Improve FeatureTable widget selection experience

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01-21-2021 06:44 AM
Status: Open
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StefanUseldinger
Occasional Contributor II

I would like to communicate an improvement for the FeatureTable widget in ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.

In the current version, it is possible to define a “selectionColumn” which indicates whether to display a selection column in the table. As a result, each row in the widget has a checkbox that selects its corresponding feature.

As You can see in the attached video, it would be more intuitive for the user (and mobile devices), if he could select a feature by clicking the entire row and not just the checkbox. I understand that the FeatureTable also must account for the user clicking a cell to edit a feature attribute of an editable layer. So I propose this additional selection mode to be only active for a non-editable FeatureTable widget.

Thanks for considering this feedback.

6 Comments
FreddyBroring

It would be very helpful if the FeatureTable implements more of the underlying vaadin-grid web component. Thinking of:

  • row and column rendering
  • define custom event (like dgrids '.dgrid-row .dgrid-cell:click'
  • custom sorting

 

MNIT-Kitty-Hurley

Was thinking the same thing when I first starting using featuretable, @StefanUseldinger! I thought I didn't load my tabular information appropriately, only to find I had to select the checkbox itself.

Would also be nice to avoid a checkbox all together, and have the row highlight on a clicked event if a property is "true", which should also support assistive technology (AT) users as well. By making this a property, it wouldn't necessarily need to be the default functionality of the widget.

JuliePowell

Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. What are your thoughts, @HeatherGonzago  and @JonathanUihlein?

HeatherGonzago

It is a good suggestion, I will take this to our lead developer who handles the FeatureTable and discuss how feasible this would be to implement. Thanks for the feedback!

 

- Heather

ewagstaff

Hi, just wanted to second the suggestion for rows and cells to be able to receive a click event and return feature information. It would give the developers flexibility to do a variety of actions based on that click target, whether that's selecting the row in the table, zooming to the feature on the map, or anything else.

afenix
by

Hello everyone.  I also wanted to add my backing to this suggestion.  It has many positive implications for improving UX, as well as DX (developer experience ;> ) as noted above.  But I also want to second @MNIT-Kitty-Hurley 's point above about improving accessibility for our users. 
Related to accessibility, I am currently working on ADA Compliance for a web application that utilizes the TableFeature, and the checkbox feature in particular is failing automated WCAG audits due to the checkbox form elements not having associated labels.