Link has non-empty accessible name
Description
This rule checks that each link has a non-empty accessible name.
Applicability
This
rule
applies
to
any
HTML
element
that
is
a
semantic
link
included
in
the
accessibility
tree
.
Expectation
Each
target
element
has
an
accessible
name
that
is
not
empty
(
""
).
Assumptions
The rule assumes that all links are user interface components as defined by WCAG 2. When the link role is used on elements that do not behave as links, failing this rule might not mean that the success criteria are failed.
Accessibility Support
-
There
are
assistive
technologies
that
do
not
support
using
the
title
attribute for an accessible name , or in which this feature can be disabled. -
For
area
elements that have anhref
attribute, but are not nested inside amap
element, there are differences between browsers and assistive technology on if thearea
is included in the accessibility tree . -
Implementation
of
Presentational
Roles
Conflict
Resolution
varies
from
one
browser
or
assistive
technology
to
another.
Depending
on
this,
some
semantic
link
elements can fail this rule with some technology but users of other technologies would not experience any accessibility issue. -
Background
Related rules
Bibliography
- Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)
- ARIA7: Using aria-labelledby for link purpose
- ARIA8: Using aria-label for link purpose
- Understanding Success Criterion 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value
- F89: Failure of Success Criteria 2.4.4, 2.4.9 and 4.1.2 due to not providing an accessible name for an image which is the only content in a link
Accessibility Requirements Mapping
-
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A)
- Learn more about 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
- Required for conformance to WCAG 2.0 and later on level A and higher.
-
Outcome
mapping:
-
Any
failed
outcomes: success criterion is not satisfied -
All
passed
outcomes: success criterion needs further testing -
An
inapplicable
outcome: success criterion needs further testing
-
Any
-
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A)
- Learn more about 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
- Required for conformance to WCAG 2.0 and later on level A and higher.
-
Outcome
mapping:
-
Any
failed
outcomes: success criterion is not satisfied -
All
passed
outcomes: success criterion needs further testing -
An
inapplicable
outcome: success criterion needs further testing
-
Any
-
2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only) (Level AAA)
- Learn more about 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only)
- Required for conformance to WCAG 2.0 and later on level AAA.
-
Outcome
mapping:
-
Any
failed
outcomes: success criterion is not satisfied -
All
passed
outcomes: success criterion needs further testing -
An
inapplicable
outcome: success criterion needs further testing
-
Any
-
G91: Providing link text that describes the purpose of a link
- Learn more about technique G91
- Not required for conformance to any W3C accessibility recommendation.
-
Outcome
mapping:
-
Any
failed
outcomes: technique is not satisfied -
All
passed
outcomes: technique needs further testing -
An
inapplicable
outcome: technique needs further testing
-
Any
Input Aspects
The following aspects are required in using this rule.
Test Cases
Passed
Passed Example 1
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
from
its
content.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"> Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) </a>
Passed Example 2
This
div
element
has
an
explicit
semantic
role
of
link
and
an
accessible
name
from
its
content.
<div role="link" onclick="openLink(event)" onkeyup="openLink(event)" tabindex="0">
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</div>
<script>
function openLink(event) {
if (event.type === 'click' || ['Enter', ' '].includes(event.key)) {
window.location.href = 'https://www.w3.org/WAI/'
}
}
</script>
Passed Example 3
This
button
element
has
an
explicit
semantic
role
of
link
and
an
accessible
name
from
its
content.
<button role="link" onclick="window.location.href='https://www.w3.org/WAI/'">Click me for WAI!</button>
Passed Example 4
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
via
aria-label
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"
><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-label="Web Accessibility Initiative"
/></a>
Passed Example 5
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
via
title
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" title="Web Accessibility Initiative"
><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt=""
/></a>
Passed Example 6
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
from
its
content
via
the
title
on
the
img
element.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" title="Web Accessibility Initiative"/></a>
Passed Example 7
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
from
its
content.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"
><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt="" />Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</a
>
Passed Example 8
This
a
element
has
an
accessible
name
from
its
content
via
aria-labelledby
on
the
img
element.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>
<div id="id1">Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</div>
Passed Example 9
This
a
element
placed
off
screen
has
an
accessible
name
from
its
content.
