whereas Tabster offers a more general-purpose solution.
a11y-dialog
A11y-dialog is a lightweight and accessible modal dialog library. It provides a simple API for creating accessible dialogs that manage focus and keyboard interactions. While it is more focused on dialogs, Tabster offers a broader range of focus management utilities.