Reference > WCAG1 Level A
Issues due to failing to meet the WCAG1 Level A accessibility guidelines
Code
Summary
Details
E800
1.1: Provide a text equivalent for non-text items using
alt
When using
<img>
, specify a short text equivalent with the alt
attribute. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.P802
1.1: The
alt
attribute is for short descriptions. Use longdesc
for long onesThe
alt
text you specified was at least 150 characters long. For long descriptions you should use the longdesc
attribute. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.P803
1.1: The
alt
attribute is for short descriptions. Use a descriptive link for long onesThe
alt
text you specified was at least 150 characters long. For long descriptions (when longdesc
is not supported) you should use a separate description link. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E806
1.1: Image buttons should have
alt
text that describes themWhen using image buttons, specify a short text equivalent with the
alt
attribute. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E807
1.1: Provide a text equivalent for non-text items using
alt
When using
<applet>
, specify a short text equivalent with the alt
attribute. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E808
1.1: Provide a text equivalent for non-text items using
alt
When using
<area>
, specify a short text equivalent with the alt
attribute. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E812
1.1: Provide a text equivalent for non-text items using
alt
When using
<embed>
, specify a short text equivalent with the alt
attribute. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 1.E813
1.1: Provide a text equivalent by placing some text in this tag
When using
<iframe>
, specify a short text equivalent by placing some text within it. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 1.E814
1.1: When using a text alternative it must be meaningful
If the text in the 'text alternative' cannot be used in place of the non-text content without losing information or function then it fails because it is not, in fact, an alternative to the non-text content. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 1.
P815
1.1: When using a text alternative it must not include ASCII art or smileys
If the text in the 'text alternative' when read aloud does not sound meaningful then it fails because it is not, in fact, an alternative to the non-text content. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 1.
W802
1.1: Is the
alt
text deliberately empty?When using
<img>
, it is valid to have an empty alt
attribute for images that have no content; such as spacers and parts of larger images that have been broken up or used for other layout purposes. You may wish to check that in this case the alt-text has not simply been forgotten, in which case it would be a [WCAG1 A 1.1] error.W804
1.1: The corresponding
<noembed>
element is missing or misplacedFor each
<embed>
element you should provide either a nested <noembed>
element or a <noembed>
element immediately following it. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 1.E809
5.1: For data tables identify row and column headers
No
<th>
tags where found in a table or they contain no text, suggesting that you have not clearly identified any row and column headers. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0. If this is not a data table then this may be a [WCAG1 AA 5.4] error as there is a <caption>
or summary
present.E810
5.2: For data tables use markup to associate data cells and header cells
For data tables you should use markup to associate data cells and header cells, and no such markup was found. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0. If this is not a data table then this may be a [WCAG1 AA 5.4] error as there is a
<caption>
or summary
present.E804
6.2: Do not use images as frame targets, always point to web pages
Rather than point directly to an image, embed the image in a web page. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E801
6.3: Put some content between the start and end tag to provide a text equivalent for non-text items
When using
<object>
or <applet>
you should put some content between the start and end tag to a provide a text alternative. With the <applet>
tag this is in addition to any alt
text you may have defined. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.P800
6.3: Consider providing a
<noscript>
alternative after each <script>
tagThis problem appears if you have defined a
<script>
and there is no <noscript>
alternative following it. You should ensure that pages are usable when scripts are turned off or not supported. Using <noscript>
is a common way of doing this, but if you have used an alternative mechanism you can ignore this problem. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 6.P801
9.1: If possible use a client-side instead of a server-side image map
Unless you are using regions that cannot be defined with an available geometric shape, you should use a client-side instead of a server-side image map. If you must use a server-side map ensure that there is an accessible alternative available. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 9.
E805
12.1: Add a
title
attribute to facilitate identification and navigationTitle each
<frame>
and <frameset>
to facilitate frame identification and navigation. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E816
12.1: Add a meaningful
title
attribute to facilitate identification and navigationTitle each
<frame>
and <frameset>
to facilitate frame identification and navigation. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.Reference > WCAG1 Level AA
Issues due to failing to meet the WCAG1 Level AA accessibility guidelines
Code
Summary
Details
I800
3: No HTML specification was selected
You should always select a HTML specification to ensure that the page does not have any issues which may prevent accessibility aids from properly representing the page. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 3.
E820
3.2: Add a
<!DOCTYPE>
tag to the pageValidating to a published formal grammar and declaring it at the beginning of a document lets the user know that the structure of the document is sound. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E821
3.3: Use style sheets for presentation effects, use
<em>
or <strong>
for emphasisValidating to a published formal grammar and declaring it at the beginning of a document lets the user know that the structure of the document is sound. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E841
3.3: The
<fieldset>
element should only be used within a formUsing a
<fieldset>
outside of a form usually indicates it is being used for presentation effects. Tags that create a visual presentation effect should not be used. You should use style sheets to control layout and presentation. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 3.E822
3.4: Use relative, rather than absolute units
Using relative units helps the page to be rendered correctly at different resolutions and people with sight difficulties often 'zoom in' to pages to read them. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 3.
P823
3.5: Nest headings properly (
H1
> H2
> H3
)Heading elements must be ordered properly. For example, in HTML
H2
elements should follow H1
elements, H3
elements should follow H2
elements, etc. Developers should not skip levels (for example, H1
directly to H3
). Do not use headings to create font effects. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E844
3.5: Heading with no content
Ensure that all headings contain informative content. This is necessary because users may navigate or search by headings. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 3.
