RE: ARIA "status" role definition should make clear that it is intended to be a status bar

Steve,

It is also made available to assistive technologies by the accessibility
object properties as an aria status role. This is the case on Windows
(IAccessible2) and UNIX (ATK) implementations. Also Windows (UI Automation)
provides the ARIA properties directly too. MSAA has no role close enough
for status so this was what was used. The AT then looks at the ARIA
attribute in fallback in the context of a web page.

Where clarity is needed is in the implementation guide and not the
specification.

Andi, in a later version of the ARIA implementation guide please make sure
that we clearly state how the ARIA roles found in the document may be
directly accessed via the accessibility API. For IAccessible2 it is through
the accessibility object properties.

Thanks,

Rich

Rich Schwerdtfeger
CTO Accessibility Software Group



From: "Steve Faulkner" <sfaulkner@paciellogroup.com>
To: Richard Schwerdtfeger/Austin/IBM@IBMUS, "'Maciej Stachowiak'"
            <mjs@apple.com>
Cc: <public-pfwg-comments@w3.org>,
            <public-pfwg-comments-request@w3.org>
Date: 08/27/2010 01:35 AM
Subject: RE: ARIA "status" role definition should make clear that it is
            intended to  be a status bar



Hi rich,
>Where in the aria spec. definition do we state that status MUST be a
statusbar Steve?

It doesn’t, but in the implementation guide it is mapped to the status bar
role on all platforms.

Regards
stevef
From: Richard Schwerdtfeger [mailto:schwer@us.ibm.com]
Sent: 27 August 2010 03:51
To: Maciej Stachowiak
Cc: public-pfwg-comments@w3.org; public-pfwg-comments-request@w3.org; Steve
Faulkner
Subject: Re: ARIA "status" role definition should make clear that it is
intended to be a status bar



That is correct. It is meant to be very general. A status can contain all
types of information. Status bars are meant to be monitored by an AT.

Where in the aria spec. definition do we state that status MUST be a
statusbar Steve?


Rich Schwerdtfeger
CTO Accessibility Software Group

Inactive hide details for Maciej Stachowiak ---08/26/2010 04:53:35 AM---The
ARIA definition of the "status" role says: --------Maciej Stachowiak
---08/26/2010 04:53:35 AM---The ARIA definition of the "status" role says:
------------

From: Maciej Stachowiak <mjs@apple.com>
To: public-pfwg-comments@w3.org
Cc: Steve Faulkner <sfaulkner@paciellogroup.com>
Date: 08/26/2010 04:53 AM
Subject: ARIA "status" role definition should make clear that it is
intended to be a status bar
Sent by: public-pfwg-comments-request@w3.org





The ARIA definition of the "status" role says:

------------
A container whose content is advisory information for the user but is not
important enough to justify an alert. Also see alert.
Authors MUST provide status information content within a status object.
Authors SHOULD ensure this object does not receive focus.

Status is a form of live region. If another part of the page controls what
appears in the status, authors SHOULD make the relationshipexplicit with
the aria-controls attribute.
------------


This seems very general, and like something that could apply to the HTML5
<output> element for instance. However, according to Steve Faulkner, this
is meant to be mapped to a status bar role in platform accessibility APIs,
which would likely make it inappropriate for <output>. Please correct the
definition in ARIA to make clear that it is not intended to be used only
for status bars or similar constructs.

Regards,
Maciej