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Audit link-name

Ensure links have discernible text

Impact:

Serious

WCAG-Konformität:

A
WCAG 2.4.4
A
WCAG 4.1.2

Issue types:

failure, needs review

Link has non-empty accessible name

This rule checks that each link has a non-empty accessible name.

Applicability

This rule applies to any HTML element that is an inheriting semantic link included in the accessibility tree.

Expectation

Each target element has an accessible name that is not empty ("").

Background

Assumptions

The rule assumes that all links are user interface components as defined by WCAG 2. When the link role is used on elements that do not behave as links, failing this rule might not mean that the success criteria are failed.

Accessibility Support

For area elements that have an href attribute, but are not nested inside a map element, there are differences between browsers and assistive technology on if the area is included in the accessibility tree.
Implementation of Presentational Roles Conflict Resolution varies from one browser or assistive technology to another. Depending on this, some semantic link elements can fail this rule with some technology but users of other technologies would not experience any accessibility issue.
Accessibility support for some elements inheriting the semantic role of link (e.g. elements with doc-* attributes) may vary depending on the assistive technology in use.

Related rules

Link in context is descriptive

Bibliography

Test Cases

Passed

Passed Example 1

This a element has an accessible name from its content.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"> Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) </a>

Passed Example 2

This div element has an explicit semantic role of link and an accessible name from its content.

<div role="link" onclick="openLink(event)" onkeyup="openLink(event)" tabindex="0">
	Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</div>
<script>
	function openLink(event) {
		if (event.type === 'click' || ['Enter', ' '].includes(event.key)) {
			window.location.href = 'https://www.w3.org/WAI/'
		}
	}
</script>

Passed Example 3

This button element has an explicit semantic role of link and an accessible name from its content.

<button role="link" onclick="window.location.href='https://www.w3.org/WAI/'">Click me for WAI!</button>

Passed Example 4

This a element has an accessible name via aria-label

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"
	><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-label="Web Accessibility Initiative"
/></a>

Passed Example 5

This a element has an accessible name via title.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" title="Web Accessibility Initiative"
	><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt=""
/></a>

Passed Example 6

This a element has an accessible name from its content via the title on the img element.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" title="Web Accessibility Initiative"/></a>

Passed Example 7

This a element has an accessible name from its content.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"
	><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt="" />Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</a
>

Passed Example 8

This a element has an accessible name from its content via aria-labelledby on the img element.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>
<div id="id1">Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</div>

Passed Example 9

This a element placed off screen has an accessible name from its content.

<html>
	<style>
		.offScreenLink {
			position: absolute;
			left: -9999px;
			top: -9999px;
		}
	</style>
	<body>
		<a class="offScreenLink" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI">Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)</a>
	</body>
</html>

Passed Example 10

This area element has a semantic role of link and an accessible name via alt.

<img src="/test-assets/c487ae/planets.jpg" width="145" height="126" alt="Planets" usemap="#planetmap" />

<map name="planetmap">
	<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,30,100" href="sun.htm" alt="Sun" />
</map>

Passed Example 11

This a element is an inheriting semantic link given by its role="doc-biblioref" attribute as well as an accessible name given by its child text node.

See [<a href="https://act-rules.github.io/" role="doc-biblioref">ACT rules</a>]

Failed

Failed Example 1

This a element has an empty accessible name.

<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"></a>

Failed Example 2

This a element with an image has an empty accessible name. The image is decorative and is marked as such with an empty alt attribute value.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" alt=""/></a>

Failed Example 3

This a element with an image has an empty accessible name. The image is decorative because it has a role attribute value of presentation.

<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" role="presentation"/></a>

Failed Example 4

This a element with an image has an empty accessible name. The image is decorative because it has a role attribute value of none.

<a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" role="none"/></a>

Failed Example 5

This a element with an img with an empty title has an empty accessible name.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" title=""/></a>

Failed Example 6

This a element with an img with an aria-labelledby has an empty accessible name.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>
<div id="id1"></div>

Failed Example 7

This a element with an img with an aria-labelledby referencing a non-existing id has an empty accessible name.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" aria-labelledby="id1"/></a>

Failed Example 8

This a element placed off screen has an empty accessible name.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">
	<img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png" />
</a>

Failed Example 9

This area element has a semantic role of link and an empty accessible name.

<img src="/test-assets/c487ae/planets.jpg" width="145" height="126" alt="Planets" usemap="#planetmap" />

<map name="planetmap">
	<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,82,126" href="sun.htm" />
</map>

Failed Example 10

This a element has an explicit role of none. However, it is focusable (by default). Thus it has a semantic role of link due to Presentational Roles Conflict Resolution. It has an empty accessible name.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" role="none"> </a>

Failed Example 11

This a element is an inheriting semantic link given by its role="doc-biblioref" attribute but it has an empty accessible name.

See [<a href="https://act-rules.github.io/" role="doc-biblioref"
	><img src="https://github.com/act-rules/act-rules.github.io/blob/develop/test-assets/shared/act-logo.png" alt=""/></a
>]

Inapplicable

Inapplicable Example 1

This a element does not have a semantic role of link because it has been changed to button.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" role="button">
	Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</a>

Inapplicable Example 2

This a element is not included in the accessibility tree due to display: none.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="display: none;"><img src="/test-assets/shared/w3c-logo.png"/></a>

Inapplicable Example 3

This a element is not included in the accessibility tree due to visibility: hidden.

<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI" style="visibility: hidden;">Some text</a>

Inapplicable Example 4

This a element is not included in the accessibility tree due to aria-hidden="true".

<a aria-hidden="true" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI">
	Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
</a>

Inapplicable Example 5

This area element does not have the role of link because it does not have an href attribute.

<area shape="rect" coords="0,0,82,126" />

Inapplicable Example 6

This a element does not have the role of link because it does not have an href attribute.

<a />

Autoren: Anne Thyme Nørregaard, Wilco Fiers

Finanzierung: WAI-Tools

Assets:

Image used in passed example 10 and failed example 9 is courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.