<html>
<style>
.offScreenLink {
position: absolute;
left: -9999px;
top: -9999px;
}
</style>
<body>
<a class="offScreenLink" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI">Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</a>
</body>
</html>
Passed Example 10
This
area
element
has
a
semantic
role
of
link
and
an
accessible
name
via
alt
.
<img src="/test-assets/c487ae/planets.jpg" width="145" height="126" alt="Planets" usemap="#planetmap" />
<map name="planetmap">
<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,30,100" href="sun.htm" alt="Sun" />
</map>
See [<a href="https://act-rules.github.io/" role="doc-biblioref">ACT rules</a>]
Failed
Failed Example 1
This
a
element
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"></a>
Failed Example 2
This
a
element
with
an
image
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
The
image
is
decorative
and
is
marked
as
such
with
an
empty
alt
attribute
value
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt=""/></a>
Failed Example 3
This
a
element
with
an
image
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
The
image
is
decorative
because
it
has
a
role
attribute
value
of
presentation
.
<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" role="presentation"/></a>
Failed Example 4
This
a
element
with
an
image
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
The
image
is
decorative
because
it
has
a
role
attribute
value
of
none
.
<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" role="none"/></a>
Failed Example 5
This
a
element
with
an
img
with
an
empty
title
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" title=""/></a>
Failed Example 6
This
a
element
with
an
img
with
an
aria-labelledby
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>
<div id="id1"></div>
Failed Example 7
This
a
element
with
an
img
with
an
aria-labelledby
referencing
a
non-existing
id
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>
Failed Example 8
This
a
element
placed
off
screen
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">
<img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" />
</a>
Failed Example 9
This
area
element
has
a
semantic
role
of
link
and
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<img src="/test-assets/c487ae/planets.jpg" width="145" height="126" alt="Planets" usemap="#planetmap" />
<map name="planetmap">
<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,82,126" href="sun.htm" />
</map>
Failed Example 10
This
a
element
has
an
explicit
role
of
none
.
However,
it
is
focusable
(by
default).
Thus
it
has
a
semantic
role
of
link
due
to
Presentational
Roles
Conflict
Resolution
.
It
has
an
empty
accessible
name
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" role="none"> </a>
See [<a href="https://act-rules.github.io/" role="doc-biblioref" ><img src="https://github.com/act-rules/act-rules.github.io/blob/develop/test-assets/shared/act-logo.png" alt=""/></a>]
Inapplicable
Inapplicable Example 1
This
a
element
does
not
have
a
semantic
role
of
link
because
it
has
been
changed
to
button
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" role="button">
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</a>
Inapplicable Example 2
This
a
element
is
not
included
in
the
accessibility
tree
due
to
display:
none
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="display: none;"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png"/></a>
Inapplicable Example 3
This
a
element
is
not
included
in
the
accessibility
tree
due
to
visibility:
hidden
.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="visibility: hidden;">Some text</a>
Inapplicable Example 4
This
a
element
is
not
included
in
the
accessibility
tree
due
to
aria-hidden="true"
.
<a aria-hidden="true" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI">
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</a>
Inapplicable Example 5
This
area
element
does
not
have
the
role
of
link
because
it
does
not
have
an
href
attribute.
<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,82,126" />
Inapplicable Example 6
This
a
element
does
not
have
the
role
of
link
because
it
does
not
have
an
href
attribute.
<a />
Glossary
Accessible Name
The accessible name is the programmatically determined name of a user interface element that is included in the accessibility tree .
The accessible name is calculated using the accessible name and description computation .
For native markup languages, such as HTML and SVG, additional information on how to calculate the accessible name can be found in HTML Accessibility API Mappings 1.0, Accessible Name and Description Computation (working draft) and SVG Accessibility API Mappings, Name and Description (working draft) .
For more details, see examples of accessible name .
Note:
As
per
the
accessible
name
and
description
computation
,
each
element
always
has
an
accessible
name.
When
no
accessible
name
is
provided,
the
element
will
nonetheless
be
assigned
an
empty
(
""
)
one.
