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Get Accessibility Properties #1960

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82d7844
Get Accessibility Properties
spectranaut May 12, 2026
71d6ead
Accessible object to accessibility node and other fixes
spectranaut May 13, 2026
1c104df
Apply suggestions from code review
spectranaut Jun 3, 2026
f02fdbd
Update based on convos
spectranaut Jun 3, 2026
174fccf
Apply suggestion from @jcsteh
spectranaut Jun 4, 2026
55e15b3
Update route name
spectranaut Jun 4, 2026
24d7021
Use accessibility node id
spectranaut Jun 10, 2026
4472187
Fix typos reported by Mike
spectranaut Jun 18, 2026
eef1ef4
Remove relevant
spectranaut Jun 18, 2026
1a04a3c
rm accessibility properties definitions, add core-aam links to defini…
lolaodelola Aug 18, 2026
97a068d
add acknowledgments
lolaodelola Aug 18, 2026
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116 changes: 116 additions & 0 deletions index.html
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -1040,6 +1040,19 @@ <h3>Endpoints</h3>
<td>/session/{<var>session id</var>}/print</td>
<td><a>Print Page</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
Comment thread
OrKoN marked this conversation as resolved.
<td>GET</td>
<td>/session/{<var>session id</var>}/element/{<var>element id</var>}/accessibilityproperties</td>

@OrKoN OrKoN Jun 18, 2026

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would these endpoints allow getting the entire a11y tree? what is the expected workflow? getting accessibilityproperties for the root element and then using accessibility/properties/<accessibility id> to traverse?

@OrKoN OrKoN Jun 18, 2026

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it also seems like it would require many roundtrips to get properties for all elements.

@spectranaut spectranaut Jun 22, 2026

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Yes we will have some "subtree" tests which walk the accessibility tree by accessibility ID, for example: https://github.com/web-platform-tests/wpt/blob/master/wai-aria/subtree/tablist.tentative.html

(this test runs on firefox because of the marionette endpoint: https://wpt.fyi/results/wai-aria/subtree?label=experimental&label=master&aligned)

In general, though, the subtrees are not testable, because they are pretty different between browsers, and we don't think we will ever have full alignment. The main issue is how much "generic" nodes there are (things that represent something meaningless in the a11y tree, like a div for styling purposes). We expect only to test specific scenarios. We discussed having an endpoint for the whole subtree, but we think it's more comment to just test a node or a few children/parents, thus the current design.

@OrKoN OrKoN Jun 22, 2026

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Thanks, that makes sense but I wonder once this is published if other WebDriver clients might start building out features based on the subtree iteration mechanisms available (thus starting to rely on the non-specified behavior) and require many roundtrips to implement the subtree retrieval.

@cookiecrook cookiecrook Jun 30, 2026

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I expect that will be the case, and don't see harm in testing the subtree of smaller features, like a known list or table with a known style sheet... However, it won't be a reliable cross-UA WPT test yet to include something like dumpAccessiblityTree() at the root node for a complex web site. Perhaps someday if and when we are able to standardize the rest.

@OrKoN OrKoN Jul 1, 2026

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would it make sense to add a note about this to the spec text here?

<td><a>Get Accessibility Properties For Element</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>GET</td>
<td>/session/{<var>session id</var>}/accessibility/properties/{<var>accessibility id</var>}</td>
<td><a>Get Accessibility Properties For Accessibility Node</a></td>
</tr>

</table>
</section> <!-- /Endpoints -->

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1193,6 +1206,14 @@ <h3>Errors</h3>
and cannot be brought into that viewport.
</tr>

<tr>
<td><dfn>no such accessibility node</dfn>
<td>404
<td><code>no such accessibility node</code>
<td>An <a>accessibility node</a> could not be located on the page
using the given search parameters.
</tr>

<tr>
<td><dfn>no such alert</dfn>
<td>404
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -6028,6 +6049,42 @@ <h4><dfn>Get Computed Label</dfn></h4>
<li><p>Return <a>success</a> with data <var>label</var>.
</ol>
</section> <!-- /Get Element Computed Label -->

<section>
<h4><dfn>Get Accessibility Properties For Element</dfn></h4>

<table class="simple jsoncommand">
<tr>
<th>HTTP Method</th>
<th>URI Template</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GET</td>
<td>/session/{<var>session id</var>}/element/{<var>element id</var>}/accessibilityproperties</td>
</tr>
</table>

<p>The <a>remote end steps</a>, given <var>session</var>, <var>URL
variables</var> and <var>parameters</var> are:

<ol>
<li><p>If <var>session</var>&apos;s <a>current browsing context</a> is <a>no longer open</a>,
return <a>error</a> with <a>error code</a> <a>no such window</a>.

<li><p><a>Try</a> to <a>handle any user prompts</a>
with <var>session</var>.

<li><p>Let <var>element</var> be the result
of <a>trying</a> to <a>get a known element</a>
with <var>URL variables</var>["<code>element id</code>"].

<li><p>Let <var>accessible</var> be the <a>accessibility node</a> that corresponds to this element. If no <a>accessibility node</a> exists, return <a>error</a> with <a>error code</a> <a>no such accessibility node</a>.

<li><p>Let <var>properties</var> be the result of computing the <a>accessibility properties</a> of <var>accessible</var>.

