Roles, Names, Values, States
MSAA communicates information by sending small chunks of information about elements of a program to the assistive technology object (AT). The four critical pieces of information on which the AT relies to help users interact with applications are an element's role, name, value, and state:
- Role: Conveys to users via AT what type of object a control is, such as a button or a table. The IAccessible method for this is get_accRole.
- Name: Provides a label for an element, such as Next on a button that moves users to the next page, or First Name for an edit box. The IAccessible method for this is get_accName.
- Value: Provides the value of the specified object such as the value on a slider bar, or the information in an editable text box. Not all objects have a value. The IAccessible method for this is get_accValue.
- State: Identifies the current condition of the control, such as checked for a checkbox. State advises whether a control can be selected, focused, and/or other types of changeable functionality. The IAccessible method for this is get_accState.
Microsoft provides a complete list of controls and their functions.
Read more about this topic: Microsoft Active Accessibility
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