Note: As per the accessible name and description computation , accessible names are flat string trimmed of leading and trailing whitespace. Notably, it is not possible for a non-empty accessible name to be composed only of whitespace since these must be trimmed.
Attribute value
The attribute value of a content attribute set on an HTML element is the value that the attribute gets after being parsed and computed according to specifications. It may differ from the value that is actually written in the HTML code due to trimming whitespace or non-digits characters, default values, or case-insensitivity.
Some notable case of attribute value, among others:
-
For
enumerated
attributes
,
the
attribute
value
is
either
the
state
of
the
attribute,
or
the
keyword
that
maps
to
it;
even
for
the
default
states.
Thus
<input type="image" />
has an attribute value of eitherImage Button
(the state) orimage
(the keyword mapping to it), both formulations having the same meaning; similarly, “an input element with atype
attribute value ofText
” can be either<input type="text" />
,<input />
(missing value default), or<input type="invalid" />
(invalid value default). -
For
boolean
attributes
,
the
attribute
value
is
true
when the attribute is present andfalse
otherwise. Thus<button disabled>
,<button disabled="disabled">
and<button disabled="">
all have adisabled
attribute value oftrue
. - For attributes whose value is used in a case-insensitive context, the attribute value is the lowercase version of the value written in the HTML code.
- For attributes that accept numbers , the attribute value is the result of parsing the value written in the HTML code according to the rules for parsing this kind of number.
- For attributes that accept sets of tokens, whether space separated or comma separated , the attribute value is the set of tokens obtained after parsing the set and, depending on the case, converting its items to lowercase (if the set is used in a case-insensitive context).
-
For
aria-*
attributes, the attribute value is computed as indicated in the WAI-ARIA specification and the HTML Accessibility API Mappings .
This list is not exhaustive, and only serves as an illustration for some of the most common cases.
The attribute value of an IDL attribute is the value returned on getting it. Note that when an IDL attribute reflects a content attribute, they have the same attribute value.
Explicit Semantic Role
The explicit semantic role of an element is determined by its role attribute (if any).
The role attribute takes a list of tokens. The explicit semantic role is the first valid role in this list. The valid roles are all non-abstract roles from WAI-ARIA Specifications . If the element has no role attribute , or if it has one with no valid role, then this element has no explicit semantic role.
Other roles may be added as they become available. Not all roles will be supported in all assistive technologies. Testers are encouraged to adjust which roles are allowed according to the accessibility support base line . For the purposes of executing test cases in all rules, it should be assumed that all roles are supported by assistive technologies so that none of the roles fail due to lack of accessibility support.
Focusable
: Elements that .
-
can
becomethetargetofkeyboard input as described intheHTML -
specificationoffocusableand can be focused.
Implicit Semantic Role
The implicit semantic role of an element is a pre-defined value given by the host language which depends on the element and its ancestors.
Implicit roles for HTML and SVG, are documented in the HTML accessibility API mappings (working draft) and the SVG accessibility API mappings (working draft) .
Included in the accessibility tree
Elements included in the accessibility tree of platform specific accessibility APIs are exposed to assistive technologies. This allows users of assistive technology to access the elements in a way that meets the requirements of the individual user.
The general rules for when elements are included in the accessibility tree are defined in the core accessibility API mappings . For native markup languages, such as HTML and SVG, additional rules for when elements are included in the accessibility tree can be found in the HTML accessibility API mappings (working draft) and the SVG accessibility API mappings (working draft) .
For more details, see examples of included in the accessibility tree .
Programmatically
hidden
elements
are
removed
from
the
accessibility
tree.
However,
some
browsers
will
leave
focusable
elements
with
an
aria-hidden
attribute
set
to
true
in
the
accessibility
tree.
Because
they
are
hidden,
these
elements
are
considered
not
included
in
the
accessibility
tree.
This
may
cause
confusion
for
users
of
assistive
technologies
because
they
may
still
be
able
to
interact
with
these
focusable
elements
using
sequential
keyboard
navigation,
even
though
the
element
should
not
be
included
in
the
accessibility
tree.
Marked as decorative
An element is marked as decorative if one or more of the following conditions is true:
-
it
has
an
explicit
role
of
none
orpresentation
; or -
it
is
an
img
element with analt
attribute whose value is the empty string (alt=""
), and with no explicit role .
