AXE_RULES_COVERAGE.md

title	Axe Rules Coverage

Axe 4.11 Rules Coverage Summary

This document outlines the accessibility issues that axe-core 4.11 can detect and which test pages cover them.

Overview

Axe-core 4.11 includes 100+ automated accessibility checks organized into categories:

Rule Categories

• WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA (68 rules) - Core web accessibility standards
• WCAG 2.1 Level A & AA (26 rules) - Additional modern web accessibility
• WCAG 2.2 Level A & AA (1 rule - disabled by default) - Latest standards
• Best Practices (30+ rules) - Industry accepted practices
• WCAG 2.x Level AAA (3 rules - disabled by default) - Enhanced accessibility
• Experimental (9 rules - disabled by default) - In development
• Deprecated (7 rules - disabled by default) - To be removed

Severity Levels

• Critical - Issues that prevent users with disabilities from accessing content
• Serious - Major issues that substantially impact user experience
• Moderate - Minor issues that affect some users
• Minor - Very minor issues

WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA Rules (Primary Focus)

Text Alternatives (7 rules)

• area-alt - Image map areas need alt text
• image-alt - Images need alternative text
• input-image-alt - Image input buttons need alt text
• object-alt - Embedded objects need alt text
• role-img-alt - Elements with role="img" need alt text
• svg-img-alt - SVG graphics need accessible text
• video-caption - Videos need captions

Test Page: page1.html (Images & Contrast)

ARIA Attributes (20 rules)

• aria-allowed-attr - Element role supports ARIA attributes
• aria-braille-equivalent - Braille labels have non-braille equivalents
• aria-command-name - Buttons, links, menu items have names
• aria-conditional-attr - ARIA attributes used per spec
• aria-deprecated-role - No deprecated roles used
• aria-hidden-body - aria-hidden not on body element
• aria-hidden-focus - Hidden elements not focusable
• aria-input-field-name - Input fields have accessible names
• aria-meter-name - Meter elements have names
• aria-progressbar-name - Progressbar elements have names
• aria-prohibited-attr - Prohibited ARIA attributes not used
• aria-required-attr - Required ARIA attributes present
• aria-required-children - Parent ARIA roles have required children
• aria-required-parent - Child ARIA roles have required parents
• aria-roles - Valid ARIA role values used
• aria-toggle-field-name - Toggle fields have accessible names
• aria-tooltip-name - Tooltips have accessible names
• aria-valid-attr - Only valid ARIA attributes used
• aria-valid-attr-value - ARIA attribute values are valid

Test Page: page4.html (ARIA & Language)

Forms & Labels (4 rules)

• label - Form elements have labels
• select-name - Select elements have accessible names
• form-field-multiple-labels - Form fields don't have multiple labels

Test Page: page2.html (Forms & Labels)

Headings & Lists (5 rules)

• heading-order - Heading hierarchy is correct
• empty-heading - Headings have discernible text
• list - Lists are structured correctly
• listitem - List items are used semantically
• definition-list - Definition lists are correct

Test Page: page3.html (Buttons & Headings)

Tables (3 rules)

• table-duplicate-name - Table caption not same as summary
• td-headers-attr - Table cells reference table headers correctly
• th-has-data-cells - Table headers describe data cells

Test Page: blog/post1.html (Tables & Data)

Buttons & Links (4 rules)

• button-name - Buttons have discernible text
• input-button-name - Input buttons have text
• link-name - Links have discernible text
• link-in-text-block - Links distinguished from surrounding text

Test Page: page3.html (Buttons & Headings)

Frames & Embeds (4 rules)

• frame-title - Frames have accessible names
• frame-title-unique - Frame titles are unique
• frame-focusable-content - Frames with focusable content not tabindex=-1

Test Page: demo-bad.html (Multiple Violations)

Language & Document (4 rules)

• html-has-lang - HTML document has lang attribute
• html-lang-valid - Lang attribute has valid value
• html-xml-lang-mismatch - Lang and xml:lang agree
• valid-lang - Lang attributes have valid values
• document-title - Document has non-empty title

Test Page: page4.html (ARIA & Language)

