The Power of Web Accessibility: Building Inclusive Apps

Why Web Accessibility Matters

Web accessibility, often referred to as a11y, is about making web applications usable by everyone, including those with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, visual, or other disabilities. It’s not just a moral obligation; it’s also a legal requirement. By making our apps accessible, we can tap into a larger user base and improve the overall user experience.

Building Accessible Components with Downshift

Downshift is a JavaScript library that helps build flexible, enhanced input components in React, complying with WAI-ARIA regulations. Let’s explore how to use Downshift to create accessible select, autocomplete, and form dropdown components.

Accessible Select Component

To build a simple and accessible select component, we’ll use the useSelect hook provided by Downshift. This hook takes an items array as an argument and returns several props, including isOpen, selectedItem, getToggleButtonProps, getMenuProps, and getItemProps. By using these props, we can create a select component that’s easy to use and accessible to everyone.

import { useSelect } from 'downshift';

const items = ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3'];

const SelectComponent = () => {
  const {
    isOpen,
    selectedItem,
    getToggleButtonProps,
    getMenuProps,
    getItemProps,
  } = useSelect({ items });

  return (

  );
};

Accessible Autocomplete Component

The autocomplete component works similarly to the select component, but with the added functionality of search. We’ll use the useCombobox hook, which takes the items array and other props as input. This hook provides several props, including getComboboxProps, onInputValueChange, and more. By using these props, we can create an autocomplete component that’s both functional and accessible.

import { useCombobox } from 'downshift';

const items = ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3'];

const AutocompleteComponent = () => {
  const {
    isOpen,
    selectedItem,
    getComboboxProps,
    onInputValueChange,
    getItemProps,
  } = useCombobox({
    items,
    itemToString: (item) => item,
  });

  return (

  );
};

Accessible Form Dropdown

To demonstrate how to use Downshift with a dropdown in a form, we’ll create two components: DownshiftInput.js for the autocomplete component and App.js, which handles the form. By using the useCombobox hook and binding it with the input element, labels, and menu items, we can create a form dropdown that’s both accessible and user-friendly.

Chat Mentions Feature with Downshift and React Popper

To build a chat box mentions feature, we’ll use Downshift along with React Popper. This feature allows users to mention others in a message, with a dropdown opening on top of the input element. By wrapping the input element with the Manager component and using the Reference component to manage the popper, we can create a seamless user experience.

import { Manager, Reference } from 'react-popper';
import { useCombobox } from 'downshift';

const items = ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3'];

const ChatMentionsFeature = () => {
  const {
    isOpen,
    selectedItem,
    getComboboxProps,
    onInputValueChange,
    getItemProps,
  } = useCombobox({
    items,
    itemToString: (item) => item,
  });

  return (
    
      
        {({ ref }) => (
           onInputValueChange(event.target.value)}
            value={selectedItem}
            ref={ref}
          />
        )}
      
      {isOpen && (

{items.map((item, index) => (
• {item}

))}

      )}
    
  );
};