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#BlindAdmin0 discussing

@Sarah Mark @Kristian Burch @Adam Rodenbeck 

 

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#BlindAdmins

 

Using the NVDA screen reader, here's a workaround for page layout editor. In order to drag fields around sections, reorder sections and related list, or move items on and off the page, you'll need to:

  1. Go to Setup > User Interface and disable the Enhanced Page Layout Editor. Click Save.
  2. Go to your profile and switch to Salesforce Classic.
  3. Click Setup, then click Customize, and find the object and its page layout you wish to edit.
  4. Once in the page layout editor in Salesforce Classic, turn on NVDA. Hotkeys below assume NVDA is running in laptop layout with Caps Lock as your modifier key.
  5. Find a field you want to drag off the page. Navigate to its location on the page and position your cursor over the first letter.
  6. Press Caps + Shift + M to move the mouse pointer to your location.
  7. Press Caps + Left Bracket to click, then Caps + Ctrl + Left bracket to lock the mouse button down.
  8. Navigate past the "View" dropdown at the bottom of the page until you're in the palette listing the fields. Position your cursor at the start of a field.
  9. Press Caps + Shift + M to move your mouse pointer to the new location.
  10. Press Caps + Ctrl + Left Bracket to unlock. Your field should be moved.

You can use this mouse simulation to reposition fields within a table. Simply drag your field and position it on top of another. When you unlock your mouse, the old field will be pushed down a row, leaving your new field on top. You can drag entire sections to new locations on the page and reorder the related lists as well.

 

Success seems to be dependent on monitor resolution and browser zoom (not operating system magnification). I'm zoomed at 110% in Google Chrome on a Surface Pro 7. For those operating desktop monitors, I would recommend at least 200% browser zoom based on my testing. The targets for the icons seem to be quite small, so even a minute difference in resolution or zoom level in-browser could put your mouse pointer a pixel or two outside the contact target.

 

In Lightning Experience with Enhanced Page Layout Editor enabled, I am able to use this method to drag items off the page up into the palette, but I haven't been able to drag from the palette onto the page. I haven't had success getting JAWS drag and drop functionality to work in either case, and I don't have access to a Mac to test VoiceOver.

 

Hope this helps get some

 

#BlindAdmins

 

past blockers on the trail. 

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3 comments
  1. Jul 3, 2020, 6:06 PM

    More on this! If you have a blank section on your page layout in the classic interface, you can't drop fields into the table using the NVDA mouse tracking functionality. The contact target area is in the middle of the table cells, and the anchor point for the curser drop is in the top left corner.

    I have a hacky solution that fixes this, and also works in a couple other instances I'll outline below.

    You can create a macro hotkey that will move your mouse a specified distance based on mouse coords you specify in the script file. You can grab a program like Auto Hotkey from

    https://www.autohotkey.com/

    and create a script file for your mouse movement. I have one I can share out as an example, but your mouse movements are going to depend on your screen size, resolution, and probably browser zoom, so it may not be much help. This will require fine tuning for each person's system.

    In the script file, you'll also define the keystroke which will create the specified mouse movement.

    In my case,

    1. I run the Auto Hotkey program, then run the mouse move script file a very kind co-worker created for me.

    2. Use the NVDA commands to track the mouse to my curser, left click, grab my field and lock the mouse.

    3. I navigate to the table cell in the blank section where I want to drop my field and press caps shift M to move the mouse to the table cell.

    4. Press my macro keys which move my mouse down and to the right the correct distance to get out of the corner and onto the target area.

    5. I can then use the NVDA mouse unlock to drop onto the contact area.

    You can use a different mouse movement for grabbing buttons and quick actions in the Lightning page layout editor. This same solution will work for Global Publisher layout in Lightning too!

    In the Lightning page layout editor quick actions palette, NVDA mouse tracking drops your pointer half an inch above the thing you want to grab. Create a second macro hotkey to move your mouse down about half an inch. This can go in the same mouse move script file as your first mouse movement.

    1. Run the AHK program and your mouse move script file.

    2. Move to the quick action you want to grab from the palette.

    3. Use NVDA keystrokes to rout your mouse there, then press your macro key to move your mouse down that extra amount.

    4. Left click and mouse lock.

    5. Move to the quick actions section on the page and unlock the mouse.

    The publisher layout in Lightning has this same behavior, so the movement has worked for me in that palette as well!

    But that's not all! The custom report type field layout editor has this same half inch down targeting. Use this macro to track your mouse to curser, mouse move down, then grab the field you want to add to your report.

    Taking fields off your report is trickier. You may need to NVDA mouse track to your field on the layout, then use this macro in order to move your mouse down and finally, grab your field off your report itself.

    1. With the field grabbed with mouse lock, move down to the field palette area and NVDA mouse track there.

    2. In order to trigger dropping, you literally have to jiggle the locked mouse in the palette area. Macros wouldn't work for this. I physically had to very slightly twitch my mouse.

    3. Unlock the mouse and drop.

    All of this is pretty hacky and a little complicated, but if you can get it working right on your system, it solves some pretty severe accessibility blockers. This is a pretty delicate balance, and may require sighted help to understand how much your mouse needs to move in order to write the script file. If there is a way of accomplishing this in an easier method, someone please tag me! Either way, lots of functionality is now available to me. This will be helpful for any blind admins on the job if you have an IT colleague willing to sit down and work this out.

    Maybe I'll be able to complete my reporting super badge now!

    #BlindAdmin
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