Aria semantics

As explained in WordPress Power Toolkit: Harness AI to build next-level websites

An ARIA role is a semantic label assigned to an HTML element to identify its interface purpose or content type to assistive technologies.

ARIA semantics use HTML attributes called roles to label interface purposes and content types, helping screen readers clarify a site's structure and regions. section 8.6.2

Check whether a theme uses ARIA roles:

• Open the site's frontend, right-click, and choose Inspector. section 8.6.2
• Search the page structure for role attributes. section 8.6.2
• Look for labels such as presentation, option, list box, or group. section 8.6.2
• Use the Web Developer extension's Information menu for a broader role overview. section 8.6.2

A practical accessibility check

After activating a WordPress theme, view the frontend, open Chrome's Inspector with Ctrl-Shift-I, choose Analyze Page Load, and review the Accessibility analysis in the Lighthouse report. section 8.6.2

You would likely find this Web Developer extension valuable when building and maintaining a site.

Use the Web Developer extension to inspect ARIA roles while building and maintaining a site. section 8.6.2

How WordPress Power Toolkit: Harness AI to build next-level websites covers it

How deep it goes

Defines roles and demonstrates inspection and automated testing, but does not explain role implementation in code.

Examples

Uses presentation, option, list box, and group roles, plus Inspector, Web Developer, WordPress, and Lighthouse checks.

What you can do after

Evaluate theme accessibility by inspecting role attributes and reviewing Lighthouse accessibility diagnostics.

How it connects

Connects HTML attributes with screen readers, accessible themes, browser developer tools, and Lighthouse accessibility testing.

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Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  D3.js in Action, Third EditionThe role attribute assigns an accessibility semantic that describes how an element should be interpreted by assistive technologies.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Data Analysis with LLMsA role attribute identifies the source type of a chat message, such as user, assistant, or system.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  React in DepthAn ARIA role is a semantic classification that describes how an element should be understood and interacted with by users and assistive technologies.

Compare how 4 books explain aria semantics →

Related concepts

• getByRoleused by · getByRole is a user-interface testing query that locates an element by its accessible role and optionally its accessible name.
• WAI-ARIAhas part · WAI-ARIA is a W3C specification defining roles, states, properties, and other accessibility semantics for communicating web interface information to assistive technologies.
• HTMLpart of · HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language for structuring content and elements in web documents.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of WordPress Power Toolkit: Harness AI to build next-level websites. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.