Using accesskeys is very important because it is considered a great advantage in usability.

Accesskeys should be used to make it easier to access common links or to quickly pick an element from a list of links. It is common to set the accesskey to go back to the home page to 0, for example.

Accesskeys have been present since WML 1.2 and in Openwave browsers even before. The syntax hasn’t changed and is the same as with standard HTML and XHTML (abstract modules). Simply add the accesskey attribute to your anchor and specify a number, this will be the key to be pressed to quickly access the link. Standard HTML and XHTML allow any key to be used, remember that most mobile devices will not have a full keyboard, but only single digits, # and *.

<a href="http://mobile.example.com/aboutme.xhtml" accesskey="1">About me</a>

Read more: How is the accesskey attribute used?

Some browsers will automatically add the associated key in front of the links, some others will not. Up to the developer to decide if it’s better to have the number repeated twice in some cases or have it not displayed in some others.

Some browsers, for example Nokia, will perfectly support access keys, but will require that the user keeps the key pressed for 2-3 seconds.

Some browsers might ignore access keys, but this is really a minority.

<ol>
  <li><a accesskey="1" href="http://url1" title="Games">Games</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="2" href="http://url2" title="Horos">Horoscopes</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="3" href="http://url1" title="Kids">Kids</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="4" href="http://url2" title="Movies">Movies</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="5" href="http://url1" title="Music">Music</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="6" href="http://url2" title="Radio">Radio</a></li>
  <li><a accesskey="7" href="http://url2" title="TV">TV</a></li>
</ol>

This was decided at some 2001 OMA meeting in which Nokia, Openwave, Motorola and Sony Ericsson agreed to:   * render this as a numbered menu and   * have the numeric keyboard accelerator displayed once and only once