Accessibility in Web Dynpro for Java
Applications
To make a business application available to those users who are dependent on technical support of various kinds due to disabilities, the Web Dynpro framework allows you to create applications that have a basic accessibility support.
Some features provided by the Web Dynpro framework are:
· Style sheets with high-contrast color themes
· Predefinition what will be spoken for a specific UI element by a screen reader
· Keyboard navigation
· Skipping. Allows to move keyboard focus to the end of a complex UI element or a large grouping element. The hotkey combination is Alt + Z.
· State information set by attributes for an element.
· Tutor texts that explain how to use a UI element. For example: If a UI element provides value help, the user gets the information: “Press F4 for value help”.
Accessible User Interfaces
One important point while creating accessible UIs is to provide information about UI elements that have no text. Depending on the UI element there are different ways to provide this information:
Label
For example for a InputField you should add a Label.
tooltip
The tooltip property should always be set, for example, to provide more semantic information about the UI element.
A tooltip must be maintained for a UI element to support accessibility whenever:
● The UI element does not have a heading
● No label is assigned to the UI element
● Elements with a text property have neither set nor bound it (with the exception of the caption, for which no tooltipis checked). For example, there is no text on a button or link.
A tooltip must be maintained for some more complex UI elements. Examples of these are Tree or ProgressIndicator.
accessibilityDescription
Almost all UI elements additionally provide the property accessibilityDescription. This can be used to include a title, as an alternative, whenever the UI element should not or cannot carry a visible title (header). In contrast to the case with the tooltip, which should contain a semantic description of the purpose of the UI element, you should enter a short, title-like expression in the accessibilityDescription
Integration
When developing Web Dynpro for Java applications, you can specify that you want to follow the accessibility rules. The procedures in standalone WD applications and in WD applications integrated in the portal are different.
· WD applications running on the SAP NetWeaver Portal
To activate accessibility, check in your User Profile under General Information the option Activate Accessibility (Screen Reader Required) and save your entries. This setting is evaluated by the Web Dynpro Framework when the application is started.
This option sets an internal flag in the runtime, which can be used by applications to output additional information in the HTML output stream, so that screen reader programs can present the visual information on the screen more clearly.
These parameters cannot be changed during runtime.
● Standalone Web Dynpro Applications
...
You activate accessibility mode using the URL parameter: sap-accessibility=X
Checks During Design Time
Warnings are displayed in the Problemsview of the ViewDesigner, for example, if a Label is missing.
More Information: