3.2 Accessing Form Pages Using JAWS

Learn about navigating page structure, help text, and validation errors with JAWS.

Many of the pages in Oracle APEX are form pages designed for maintaining application metadata. This section describes how you can gain an understanding of the structure of these pages and interact with them using a screen reader such as JAWS.

• About the Structure of Pages
  Learn about different regions for form pages.
• Accessing Help Text
  Learn about accessing field-level help with a keyboard shortcut.
• Dealing with Validation Errors
  Learn about features to help JAWS users address validation errors.

3.2.1 About the Structure of Pages

Learn about different regions for form pages.

Many form pages are logically broken up into different regions. For example, the Edit Application Definition page has the following regions containing form fields for maintaining information about the current application:

• Application (app ID)
• Name
• Properties
• Availability
• Error Handling
• Global Notification
• Substitutions
• Build Options
• Report Printing
• Copyright Banner
• About
• Tasks

Oracle APEX uses Heading (Hn) tags throughout its development interface to define page structure. Please use standard screen reader heading navigation to navigate such pages.

3.2.2 Accessing Help Text

Learn about accessing field-level help with a keyboard shortcut.

Most items within the Oracle APEX development environment have field-level help defined. To activate field-level help, focus on the item for which you need help and press the keyboard shortcut ALT+F1. Pressing this keyboard shortcut displays a popup window containing the help text and, if available, any specific guidelines for accessibility.

3.2.3 Dealing with Validation Errors

Learn about features to help JAWS users address validation errors.

Oracle APEX provides many built-in features that help a JAWS user deal with validation errors on form pages.

• Reviewing the Error
  Learn about navigating to the list of errors.
• Navigating to the Relevant Fields to Fix the Errors
  Learn about navigating to the page item related to the error.
• About WAI-ARIA Support
  Learn about how WAI-ARIA markup helps users effectively address item errors.

3.2.3.1 Reviewing the Error

Learn about navigating to the list of errors.

To navigate to the section of the page where the error messages displays, locate the H2 (Heading Level 2) tag with the text "n error has occurred" (where "n" is the number of errors). Immediately after this heading, there is an unordered list containing all the errors that have occurred on the page.

3.2.3.2 Navigating to the Relevant Fields to Fix the Errors

Learn about navigating to the page item related to the error.

For validations that are associated with a particular page item, Oracle APEX renders the actual error message as a link in the notification section. When a user activates the link, focus shifts to the associated item. This enables all users to easily navigate straight to the page item related to the error.

3.2.3.3 About WAI-ARIA Support

Learn about how WAI-ARIA markup helps users effectively address item errors.

Oracle APEX includes some Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) markup to help screen reader usability in dealing effectively with item errors. This enhancement improves the screen reader user experience for screen reader and browser combinations that support WAI-ARIA.

When an error occurs relating to a specific page item, that page item is given the following additional attributes:

• aria-invalid="true"

  This means a screen reader announces "Invalid Entry"when the screen reader user is focused on the page item.

• aria-describedby="[page_item_name]_error"

  This attribute value matches up with the item's associated error messages so when the screen reader user focuses on the page item, the screen reader announces the actual error.

Before this enhancement, if a screen reader user navigated to a page item that had an error, the screen reader might announce "Job, Edit, Type of Text". Now, the screen reader announces "Job Edit, Invalid Entry, Job must have some value, Type of Text".