<li><p>Return <a>success</a> with data <var>properties</var>.
</ol>
</section> <!-- /Get Element Accessibility Properties -->
</section> <!-- /State -->

<section>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -11116,6 +11173,42 @@ <h3><dfn>Take Element Screenshot</dfn></h3>
</section> <!-- /Take Element Screenshot -->
</section> <!-- /Screen capture -->

<section>
<h2>Accessibility</h2>
<section>
<h3><dfn>Get Accessibility Properties for Accessibility Node</dfn></h3>

<table class="simple jsoncommand">
<tr>
<th>HTTP Method</th>
<th>URI Template</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GET</td>
<td>/session/{<var>session id</var>}/accessibility/properties/{<var>accessibility id</var>}</td>
</tr>
</table>

<p>The <a>remote end steps</a>, given <var>session</var>, <var>URL
variables</var> and <var>parameters</var> are:

<ol>
<li><p>If <var>session</var>&apos;s <a>current browsing context</a> is <a>no longer open</a>,
return <a>error</a> with <a>error code</a> <a>no such window</a>.

<li><p><a>Try</a> to <a>handle any user prompts</a>
with <var>session</var>.

<li><p>Let <var>node</var> be the <a>accessibility node</a> with <a>accessibility node ID</a> matching the <var>URL variables</var>["<code>accessibility id</code>"]. If no such <a>accessibility node</a> exists, return <a>error</a> with <a>error code</a> <a>no such accessibility node</a>.

<li><p>Let <var>properties</var> be the result of computing the <a>accessibility properties</a> of <var>node</var>.

@OrKoN OrKoN Jun 18, 2026 •
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Do you know how well does this corresponds to https://chromedevtools.github.io/devtools-protocol/tot/Accessibility/#type-AXNode?

@spectranaut spectranaut Jun 18, 2026

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Yeah, actually, this will be backed by the devtools node -- the webdriver command goes through the devtools protocol to get this information. The difference is that to start it will be a subset of the properties -- just the ones all three browsers agree to expose, and the agreement is being worked out in the other PR (w3c/aria#2800).

@OrKoN OrKoN Jun 18, 2026

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are you also working on the implementation in Chromium?

@spectranaut spectranaut Jun 22, 2026

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Yes, I sent it to you, but just in case here is is again: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/chromium/src/+/7922212


<li><p>Return <a>success</a> with data <var>properties</var>.
</ol>

</section> <!-- /Get Accessibility Properties for Accessibility Node -->
</section> <!-- /Accessibility -->

<section>
<h2>Print</h2>

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -11549,6 +11642,7 @@ <h2>Acknowledgements</h2>
<!-- Jonathan Lipps --> Jonathan Lipps,
<!-- Jonathon Kereliuk --> Jonathon Kereliuk,
<!-- Luke Inman-Semerau --> Luke Inman-Semerau,
<!-- Lola Odelola --> Lola Odelola,
<!-- Maja Frydrychowicz --> <a href=https://www.erranderr.com/>Maja Frydrychowicz</a>,
<!-- Malini Das --> Malini Das,
<!-- Manoj Kumar --> Manoj Kumar,
Expand All @@ -11561,6 +11655,7 @@ <h2>Acknowledgements</h2>
<!-- Simon Stewart --> <a href=http://www.rocketpoweredjetpants.com/>Simon Stewart</a>,
<!-- Sri Harsha --> Sri Harsha,
<!-- Titus Fortner --> Titus Fortner,
<!-- Valerie Young--> Valerie Young,
<!-- Vangelis Katsikaros --> and Vangelis Katsikaros.

<!-- ~~~ end sort ~~~ -->
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -11603,6 +11698,10 @@ <h2>Index</h2>
in the Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.2 specification: [[wai-aria-1.2]]
<ul>
<li><dfn><a href="https://w3c.github.io/aria/#introroles">WAI-ARIA role</a></dfn>
<li><dfn><a href="https://w3c.github.io/aria/#accessibility_tree">Accessibility tree</a></dfn>
Comment thread
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<li><dfn><a href="https://w3c.github.io/aria/#dfn-accessibility-api">Accessibility API</a></dfn>
<li><dfn><a href="https://w3c.github.io/aria/#aria-hidden">aria-hidden</a></dfn>

</ul>

<dd>
Expand All @@ -11614,6 +11713,23 @@ <h2>Index</h2>
Name and Description Computation</a></dfn>
</ul>

<dd>
<p>The following terms are defined
in the Core Accessibility API Mappings (Core-AAM) 1.2 specification: [[core-aam-1.2]]
<ul>
<!-- Computed accessibility properties --> <li><dfn><a
href="https://w3c.github.io/core-aam/#computed_accessibility_properties">Computed accessibility properties</a></dfn>
<!-- Accessibility node --> <li><dfn><a
href="https://w3c.github.io/core-aam/#computed_accessibility_properties">Accessibility node</a></dfn>
<!-- accessibilityId --> <li><dfn><a
href="https://w3c.github.io/core-aam/#computed_accessibility_properties_aria_states_and_properties">accessibilityId</a></dfn>
<!-- parent --> <li><dfn><a
href="https://w3c.github.io/core-aam/#computed_accessibility_properties_aria_states_and_properties">parent</a></dfn>
<!-- children --> <li><dfn><a
href="https://w3c.github.io/core-aam/#computed_accessibility_properties_aria_states_and_properties">children</a></dfn>
</ul>


<dt>Web App Security
<dd><p>The following terms are defined
in the Content Security Policy Level 3 specification: [[CSP3]]
Expand Down
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