Rewrite of 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

[lseeman]

Current versions of SC and Definitions

• SC for viewing | SC for editing
• Author-settable properties definition for viewing | Author-settable properties definition for editing
• SC in full draft guideline

Branch
https://github.com/w3c/wcag21/tree/name-role-value_ISSUE-22

Short name: 4.1.2 Name, Role, State, Value

Proposed by Lisa Seeman and Richard Schwerdtfeger

Current
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: For all user interface components (including but not limited to: form elements, links and components generated by scripts), the name and role can be programmatically determined; states, properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; and notification of changes to these items is available to user agents, including assistive technologies. (Level A)

Proposed
4.1.2 Name, Role,@@ State,@@ Value: For all user interface components (including but not limited to: form elements, links and components generated by scripts)

• the name and role of the component @@can be programmatically determined,
• the @@ states, author-settable properties, and values of the component can be programmatically determined, @@
• states, author-settable properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set, by user agents, including assistive technologies and
• notification of changes @@to any@@ of these items is available to user agents, including assistive technologies.

Glossary

author-settable properties – properties that can be set by the author in the markup or native coding language to provide information about the user interface components or its relationship to other components the document.

Description

The intent of this change is to provide the following clarifications
• Initial values properties and states must be programmatically determined, including the initial states and values
• Initial settings of values, properties and states need to be accessible.
• States, properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; by user agents including assistive technology.
• What properties need to be accessible is clarified

Benefit

We have seen web developer feel they have conformed without making the states accessible, as the values were originally clear. This rewording clarifies what needs to be done.

Testability

Current tests and techniques

[joshueoconnor]

@DavidMacDonald Its not clear to me what this is about. 'and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; ' it is not usual that the end user will set these values at all. Unless they are technical/web people and understand these things. It's not clear to me how though - tbh.

Is the idea that this is a repair SC? Is this suggesting that the end user will over ride the DOM values or add them if they don't exist? What tools will they use to do that? Are there common tools that are easy to use that allow end users who may benefit from this kind of technical remedial/repair work? Maybe if some of those were included in a notes/supporting section this maybe clearer.

As an SC this won't work with compiled native apps etc as role/state properties can only be set by the author.

[DavidMacDonald]

@lseeman @joshueoconnor I don't think it is requiring that user be able to change these things, only that if they are author settable, that if they can be set by the user, they can also be set using the users AT... sounds reasonable.