Color & Contrast (1 rule)

• color-contrast - Contrast meets WCAG 2 AA standards

Test Page: page1.html (Images & Contrast)

Parsing & Structure (4 rules)

• duplicate-id-aria - No duplicate ID values
• dlitem - dt/dd elements contained in dl
• marquee - Marquee elements not used
• blink - Blink elements not used

Test Page: demo-bad.html (Multiple Violations)

Meta & Viewport (3 rules)

• meta-refresh - Meta refresh not used
• meta-viewport - Viewport doesn't disable zooming
• autocomplete-valid - Autocomplete attribute is correct

Test Page: auth/login.html (Form Authentication)

Keyboard Interaction (3 rules)

• bypass - Skip navigation mechanism
• scrollable-region-focusable - Scrollable regions keyboard accessible
• server-side-image-map - No server-side image maps

Test Page: demo-bad.html (Multiple Violations)

WCAG 2.1 Level A & AA Rules

Content Sizing (2 rules)

• avoid-inline-spacing - Text spacing can be adjusted
• autocomplete-valid - Autocomplete suitable for field

Test Page: auth/login.html (Form Authentication)

Best Practices Rules (Selected)

Landmark Rules (8 rules)

• landmark-banner-is-top-level - Banner at top level
• landmark-contentinfo-is-top-level - Contentinfo at top level
• landmark-main-is-top-level - Main at top level
• landmark-no-duplicate-banner - At most one banner
• landmark-no-duplicate-contentinfo - At most one contentinfo
• landmark-no-duplicate-main - At most one main
• landmark-one-main - At least one main landmark
• region - All content contained by landmarks

Test Page: blog/post1.html (Tables & Data)

ARIA Best Practices (3 rules)

• aria-dialog-name - Dialogs have accessible names
• aria-text - role="text" on elements with no focusable descendants
• aria-treeitem-name - Tree items have accessible names

Test Page: page4.html (ARIA & Language)

Accessibility Keys (2 rules)

• accesskeys - Accesskey values are unique
• tabindex - Tabindex not > 0

Test Page: page2.html (Forms & Labels)

Page Structure (2 rules)

• page-has-heading-one - Page has h1 heading
• region - Content in landmarks

Test Page: blog/post1.html (Tables & Data)

Test Page Organization

page1.html - Images & Contrast

• Missing alt text on images
• Poor color contrast
• Redundant alt text

Error Types: 3 Axe Rules Tested:

• image-alt - Missing image alternative text
• color-contrast - Poor color contrast ratio

page2.html - Forms & Labels

• Missing form labels
• Unlabeled inputs
• Missing field descriptions
• Incorrect label associations

Error Types: 3-4 Axe Rules Tested:

• label - Form elements without labels
• select-name - Select elements without accessible names
• form-field-multiple-labels - Multiple labels on one field

page3.html - Buttons & Headings

• Icon buttons without accessible text
• Heading hierarchy issues (h1 to h3 skip)
• Duplicate IDs

Error Types: 3 Axe Rules Tested:

• button-name - Buttons without discernible text
• input-button-name - Input buttons without text
• heading-order - Incorrect heading hierarchy
• empty-heading - Headings without text

page4.html - ARIA & Language

• Missing lang attribute on html element
• Invalid ARIA roles
• Missing required ARIA attributes
• Incorrect ARIA attribute usage

Error Types: 4-5 Axe Rules Tested:

• html-has-lang - Document missing lang attribute
• html-lang-valid - Invalid lang attribute value
• aria-roles - Invalid ARIA role values
• aria-required-attr - Missing required ARIA attributes
• aria-allowed-attr - Unsupported ARIA attributes for role
• aria-command-name - ARIA buttons/links without names

page5.html - Media & Captions

• Videos without captions
• Audio without transcripts
• Iframes without titles
• Object elements without alt text
• SVG images without accessible names

Error Types: 5 Axe Rules Tested:

