[#48421] - Cassiopeia: No skip links available in frontend templates.
- New
- Medium
- Build: 5.4-dev
- # 48421
Steps to reproduce the issue
NOTE: Accessibility backlog issue and work-in-progress. This issue has been opened to account for all the issues flagged in the initial Milestone 1a Audit Report. If this is a duplicate issue, it will be closed by the end of September 2026.
| Milestone 1a finding ID | M1a-040 |
|---|---|
| Backlog priority | Medium |
| Severity — carried from Milestone 1a | Moderate |
| Implementation effort | Low |
| Target milestone(s) | MS2a, MS3a, MS3b, MS7b, MS8a, MS10 |
| WCAG 2.2 success criterion | 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks |
| Responsibility tag(s) from report | Development |
| Affected Joomla area/component | https://accessibility-project.joomla.org/results/Milestone-1a/milestone1/deliverable1/wcag-report#efc77b1a-b5b9-41e7-b8b9-6ad83f62fbb0 |
| Affected user journey(s) | 02 – Frontend Template (Cassiopeia); 10 – Frontend User Forms |
| Source report/reference | Milestone 1a WCAG audit report |
| STF reporting reference | To be assigned |
| Issue owner | To be assigned |
| Status | Triage |
Audit finding
No skip links available
User impact
The issue creates an accessibility barrier for keyboard users as they cannot quickly skip repetitive blocks of content.
Remediation plan
Provide a skip link mechanism and ensure it is included consistently in shared templates and layouts.
Steps to reproduce
1. Open a Cassiopeia page or frontend form.
2. Press Tab from the top of the page.
3. Check whether a skip-to-main-content link appears.
4. Observe that no usable skip link is available.
Version
6.1
Expected result
Allow keyboard-only users to at least skip the main navigation with a “skip to content” link. Including a skip link to other important parts of the page, for example to the login form, could also be helpful.
Actual result
In the front-end Cassopeia template, there are no skip links implemented by default. While screen reader and other assistive technology users can navigate by landmarks (banner/navigation/main), this is not possible for keyboard-only users.
What device were you using? (eg, phone, laptop)
Desktop web
What web browser were you using? (eg, Chrome, Safari)
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari
Assistive Technology?
N/A
Additional Comments
No response
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a11y
a11y-audit-backlog
a11y-priority-moderate (Medium)
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joomla-cms-bot
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No Code Attached Yet
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I suppose that's why it was flagged in the accessibility audit as it's not there by default. How will new users be made aware of the fact this plugin exists? Is it worth notifying users of the option to use this skipto plugin as part of a required tour of Joomla or something like that? But I'm not sure that's easier than implementing a basic skip link in the templates. What do you think?
There is a big difference between making joomla an accessible solution for building web sites and forcing fake accessibility settings for the site user. Hard coding a Skipto main link doesn't make your site accessible as it will all depend on how the site is built and structured.all it will do is pass an automated test. I would classify this as something the site builder should be doing. It's no different to alt description for images. We give you the tools to add them - we don't force them just to pass a test. We'd be no different to an accessibility overlay that claims it's accessible because it passes a test.
This is not true. Just enable the skipto plugin. It does a LOT more than just skipping to main
It is not enabled by default because it was thought it might interfere with a custom template