ARIA role tests on MAC and Windows - Webkit Nightly builds, Safari 4.0 & Safari 4 beta

Summary

WAI-ARIA has 59 possible role values (excluding abstract roles):

MAC

Webkit Nightly 26/09/09 on MAC exposes 39 role values correctly via The MAC accessibility API.
Safari 4.0 on MAC exposes 17 role values correctly via The MAC accessibility API
Safari 4 Beta on MAC exposes 15 role values correctly via The MAC accessibility API

Windows

Webkit Nightly 23/09/09 on Windows exposes 10 role values correctly via MSAA.
Safari 4.0 on Windows exposes 8 role values via MSAA
Safari 4 Beta on Windows exposes 8 role values via MSAA

Software used for testing

MAC OS X 10.4.11
Windows Vista
Webkit Nightly 24/09/09 - MAC
Webkit Nightly 23/09/09 - Windows
Safari 4 beta
Safari 4.0
Accessibility UIElementInspector
Inspect32

Methodology

Use UIElementInspector tool to verify the roles exposed via the MAC accessibility API for each of the WAI-ARIA role attribute values.
Use Inspect32 tool to verify the roles exposed via MSAA for each of the WAI-ARIA role attribute values.
The first column of the results tables contain cells with each of the 59 ARIA roles assigned, for example:
<td tabindex="0" role="alert">alert</td>
Place the mouse cursor in the cell, but not over the text the cell contains. Use of Mouse is required for the MAC tests as the Inspector tool does not react to focus events.
"Expected Roles" were derived from reading the various references and trying to patch together expectations based on them.

Notes

If the role name is included in the result column for a browser without any annotation, it indicates the correct role is being exposed, otherwise:
- (Unsure) after a result means it is not clear if the exposed role is appropriate.
- X after a result means an incorrect or no role is exposed.

WAI-ARIA Role values exposed via MAC accessibility API
ARIA Role	Expected MAC accessibility API Role	Safari 4 beta - Reported MAC accessibility API Role	Safari 4.0 - Reported MAC accessibility API Role	Webkit nightly 26/09/09- Reported MAC accessibility API Role
alert	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "alert"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
alertdialog	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "alert dialog"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
application	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "application"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkApplication", AXRoleDescription: "application"
article	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "article"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXDocumentArticle", AXRoleDescription: "article"
banner	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "banner"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkBanner", AXRoleDescription: "banner"
button	AXButton	AXButton	AXButton	AXButton, AXRoleDescription: "button"
checkbox	AXCheckBox	AXCheckBox	AXCheckBox	AXCheckbox, AXRoleDescription: "check box"
columnheader	AXCell	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXUnknown X
combobox	AXComboBox	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
complementary	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "complementary"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkComplementary", AXRoleDescription: "complementary"
contentinfo	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "contentinfo"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkContentInfo", AXRoleDescription: "content" AXRoleDescription: should be "contentinfo"
dialog	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "dialog"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
directory	AXList	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
document	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "document"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXDocument", AXRoleDescription: "document"
grid	AXTable	AXGroup X	AXTable	AXTable, AXRoleDescription: "table"
gridcell	AXCell	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
group	AXGroup	AXGroup	AXGroup	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "group"
heading	AXHeading	AXHeading	AXHeading	AXHeading, AXRoleDescription: "heading"
img	AXImage	AXImage	AXImage	AXImage, AXRoleDescription: "image"
label	AXStaticText	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
link	AXLInk	AXLink	AXLink	AXLInk, AXRoleDescription: "link"
list	AXList	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXWebarea AXRoleDescription: "HTML content" X
listbox	AXList	AXList	AXList	AXList, AXRoleDescription: "list"
listitem	AXGroup	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup
log	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "log"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXApplicationLog", AXRoleDescription: "log"
main	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "main"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkMain", AXRoleDescription: "main"
marquee	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "marquee"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXApplicationMarquee", AXRoleDescription: "marquee"
math	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "math"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
menu	AXMenu	AXMenu	AXMenu	AXMenu
menubar	AXMenuBar	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
menuitem	AXMenuItem	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
menuitemcheckbox	AXMenuItem	AXMenuItem	AXMenuItem	AXMenuitem, AXRoleDescription: "unknown"
menuitemradio	AXMenuItem	AXMenuItem	AXMenuItem	AXMenuitem, AXRoleDescription: "unknown"
navigation	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "navigation"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkNavigation", AXRoleDescription: "navigation"
note	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "note"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXDocumentNote", AXRoleDescription: "note"
option	AXStaticText	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
presentation	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "presentation"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
progressbar	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator, AXRoleDescription: "unknown"
radio	AXRadioButton	AXRadioButton	AXRadioButton	AXRadioButton, AXRoleDescription: "radio button"
radiogroup	AXRadioGroup	AXGroup	AXGroup	AXRadioGroup, AXRoleDescription: "radio group"
row	AXRow	AXGroup X	AXRow X	AXRow, AXRoleDescription: "row"
region	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "region"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXDocumentRegion", AXRoleDescription: "region"
rowheader	AXCell	AXGroup X	AXUnknown X	AXUnknown X
search	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "search"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXLandmarkSearch", AXRoleDescription: "search"
separator	AXSplitter	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXSplitter, AXRoleDescription: "splitter"
slider	AXSlider	AXSlider	AXSlider	AXSlider, AXRoleDescription: "slider"
spinbutton	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator	AXProgressIndicator, AXRoleDescription: "unknown"
status	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "status"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXApplicationStatus", AXRoleDescription: "application status"
tab	AXRadioButton, AXRoleDescription: "tab"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
tablist	AXTabGroup	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
tabpanel	AXTabGroup	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
textbox	AXTextArea	AXTextArea	AXTextArea	AXTextArea, AXRoleDescription: "text entry area"
timer	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "timer"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup, AXSubrole: "AXApplicationTimer", AXRoleDescription: "timer"
toolbar	AXToolbar	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXToolbar, AXRoleDescription: "toolbar"
tooltip	AXGroup, AXRoleDescription: "tooltip"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXUserInterfaceTooltip, AXRoleDescription: "tooltip"
tree	AXOutline	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
treegrid	AXOutline	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X
treeitem	AXRow, AXRoleDescription: "outline row"	AXGroup X	AXGroup X	AXGroup X

