Option role has confusing/contradictory/circular context roles specified

[carmacleod]

The role definition for option states the following:

A selectable item in a select list.

Authors MUST ensure elements with role option are contained in, or owned by, an element with the role listbox or group. Options not associated with a listbox might not be correctly mapped to an accessibility API.

1. The first sentence says that an option is a selectable item in a select list, where select can be:

• combobox
• listbox
• menu
• radiogroup
• tree

2. The next sentence says that authors MUST ensure elements with role option are contained in, or owned by, an element with the role listbox or group, where listbox is just listbox, and group can be:

• group
• row
• select
• toolbar

3. The third sentence says options not associated with a listbox might not be correctly mapped to an accessibility API.

The group context role was added for 1.2, but I think the other sentences still need cleanup. It is strange that listbox is singled out as being "the" required context role, yet there are other allowed context roles. Additionally confusing is that select is a subclass of group but both are mentioned.

The following wording is cleaner, although I'm not sure if this corresponds to the actual mappings:

A selectable item in a group.

Authors MUST ensure elements with role option are contained in, or owned by, an element with the role group or one of its subclasses. Options not associated with a group might not be correctly mapped to an accessibility API.

[carmacleod]

Also, the Required Context Role: for option currently contains both:

• group
• listbox

Again, it is strange to single out listbox, when these other concrete roles are also allowed:

• combobox
• menu
• radiogroup
• tree
• row
• toolbar

So I think the Required Context Role: section for option should either contain only group, or all of the possible concrete roles.

[jnurthen]

I think the problem is the first sentence. As far as I know option only applies for listbox. Would changing the first sentence to "A selectable item in a listbox." sort out all the other issues?

[carmacleod]

As far as I know option only applies for listbox.

Oh, interesting. So, why was group added as context role?

If it really-truly is only for listbox then those sentences need to be:

A selectable item in a listbox.

Authors MUST ensure elements with role option are contained in, or owned by, an element with the role listbox. Options not associated with a listbox might not be correctly mapped to an accessibility API.

i.e. also need to remove "or group" from sentence 2.

And the Required Context Role: section needs to only contain listbox (i.e. delete group).

But group was recently added, so there must be discussion about that around here somewhere.

[jnurthen]

options would be allowed inside a group in a listbox too.

[carmacleod]

issue #719
PR #782

[carmacleod]

options would be allowed inside a group in a listbox too.

Ah, I see. So how about:

A selectable item in a listbox.

Authors MUST ensure elements with role option are contained in, or owned by, an element with role listbox or group (as long as group is contained in a listbox). Options not associated with a listbox might not be correctly mapped to an accessibility API.

[kevinSuttle]

Something I've noticed that I don't see listed anywhere else, which may be adding to this confusion with listbox and option

listbox seems to be the only role which attempts to emulate the <select multiple> pattern, which is supported by means of aria-multiselectable (also supported by roles such as tablist, tree, etc., but not menu).

Could just be me, though.