W820
3.5: Use heading elements to convey structure
Many assistive technologies provide navigation using headings, including skipping navigational links. If your document has any structure you should use heading markup to convey the structure of the content. Even a single header will make it easier for users. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
P824
3.6: Do not use this tag for layout
This warning appears if you have defined a
<ul>
, <ol>
, or <dl>
tag, without any list items within it. The assumption is that you are using these tags purely for layout purposes. If so see the following for help: HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E825
6.5: Provide a
<noframes>
tag for user agents that do not support framesA page which uses a
<frameset>
and which does not have a <noframes>
alternative may be entirely unusable for some people. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E826
7.2: Do not use
<blink>
. Consider <em>
or using CSS insteadUntil user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E827
7.3: Do not use
<marquee>
. Consider <em>
or using CSS insteadUntil user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages. See CSS Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E828
7.4: Do not create pages that refresh
Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages. See Core Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E842
7.5: You should not use a non-zero page redirect
Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E829
9.3: Do not use
ondblclick
or onmousemove
as these do not have keyboard equivalentsFor scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E830
10.1: Do not use
_blank
targetsUntil user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E838
11.2: Avoid deprecated elements
Elements that are deprecated should be avoided. In many cases CSS may be used instead. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 11.
E839
11.2: Avoid deprecated attributes: ATTRIBUTE NAME
Attributes that are deprecated should be avoided. In many cases CSS may be used instead. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 11.
W821
12.3: The
<fieldset>
element should be used to group radio buttons and checkboxesBecause groups of radio buttons and checkboxes are multiple controls, it is particularly important that they are grouped semantically so they can be more easily treated as a single control. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 12.
W822
12.3: Each
<fieldset>
should have a <legend> element that includes a description of that groupThe first element inside the
<fieldset>
should be a <legend>, which provides a label or instructions for the group. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 12.E831
12.4: The value of the
for
attribute must match the id
of a form control in the same formAssociate labels explicitly with their controls. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E831
12.4: No matching
<label>
tag could be found, or label is emptyAssociate labels explicitly with their controls. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E831
12.4: Associate
<label>
tags with form controls using the for
attributeAssociate labels explicitly with their controls. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E831
12.4: Label text is missing
Associate labels explicitly with their controls. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E831
12.4: Associate labels with just one form control
Associate labels explicitly with their controls. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E833
13.1: Clearly identify the target of each link with some text
Use text or an image to identify the target of links. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E834
13.1: Link text should make sense when read out of context
Don't use link text such as 'click here'. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E835
13.1: Use the
title
attribute to distinguish between different links that use the same link text. See matching tag on line: LINE NUMBERThis error appears when you have not used the
title
attribute and have different links with the same link text. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E836
13.1: Use different values for
title
attributes with links that use the same link text. See matching tag on line: LINE NUMBERThis error appears when you have used the same
title
attribute for different links with the same link text. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E837
13.2: Add a
<title>
tag to the page to describe itYou should provide meta data, such as the
<title>
tag, to add semantic information to pages and sites. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E843
13.2: Add a concise, meaningful
<title>
tag to the page to describe itThe
<title>
should contain a concise, meaningful description, less than 150 characters long. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.Reference > WCAG1 Level AAA
Issues due to failing to meet the WCAG1 Level AAA accessibility guidelines
Code
Summary
Details
P850
2.2: Text within this element has a low contrast
Ensure that foreground and background colour combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. Note that our contrast calculation does not account for background images, gradients or text shadows. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 2.
E854
4.3: Use the
lang
or xml:lang
attribute to denote the primary language of the documentYou should always identify the primary natural language of a document. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
E855
4.3: Use a
title
attribute to indicate what the abbreviation or acronym meansMark up abbreviations and acronyms with
<abbr>
and <acronym>
using the title
attribute to indicate what they mean. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.E856
5.5: Provide a description for data tables
Provide either a
<caption>
, title
or summary
attributes to describe the table. This must be a proper description and not a terse one. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0. If this is not a data table then this is a [WCAG1 AA 5.4] error as there is a <th>
or summary
present.P857
5.5: Provide a descriptive summary for complex data tables
Provide a descriptive
summary
attribute for complex data tables. This must be a proper description and not a terse one. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0. If this is not a data table then this is a [WCAG1 AA 5.4] error as there is a <th>
or summary
present.E858
5.6: Provide abbreviations for long header labels in data tables
Provide terse substitutes for header labels with the
abbr
attribute on <th>
. These will be particularly useful for future speaking technologies that can read row and column labels for each cell. Abbreviations cut down on repetition and reading time. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0. If this is not a data table then this is a [WCAG1 AA 5.4] error as there is a <th>
or summary
present.W853
9.5: Using
onchange
with selections may prevent keyboard operationUsing
onchange
with selections may prevent keyboard operation, because the handler fires as the selection is changed using the keyboard. See WCAG 1.0 Guideline 9.E859
13.6: Add
title
attribute to facilitate navigationEnsure there is a title attribute with
<map>
. This allows users using screen readers to decide if they wish to bypass the links. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.W850
13.6: Add a skip navigation link as the first link on the page
If your document has structure then you should add header elements and/or a skip navigation link to make it easier for accessible users to get to the page's content. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
W851
13.6: Skip navigation links should be the first link on a page
A skip navigation link was detected but it was not the first link on the page. Unless it is the first link then it may defeat the point for users. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.
W852
13.6: Skip navigation links should not be hidden
Hidden skip navigation links are not accessible for keyboard users. You should consider replacing this with a visible link and using CSS to hide it until the tab key is used. See HTML Techniques for WCAG 1.0.