Files
atomic-design-poc/docs/backlog/WP-16-component-a11y.md
Edwin van den Houdt f3de30b72c feat(fp): WP-16 — component a11y: description wiring + alert role
Wires text-input's aria-describedby to the form-field description div
(the BSN hint was rendered but never announced), pins desc-before-error
ordering, and switches alert to role=alert for errors vs role=status
for info/ok/warning. Composition contract enforced by story play tests
(form-field+text-input, alert per variant) run in the WP-01 CI gate.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-04 08:15:24 +02:00

91 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown

# WP-16 — Component a11y: description wiring + alert role
Status: done (pending commit)
Phase: 4 — a11y
## Why
Audit findings axe can't (fully) catch:
- `form-field` renders a description `<div [id]="fieldId()+'-desc'">` that **no control
ever references** — `text-input` sets `aria-describedby` only to `…-error` and only
when invalid. Screen readers never announce field descriptions (e.g. the BSN hint on
the login form).
- The field↔control id pairing is manual (`fieldId` must equal the input's `name`/`id`)
with nothing enforcing it.
- The `alert` atom is always `role="status"` — error alerts are announced politely while
other errors in the app use `role="alert"`; urgency is inconsistent.
## Read first
- `src/app/shared/ui/form-field/form-field.component.ts` (~line 15)
- `src/app/shared/ui/text-input/text-input.component.ts` (~lines 17-18)
- `src/app/shared/ui/radio-group/radio-group.component.ts`, `checkbox/checkbox.component.ts`
- `src/app/shared/ui/alert/alert.component.ts`
- `src/app/auth/ui/login-form/login-form.component.ts` (a live desc that's never wired)
## Decisions (pre-made, don't relitigate)
- `aria-describedby` = space-joined ids: `-desc` **always when a description exists** +
`-error` **when invalid**; order pinned (desc first, error second).
- Pairing contract: form-field exposes its `fieldId`; the composition contract
(`fieldId === control id/name`) is documented in both components and **enforced by a
story play test** on the canonical form-field+text-input composition
(`expect(input).toHaveAttribute('aria-describedby', 'x-desc')`, flip validity, assert
`'x-desc x-error'`). Play tests run in the WP-01 test-runner for free.
- DI-based auto-wiring (form-field providing the id via injection) is **out of scope**
more clever than this POC needs; the play test catches drift. Revisit only if the
manual contract actually breaks in practice.
- Alert: `type === 'error'``role="alert"`; others keep `role="status"`. Rationale
comment in the atom.
## Files
- `form-field.component.ts`, `text-input.component.ts`, `radio-group.component.ts`,
`checkbox.component.ts` (describedby joins; only where the component takes a hint)
- `alert.component.ts` (+ story asserting the role per variant)
- `form-field.stories.ts` (or a composition story) with the play test
- Call sites that pass descriptions (verify login-form BSN hint is now announced)
## Steps
1. Implement the describedby join in the input atoms; form-field renders `-desc` only
when a description input is set (it already does — verify).
2. Write the play tests (form-field composition + alert roles).
3. Alert role switch + rationale comment.
4. Manual screen-reader spot check (optional but recommended — note result here).
## Acceptance criteria
- [x] Description text is programmatically associated in the canonical composition;
login-form BSN hint announced.
- [x] `-error` id appended exactly when invalid; order stable.
- [x] Error alerts are `role="alert"`; play tests assert both behaviors and run in the
CI gate.
## Deviation from the original plan
`radio-group`/`checkbox` were left unchanged — grepping every call site found zero
consumers pairing either with a `form-field` `description` (only the login-form BSN
field, which uses `text-input`). The WP's own Files note ("describedby joins; only
where the component takes a hint") already carved out this exact case — adding
`hasDescription` to atoms with no live description consumer would be unused surface,
not a fix. `radio-group` already had correct `-error`-only wiring; untouched.
`describedBy()` was added directly on `text-input` rather than factored into a shared
`shared/kernel` helper — one consumer, ~5 lines, not worth the indirection yet.
Manual screen-reader spot check (optional per the WP) skipped; the play test is the
enforced check going forward.
## Verification
GREEN + `npm run test-storybook:ci` (includes the new play tests).
## Out of scope
Route-change focus and template lint (WP-17); rewriting form-field's layout.
## Risks
`aria-describedby` churn on validity flips re-announcing content — pinned order + play
test coverage keeps it deterministic.