Understanding Name, Role, Value

Intent of Name, Role, Value

The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that Assistive Technologies (AT) can gather information about, activate(or set) and keep up to date on the status of user interface controls in the content.

When standard controls from accessible technologies are used, this process is straightforward. If the user interface elements are used according to specification the conditions of this provision will be met. (See examples of Success Criterion 4.1.2 below)

If custom controls are created, however, or interface elements are programmed (in code or script) to have a different role and/or function than usual, then additional measures need to be taken to ensure that the controls provide important information to assistive technologies and allow themselves to be controlled by assistive technologies.

A particularly important state of a user interface control is whether or not it has focus. The focus state of a control can be programmatically determined, and notifications about change of focus are sent to user agents and assistive technology. Other examples of user interface control state are whether or not a checkbox or radio button has been selected, or whether or not a collapsible tree or list node is expanded or collapsed.

Success Criterion 4.1.2 requires a programmatically determinable name for all user interface components. Names may be visible or invisible. Occasionally, the name must be visible, in which case it is identified as a label. Refer to the definition of name and label in the glossary for more information.

Benefits of Name, Role, Value

Examples of Name, Role, Value

Resources for Name, Role, Value

Techniques for Name, Role, Value

Sufficient Techniques for Name, Role, Value

Situation A: If using a standard user interface component in a markup language (e.g., HTML):

  3. Using markup features to expose the name and role, allow user-settable properties to be directly set, and provide notification of changes using technology-specific techniques below:

Situation B: If using script or code to re-purpose a standard user interface component in a markup language:

  1. Exposing the names and roles, allowing user-settable properties to be directly set, and providing notification of changes using one of the following techniques:

Situation C: If using a standard user interface component in a programming technology:

  1. Using the accessibility API features of a technology to expose the names and roles, allow user-settable properties to be directly set, and provide notification of changes using technology-specific techniques below:

Situation D: If creating your own user interface component in a programming language:

  1. Creating components using a technology that supports the accessibility API features of the platforms on which the user agents will be run to expose the names and roles, allow user-settable properties to be directly set, and provide notification of changes using technology-specific techniques below:

Additional Techniques (Advisory) for Name, Role, Value

Failures for Name, Role, Value