AccessKey is a property of the RadMenuItem class. AccessKey sets the keyboard shortcut that may be used to activate a menu item. The value of the AccessKey property can only be a single character. When the user presses the [ALT] key in combination with the value specified by AccessKey, focus moves to the associated item. The user can then subsequently use the arrow keys for navigation. (See below.)

Note
In Opera, access keys work by pressing Shift+ESC, then pressing the assigned access key.

To set a keyboard shortcut to a menu item, simply set the AccessKey property to the desired key. When AccessKey is set, the character specified by AccessKey appears underlined in the menu item text:

CopyASPX

<telerik:RadMenu ID="RadMenu1" runat="server" Flow="Horizontal" Skin="Inox">
    <Items>
        <telerik:RadMenuItem runat="server" ExpandMode="ClientSide" Text="Company" AccessKey="C">
        </telerik:RadMenuItem>
        <telerik:RadMenuItem runat="server" ExpandMode="ClientSide" Text="Products" AccessKey="P">
        </telerik:RadMenuItem>
        <telerik:RadMenuItem runat="server" ExpandMode="ClientSide" Text="Support" AccessKey="S">
        </telerik:RadMenuItem>
    </Items>
</telerik:RadMenu>

Keyboard navigation is supported by using the [TAB] and arrow keys. Use the [TAB] key to move focus to the first menu item, and then use the arrow keys to move among menu items.

An alternative to arrow keys for moving forward and backward along the menu are the [TAB] and [SHIFT]+[TAB] key combinations:

• To move forward, use the [TAB] key.

• To move backward, use the [SHIFT]+[TAB] key combination.

Child menu items are expanded using the arrow keys from the opposite (perpendicular) axis: for example, in a horizontal menu, the left and right arrow keys (or [TAB] and [SHIFT]+[TAB] key combinations) navigate among the parent items; child items are accessed with the up and down arrow keys.

Use the [ESC] key to go back one level.

The following properties are related to keyboard accessibility as they define the flow and expanding direction of menu items:

• Flow

  This property defines whether the menu (or submenu) is horizontal or vertical. The left and right arrow keys navigate horizontal menus, while the up and down keys navigate vertical menus. Similarly, in a horizontal menu, the up and down arrow keys expand the child items of a focused parent, whereas in a vertical menu, children are expanded using the left and right keys.

• GroupSettings

  Each RadMenuItem has a GroupSettings property that specifies how its child menu expands. Apart from setting the Flow property on the menu level, you can explicitly set the flow and the expanding direction for each particular menu item. The values you set at this level affect the selected item's children.

To learn more about the Flow and ExpandDirection properties, see Controlling the Layout of Child Items.

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