WAI-ARIA Role values exposed via MSAA
ARIA Role	Expected MSAA Role	Safari 4 beta- Reported Role	Safari 4 - Reported Role	Webkit Nightly 23/09/09 Reported Role
alert	alert	grouping X	document X	grouping X
alertdialog	dialog	grouping X	document X	grouping X
application	application	grouping X	document X	client X
button	push button	push button	document X	push button
checkbox	check box	check box	document X	check box
columnheader	column header	grouping X	document X	client X
combobox	combo box	grouping X	document X	grouping X
dialog	dialog	grouping X	document X	grouping X
directory	list	grouping X	document X	grouping X
document	client, document	grouping X	document X	client X
grid	table	grouping X	document X	table
gridcell	cell	grouping X	document X	grouping X
group	grouping	grouping	document X	grouping
img	graphic	graphic	document X	graphic
link	link	link	document X	link
list	list	grouping X	document X	list
listbox	list	client X	document X	client X
listitem	list item	grouping X	document X	grouping X
marquee	animation? marquee?	grouping X	document X	client X
math	equation?	grouping X	document X	grouping X
menu	pop up menu	client X	document X	client X
menubar	menu bar	grouping X	document X	grouping X
menuitem	menu item	grouping X	document X	grouping X
menuitemcheckbox	menu item	client X	document X	client X
menuitemradio	menu item	client X	document X	client X
option	list item	grouping X	document X	grouping X
presentation	no object exposed	grouping X	document X	grouping X
progressbar	progress bar	client	document X	client
radio	radio button	radio button	document X	radio button
radiogroup	grouping	grouping X	document X	client X
row	row	grouping X	document X	row
region	pane?	grouping X	document X	client X
rowheader	row header	grouping X	document X	client X
separator	seperator	grouping X	document X	client X
slider	slider	slider	document X	slider
spinbutton	spin box	grouping X	document X	client X
status	status bar	grouping X	document X	client X
tab	page tab	grouping X	document X	grouping X
tablist	page tab list	grouping X	document X	grouping X
tabpanel	property page	grouping X	document X	grouping X
textbox	editable text	editable text	document X	editable text
timer	clock or timer	grouping X	document X	client X
toolbar	tool bar	grouping X	document X	client X
tooltip	tool tip	grouping X	document X	client X
tree	outline	grouping X	document X	grouping X
treegrid	table or outline	grouping X	document X	grouping X
treeitem	outline item	grouping X	document X	grouping X

References

Author: steve faulkner The Paciello Group
contact: sfaulkner@paciellogroup.com

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.