Elements are marked as decorative as a way to convey the intention of the author that they are pure decoration . It is different from the element actually being pure decoration as authors may make mistakes. It is different from the element being effectively ignored by assistive technologies as rules such as presentational roles conflict resolution may overwrite this intention.
Elements can also be ignored by assistive technologies if they are programmatically hidden . This is different from marking the element as decorative and does not convey the same intention. Notably, being programmatically hidden may change as users interact with the page (showing and hiding elements) while being marked as decorative should stay the same through all states of the page.
Namespaced Element
An
element
with
a
specific
namespaceURI
value
from
HTML
namespaces
.
For
example
an
“SVG
element”
is
any
element
with
the
“SVG
namespace”,
which
is
http://www.w3.org/2000/svg
.
Namespaced
elements
are
not
limited
to
elements
described
in
a
specification.
They
also
include
custom
elements.
Elements
such
as
a
and
title
have
a
different
namespace
depending
on
where
they
are
used.
For
example
a
title
in
an
HTML
page
usually
has
the
HTML
namespace.
When
used
in
an
svg
element,
a
title
element
has
the
SVG
namespace
instead.
Outcome
An outcome is a conclusion that comes from evaluating an ACT Rule on a test subject or one of its constituent test target . An outcome can be one of the three following types:
- Inapplicable: No part of the test subject matches the applicability
- Passed: A test target meets all expectations
- Failed: A test target does not meet all expectations
Note:
A
rule
has
one
passed
or
failed
outcome
for
every
test
target
.
When
there
are
no
test
targets
the
rule
has
one
inapplicable
outcome.
This
means
that
each
test
subject
will
have
one
or
more
outcomes.
Note:
Implementations
using
the
EARL10-Schema
can
express
the
outcome
with
the
outcome
property
.
In
addition
to
passed
,
failed
and
inapplicable
,
EARL
1.0
also
defined
an
incomplete
outcome.
While
this
cannot
be
the
outcome
of
an
ACT
Rule
when
applied
in
its
entirety,
it
often
happens
that
rules
are
only
partially
evaluated.
For
example,
when
applicability
was
automated,
but
the
expectations
have
to
be
evaluated
manually.
Such
“interim”
results
can
be
expressed
with
the
incomplete
outcome.
Programmatically Hidden
An
HTML
element
is
programmatically
hidden
if
either
it
has
a
computed
CSS
property
visibility
whose
value
is
not
visible
;
or
at
least
one
of
the
following
is
true
for
any
of
its
inclusive
ancestors
in
the
flat
tree
:
-
has
a
hidden attribute; or has acomputed CSS propertydisplay
ofnone
; or -
has
an
aria-hidden
attribute set totrue
Note
:
Contrarily
to
the
other
conditions,
the
visibility
CSS
property
may
be
reverted
by
descendants.
Semantic Role
The semantic role of an element is determined by the first of these cases that applies:
- Conflict If the element is marked as decorative , but the element is included in the accessibility tree ; or would be included in the accessibility tree when it is not programmatically hidden , then its semantic role is its implicit role .
- Explicit If the element has an explicit role , then its semantic role is its explicit role .
- Implicit The semantic role of the element is its implicit role .
This
definition
can
be
used
in
expressions
such
as
“semantic
button
”
meaning
any
element
with
a
semantic
role
of
button
.
WAI-ARIA specifications
The WAI ARIA Specifications group both the WAI ARIA W3C Recommendation and ARIA modules, namely:
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.1
- WAI-ARIA Graphics Module 1.0
- Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA Module 1.0
Note: depending on the type of content being evaluated, part of the specifications might be irrelevant and should be ignored.
Rule Versions
-
Latest
version,
31
August
2023
(
compare
)
- Update to reference ARIA 1.2
- Remove title attribute item from Accessibility Support
-
Previous
version,
23
June
2022
(
compare
)
- Apply to roles that inherit from link
- Account for focus redirects in "focusable" definition
- Let hidden attribute be handled by display:none in "programmatically hidden" definition
- Previous version, 28 January 2022