• video-caption - Videos without captions
• audio-caption - Audio without captions (deprecated)
• no-autoplay-audio - Audio autoplaying without control
• frame-title - Iframes without accessible names
• frame-title-unique - Frame titles not unique
• object-alt - Object elements without alt text
• svg-img-alt - SVG graphics without accessible text
• role-img-alt - role="img" elements without names

page6.html - Tables & Data Structure

• Table headers not associated with data
• Incorrect header attribute references
• Duplicate table captions/summaries
• List items outside containers
• Definition list structure errors

Error Types: 5 Axe Rules Tested:

• th-has-data-cells - Table headers describe no data cells
• td-headers-attr - Table cells reference invalid headers
• table-duplicate-name - Caption duplicates summary
• td-has-header - Large table cells lack headers (experimental)
• listitem - li elements outside ul/ol
• list - Incorrect list structure
• definition-list - Definition list structure incorrect
• dlitem - dt/dd outside dl container

auth/login.html - Form Authentication

• Missing field labels
• No autocomplete hints
• Checkbox without label
• Radio buttons without fieldset
• Select without label
• Vague button text
• Meta viewport disables zoom

Error Types: 5 Axe Rules Tested:

• label - Form inputs without labels
• select-name - Select elements without names
• autocomplete-valid - Missing or invalid autocomplete
• meta-viewport - Viewport disables zooming
• tabindex - Incorrect tabindex values (>0)
• button-name - Buttons with insufficient text

blog/post1.html - Tables, Landmarks & Heading Order

• Missing lang attribute
• Missing image alt text
• Low contrast text
• Skipped heading levels (h2 to h4)
• Table without proper structure
• Icon buttons without text
• List items outside containers
• Missing main landmark

Error Types: 5 Axe Rules Tested:

• html-has-lang - Document missing lang attribute
• image-alt - Images without alt text
• color-contrast - Poor contrast ratio
• heading-order - Skipped heading level
• th-has-data-cells - Table headers without descriptions
• button-name - Icon buttons without names
• listitem - li outside ul/ol
• landmark-one-main - No main landmark
• region - Content not in landmarks

demo-bad.html - Multiple Violation Types

• Comprehensive test page with 5+ error types
• Duplicate IDs
• Missing captions
• Nested interactive elements
• Keyboard trap issues
• Mixed violations

Error Types: 5+

Coverage Summary

Category	Rules	Pages Covered	Status
Text Alternatives	7	page1.html, page5.html, blog/post1.html	✅
ARIA Attributes	20	page4.html, demo-bad.html	✅
Forms & Labels	8	page2.html, page6.html, auth/login.html	✅
Headings & Lists	6	page3.html, page6.html, blog/post1.html	✅
Tables	4	page6.html, blog/post1.html	✅
Buttons & Links	4	page3.html, page5.html	✅
Language & Document	5	page4.html, blog/post1.html	✅
Color & Contrast	1	page1.html, blog/post1.html	✅
Parsing & Structure	5	demo-bad.html, page6.html	✅
Meta & Viewport	3	auth/login.html	✅
Media & Embeds	8	page5.html	✅
Keyboard & Navigation	5	demo-bad.html, auth/login.html	✅
Best Practices	30+	Multiple pages	✅

Total Pages: 9

• page1.html — Images & Contrast
• page2.html — Forms & Labels
• page3.html — Buttons & Headings
• page4.html — ARIA & Language
• page5.html — Media & Captions (new)
• page6.html — Tables & Data (new)
• auth/login.html — Form Authentication
• blog/post1.html — Blog & Structure
• demo-bad.html — Comprehensive Test

How to Use These Test Pages

1. Open the Accessibility Scanner (a11y-scan.html)
2. Select "Local Directory" and drag your site folder
3. Run a scan to identify violations
4. Compare results to expected errors for each page
5. Use violations to validate scanner accuracy

Notes

• Each page is designed to test 3-5 specific error types
• Pages use intentional violations to validate scanner detection
• Some rules are combined on pages to maximize coverage
• Best practices rules are tested across multiple pages
• Rules disabled by default (AAA, Experimental) are noted but not extensively tested

---

Last Updated: January 2026 Axe Version: 4.11 WCAG Versions: 2.0, 2.1, 2.2