From 93ac4d275d8d836749d33fb013c15f5a4b7382ff Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ralksta <16941050+ralksta@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sun, 31 May 2026 10:04:49 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=8E=A8=20Palette:=20Add=20skip-to-content?=
 =?UTF-8?q?=20link=20for=20keyboard=20accessibility=20(#169)?=
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💡 What: Added a "Skip to content" link that is visually hidden by default but appears when focused via keyboard. Pointed it to the main content area using `id="main-content"` and `tabIndex={-1}`.
🎯 Why: Keyboard users and screen readers must otherwise tab through the entire navigation menu on every page load before reaching the actual page content. This is tedious and a poor UX.
📸 Before/After: Before, keyboard focus started on "Home" in the header. After, the first tab press shows the "Skip to content" link at the top left of the screen.
♿ Accessibility: Massively improves WCAG compliance (Bypass Blocks) and keyboard navigation efficiency.

Co-authored-by: google-labs-jules[bot] <161369871+google-labs-jules[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: ralksta <ralksta@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .Jules/palette.md |  4 ++++
 app/globals.css   | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++
 app/layout.tsx    |  7 ++++++-
 3 files changed, 31 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.Jules/palette.md b/.Jules/palette.md
index 8321d34..63893f1 100644
--- a/.Jules/palette.md
+++ b/.Jules/palette.md
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@
 **Learning:** When building interactive card components that contain multiple pieces of text or badges (like titles and photo counts), screen readers may announce them in a fragmented or confusing way.
 **Action:** Always apply a comprehensive `aria-label` to the parent link/container that encompasses all meaningful visual data (e.g., titles and item counts). Use `aria-hidden="true"` on redundant text or visual child elements, and set `alt=""` on decorative images to consolidate screen reader announcements into a single, accurate interaction point.
 
+## 2025-05-07 - Skip-to-Content Navigation
+**Learning:** Keyboard users and screen readers need a way to bypass repetitive header navigation links. Without a visually hidden skip link that becomes visible on focus, these users must tab through every nav item before reaching the main content on every page load.
+**Action:** Always include a "Skip to content" link as the first focusable element in the DOM, anchored to the main content container. Ensure the main container has `tabIndex={-1}` so it can programmatically receive focus without interrupting normal tab flow.
+
 ## 2024-06-18 - Dynamic Numeric Counters ARIA
 **Learning:** When displaying dynamic numeric text changes during navigation (like a lightbox image counter), the visual presentation (e.g., "1 / 5") does not provide sufficient context for screen reader users and might not be announced automatically.
 **Action:** Wrap the counter container with `aria-live="polite"` and `aria-atomic="true"`. Use `.sr-only` to provide a context-rich screen reader string (e.g., "Photo 1 of 5") and hide the visual short-hand using `aria-hidden="true"`.
diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index 67b610c..65af6fe 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -7,6 +7,27 @@
 
 @import url('./tokens.css');
 
+/* ── Skip to content link ─────────────────────────── */
+.skip-link {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: -40px;
+  left: 0;
+  background: var(--bg-card);
+  color: var(--text-primary);
+  padding: 8px 16px;
+  z-index: 1000;
+  transition: top 0.2s ease;
+  border-bottom-right-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-weight: 500;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+}
+
+.skip-link:focus {
+  top: 0;
+  outline: 2px solid var(--text-primary);
+}
+
 /* ── Header / Navigation ──────────────────────────── */
 .header {
   position: fixed;
diff --git a/app/layout.tsx b/app/layout.tsx
index 15362eb..c6ef554 100644
--- a/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/app/layout.tsx
@@ -90,6 +90,9 @@ export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode })
         <link rel="stylesheet" href={fontsUrl} />
       </head>
       <body>
+        <a href="#main-content" className="skip-link">
+          Skip to content
+        </a>
         <header className="header">
           <nav className="header__nav">
             <Link href="/" className="header__nav-link">
@@ -107,7 +110,9 @@ export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode })
             <ThemeToggle />
           </nav>
         </header>
-        <main className="main">{children}</main>
+        <main id="main-content" tabIndex={-1} className="main">
+          {children}
+        </main>
         <Footer />
         <ScrollToTop />
         {process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' && <DevToolbarLoader />}