1429858 - Browser induced WCAG 2.0 Level A failures for "HTML5 "required" attribute and other input types

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Core :: Layout: Form Controls, defect, P3)

Description

[sailesh.panchang]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:52.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/52.0
Build ID: 20171206101620

Steps to reproduce:

Submit a form which has form controls with "required" attribute" without entering any input.



Actual results:

When a form control  with HTML5 "required"  is submitted without any input, the focus is placed in the  failed field and an alert is
 available:
Alert: Please fill out this field.
This message  fails WCAG 2.0 SC 3.3.1 because the error text does notidentify the field.
This applies to other input types where input format does not match what's expected. too.. 

2.  Next, as one tabs off or navigates off the field, the error text disappears. So if one decides to review all errors before addressing
 them, there is no error text present on the screen. This fails WCAG 2.0's 2.2.1.
Also WCAG 2.0 says:
 "Guideline 2.2 Enough Time: Provide users enough time to read and use content".

Compounded with the fact that the alert text does not identify the field, one has to navigate around to determine the field's identity.
A user does not realize that the error text will disappear if one navigates away.

Note:
When browsers' implementation of the HTML5 placeholder attributes introduced a contrast issue leading to a failure of WCAG 2.0 SC 1.4.3, it was regarded as a violation that needs to be addressed by the content
 author.



Expected results:

Likewise, browsers need to address the above by:

Comment 1

[sailesh.panchang]

This is labelled as an alert by the browser so it should behave like one.
In the absence of specific definition for an alert in WCAGG 2.0, one has to use the generally understood meaning of the term or as described in ARIA specs.
ARIA specs say:
"Since alerts are not required to receive focus, content authors SHOULD NOT require users to close an alert".
If it is an alert-dialog  or tooltip, it should have that role and behave like one.
Also note the normative text of Guideline 2.2:
Guideline 2.2 Enough Time: Provide users enough time to read and use content. 
Thanks,

Comment 2

[sailesh.panchang]

I will downgrade it from a WCAG 2 failure of both SC 3.3.1 and 2.2.1 and regard it as a usability issue.
If it is labelled as an alert, maybe it should not go away unless "required" property is met. 
Thanks.

Comment 3

[Jet Villegas (inactive)]

[ Triage 2017/02/20: P3 ]