Feature Request: Allow Alt + Enter to Open Links in Notes (for Accessibility)

AllenXaChen
Currently, NVDA and other screen readers cannot activate links within the Zotero notes editor. When pressing Enter on a hyperlink, the editor simply stays in editing mode rather than opening the link. This is a major accessibility issue for blind and visually impaired users.
Proposed Solution:
Add a keyboard shortcut like Alt + Enter or Ctrl + Enter to open hyperlinks in the default web browser (similar to how Google Docs works). This would allow screen reader users to navigate links without workarounds.
Why This Matters:
- Improves accessibility (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver support).
- Matches behavior of popular text editors like Google Docs.
- Enhances usability for all keyboard users, not just screen reader users.
  • Mark W
    I tried this with JAWS 2024 and Zotero 7.0.15 and confirm I was unable to open a link in a note. I tried bringing up the context menu too, and the option to open the link wasn't there.

    This pertains to WCAG 2.0 success criteria 2.1.1.
  • abaevbog
    It is overall possible to open a hyperlink in a note.

    When the cursor is right before or inside of a link, there is a small popup appearing above it. That popup has 3 element - a button to unlink the url from the text, a button to edit the link and a button to open the url in the browser. So, if the cursor is inside of the link, you can press Shift-Tab 3 times to focus the url and Enter to actually open it.

    It is a bit cumbersome. Also, there is no announcement when the popup appears and it does not show up if the cursor is right at the end of the link. So, I agree that this can be improved.
  • AllenXaChen
    Yes it works, however it does mess up the cursor.
    Clicking shift-tab to the open or edit link button as well as using quick navigation like B to position to the button, users will loose the reading cursor and is very difficult to go back to the position where they were reading. This is why it is necessary to add a hot-key to open the link without going out of reading context
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