Microsoft UI Automation

Microsoft UI Automation

Microsoft UI Automation (UIA) is an Application Programming Interface (API) for User Interface (UI) accessibility that is designed to help Assistive Technology (AT) products interact with standard and custom UI elements of an application (or the operating system) as well as to access, identify, and manipulate an application's UI elements. AT products work with applications in order to provide better access for individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, or disabilities. Some examples of this are screen readers for users with limited sight, on-screen keyboards for users with limited physical access, or captions for users with limited hearing.

UIA is similar to Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) in that it provides a means for exposing and collecting information about user interface elements and controls to support user interface accessibility and software test automation. However, UIA is a newer technology that provides a much richer object model than MSAA, and is compatible with both Win32 and the .NET Framework. UIA is designed so that it can be supported across platforms other than Microsoft Windows. For controls and frameworks written from scratch, UIA is recommended today. While MSAA is handy for relatively simple controls, the technology doesn't support the complexity of modern user interfaces.

The current and latest specification of UIA is found as part of the Microsoft UI Automation Community Promise Specification.