Status Messages

About

Version:	WCAG 2.1 and up
Number:	4.1.3
Level:	AA
Applicability:	Status Messages
Requirement:	In content implemented using markup languages, status messages can be programmatically determined through role or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus.
Guidance:	Understanding Success Criterion 4.1.3 How to meet Success Criterion 4.1.3
Techniques:	ARIA19: Using ARIA role=alert or Live Regions to Identify Errors ARIA22: Using role=status to present status messages ARIA23: Using role=log to identify sequential information updates G83: Providing text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed G84: Providing a text description when the user provides information that is not in the list of allowed values G85: Providing a text description when user input falls outside the required format or values G177: Providing suggested correction text G193: Providing help by an assistant in the Web page G194: Providing spell checking and suggestions for text input G199: Providing success feedback when data is submitted successfully Using role="progressbar" (undocumented)

Purpose

The purpose of this success criterion is to ensure that assistive technologies can make users aware when new status messages are written that do not receive focus.

How to Meet

WCAG defines a status message as one "that provides information to the user on the success or results of an action, on the waiting state of an application, on the progress of a process, or on the existence of errors".

If authors generate these kinds of status messages (e.g., alerts that users have input invalid information, animated progress bars), they need to make sure that they use an ARIA live region role so assistive technologies are aware of the changes in status.

Note that this success criterion does not apply if the status message is given focus. A status message generated in a JavaScript alert dialog, for example, requires the user's attention to dismiss it so does not fall under this success criterion.

Additional Information

The following knowledge base pages provide more information about how to address this success criterion for publishing content:

Input Validation