Re: [Accessibility-ia2] Mapping of aria-errormessage for ATK/AT-SPI2 and IA2

From: Joseph Scheuhammer <clown@alum.mit.edu> · Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2016 10:50:20 -0500

Part of the rationale for introducing aria-errormessage was that authors 
were already using aria-describedby for the error message, but were 
stuck when they wanted to provide a description separate from the error 
message. Thus, a reason for introducing aria-errormessage was to 
distinguish it from the description.  Consider also that error messages 
are transient, whereas descriptions are not.

Conflating the two at the AAPI level is counterproductive.

On 2016-02-23 6:20 PM, Joanmarie Diggs wrote:
> Hey Jamie.
>
> Yeah, we have a description property which is a string. Right now, I
> don't have a strong feeling either way about whether aria-errormessage's
> text belongs as part of that value. So if you think it should be there
> in addition to exposed via the relationship pair, I don't mind.
>
> --joanie
>
> On 02/23/2016 06:03 PM, James Teh wrote:
>> >Sounds great. I'm happy with this mapping.
>> >
>> >Would this message be included in the concatenated description string
>> >for an object? I'm not sure if ATK has this, but in MSAA (and thus IA2),
>> >you can call the accDescription property and it provides the description
>> >as a string. Right now, that would include the text of anything listed
>> >in aria-describedby. I think it*should*  include the error message myself.
>> >
>> >Jamie
>> >
>> >On 24/02/2016 5:42 AM, Joanmarie Diggs wrote:
>>> >>Hey all.
>>> >>
>>> >>We need to map aria-errormessage on the various platforms, including
>>> >>ATK/AT-SPI2 and IA2. Given the ongoing desire for cross-platform
>>> >>homogeneity, I'll toss out what I was thinking for my platform for
>>> >>consideration by IA2 folks.
>>> >>
>>> >>Proposal: Connect the message to the element with the error via the
>>> >>RELATION_DESCRIBED_BY/RELATION_DESCRIPTION_FOR relation pair and expose
>>> >>"errormessage" as an object attribute.
>>> >>
>>> >>Rationale:
>>> >>
>>> >>1. An error message provides descriptive information about an object.
>>> >>
>>> >>2. Exposure via a relation eliminates the need to tree dive to find
>>> >>     the error.
>>> >>
>>> >>3. Accessible relations can have multiple targets, so this exposure
>>> >>     does not stomp on a non-error description while at the same time
>>> >>     eliminating the need for each platform to create a new relation
>>> >>     type(s).
>>> >>
>>> >>4. The object attribute is needed to identify which target (if any)
>>> >>     is an error message.
>>> >>
>>> >>Thoughts?
>>> >>--joanie
>>> >>_______________________________________________
>>> >>Accessibility-ia2 mailing list
>>> >>Accessibility-ia2@lists.linuxfoundation.org
>>> >>https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/accessibility-ia2
>> >

-- 
;;;;joseph.

'Die Wahrheit ist Irgendwo da Draußen. Wieder.'
                  - C. Carter -