346998 - Cannot tell difference between 3 Search fields

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Firefox :: Disability Access, defect)

Description

[Wayne DeAngelo]

Test environment:
   Windows XP, Firefox 2 (Bon Echo) build 20060801, Microsoft Inspect Objects
   Optional: screen reader (JAWS or Window-Eyes)

Steps to recreate:
1. Start Inspect Objects  (optionally, start JAWS or Window-Eyes also)
2. Start Firefox
3. Press Ctrl+H to display History sidebar
4, Press Alt+S to move focus to the Search field of the History sidebar.
5. Note the Inspect Objects output:  MSAA Name = "Search:". 
    - If running the screen reader says something like "Search edit box"
6. Press Shift+Tab to move to the Firefox Search field on tool bar.
7. Note the Inspect Objects output: MSAA Name = "Search".
   - Screen reader says something like "Search edit box"
8. Press Ctrl+B to open Bookmarks sidebar
9. Note Inspect Objects output: MSAA Name = "Search:"
   - Screen reader output is exactly the same as with History sidebar. 
     You may need to press Shift+Tab, then Tab to hear screen reader output.)

Note that in steps 5, 7, and 9, above, the inspect output and screen reader
output is essentially the same.  It is very difficult for a blind user to know the 
difference between these three search fields.

Expected results:
   There should be some audible way to differentiate between these 3 search
fields.

Suggested solution:
   Make the MSAA Name field different for each field, as follows:
     1. History sidebar search field:  make Name = "History Sidebar Search", 
        or "History Search"
     2. Bookmark sidebar search field: make Name = "Bookmark Sidebar Search",
       or "Bookmark Search"
     3. Toolbar search field:  make Name = "Web Search", or better yet,
          make it "Web Search using XXXXX", where XXXXX is "Google", or "Yahoo",
         or whichever search engine is currently selected, since that information
         is not currently accessible in a useful manner to a blind user.
        (In this case, the MSAA Name would need to be updated whenever
         a new search engine is selected.)

Comment 1

[Aaron Leventhal]

This is probably the job of the screen reader to get right, because the textfield is in a container of ROLE_PANE with name "Bookmarks" or "History".

Also, not sure if these will be combined into 1 item in the future for "Places".

Comment 2

[Aaron Leventhal]

INVALID because I believe comment 1 is correct about using the lineage to determine this. Please file a bug for each screen reader vendor.

Comment 3

[Wayne DeAngelo]

Opened a GWmicro WindowEyes defect 3898, and also reported this issue to FS JAWS.