I previously noted Keith J Grant’s article on the HTML dialog element which promised a native means of handling popups and modal dialogues. I’ve not yet used dialog in production, partly because of spotty browser support (although there is a polyfill) but also partly because—for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on after reading the spec—it just didn’t feel like the finished article.
Fast forward to March 2019 and Scott O’Hara has written an excellent piece describing why it’s still not ready. There are a combination of factors: lack of browser support, reliance on JavaScript; and multiple accessibility issues.
The good news is: having dug deeper into Scott’s work I see that among the many accessible components he has shared with the world is a custom, accessible modal dialogue. So next time the need arises, I think I’ll start there.
Thanks, Scott!