[#48423] - Joomla Editor: Closing the dialog in the "Joomla editor > CMS Content dropdown" does not return the focus to the element triggering the dialog
- New
- Medium
- Build: 5.4-dev
- # 48423
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-018 |
|---|---|
| Backlog priority | High |
| Severity — carried from Milestone 1a | Serious |
| Implementation effort | Medium |
| Target milestone(s) | MS2b, MS3a, MS3b, MS5a, MS7b, MS8a, MS10 |
| WCAG 2.2 success criterion | 2.4.3 Focus Order |
| Responsibility tag(s) from report | Development |
| Affected Joomla area/component | https://accessibility-project.joomla.org/results/Milestone-1a/milestone1/deliverable1/wcag-report#b7244ca8-863b-4c46-8816-17a78694971a |
| Affected user journey(s) | 09 – Backend Edit Form Pattern |
| Source report/reference | Milestone 1a WCAG audit report |
| STF reporting reference | To be assigned |
| Issue owner | To be assigned |
| Status | Triage |
Audit finding
Closing a dialog does not return the focus to the element triggering the dialog
User impact
Keyboard-only users and many assistive-technology users will be confused by focus placement after the dialog is closed.
Remediation plan
Place focus on the triggering element when the dialog is closed.
Steps to reproduce
1. Open a Joomla editor component (such as in Articles > name_of_article link > Edit Article > Article Text)
2. Focus and activate the dialog trigger within the CMS Content dropdown.
3. Complete or cancel the dialog using the available control or Escape.
4. Observe whether focus returns to the triggering element.
Version
6.1
Expected result
Focus returns to the triggering element.
Actual result
Focus returns to an element that did not trigger the dialog.
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-serious (High)
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joomla-cms-bot
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No Code Attached Yet
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Good question. I think from a usability perspective, it would make sense to place focus on the carat, but I wonder about cases when users want to insert multiple components using the CMS dropdown. I think that's a decision for you to make depending on how many instances you've heard of where users are inserting multiple items from the CMS dropdown.
Irrespective of that, the loss of focus upon closure of the dialog without completion is the true accessibility issue here, so I'm glad you can confirm it functions the same for you.
I can confirm when canceling the dialog that the focus is lost but when completing eg inserting a menu link or module it returns to the carat in the content which surely is the correct and expected behaviour and not returning the focus to the insert menu link button?