RadPanelBar Tab Order with ContentTemplate

Updated on Oct 27, 2026

Environment

Product	UI for ASP.NET AJAX
Version	2026.3.812

Description

When users tab through multiple RadPanelBar controls that contain controls in a ContentTemplate, focus can skip the template content or the next RadPanelBar.

Cause/Possible Cause(s)

Positive TabIndex values create a separate tab order that takes precedence over the natural DOM order. This can prevent focus from continuing through a ContentTemplate and then to the next RadPanelBar.

Solution

Remove the positive TabIndex values from the RadPanelBar controls or set them to 0. The browser can then follow the natural DOM order through the panel bars and their ContentTemplate content.

ASP.NET

<telerik:RadPanelBar runat="server" ID="FirstPanelBar" Width="100%">
    <Items>
        <telerik:RadPanelItem runat="server" Text="First section">
            <ContentTemplate>
                <!-- Focusable controls in the template -->
            </ContentTemplate>
        </telerik:RadPanelItem>
    </Items>
</telerik:RadPanelBar>

<telerik:RadPanelBar runat="server" ID="SecondPanelBar" Width="100%">
    <Items>
        <telerik:RadPanelItem runat="server" Text="Second section" />
    </Items>
</telerik:RadPanelBar>

Avoid positive TabIndex values when the intended order is the document order. Use the RadPanelBar keyboard support configuration when users need a keyboard shortcut to move focus to the control.

See Also

• RadPanelBar overview
• Adding templates at runtime
• RadPanelBar keyboard support