Missing alternative text on image map areas
images/area-alt-missing
- WCAG success criterion
- 1.1.1 (level A)
- Outcome class
- Automatic. An automated check that can report a confirmed violation.
- Area
- Accessibility, Content & Alternatives
- Default severity
- high
- axe-core rule
area-alt
Why we flag this
Screen reader users are not told where a clickable image region leads.
<area> element without an alt attribute.
What the rule checks
Scope. Every <area> with href (a link) of an image map; <area> is display:none by UA style and judged regardless.
Expectation. An active <area> without alt, aria-label or aria-labelledby is a link without a name (H24): violation at the area. An <area> without href is no link and is not judged.
Source. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.1.1 Non-text Content (H37, H24, H36, H53, ARIA6, ARIA10, F65, F30); HTML §4.8; accname 1.2; HTML §4.8.14 area
Detection: shared; needs dom, computed_style.
Failing example
The check reports a violation here. Corpus case misc_content_checks. The page may contain further findings for other rules.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" xml:lang="de">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=3">
<title>Misc content checks corpus case</title>
<style>
.low-contrast-checkbox {
border: 1px solid #f8f8f8;
background: #ffffff;
}
/* Controls sized to 44px: this case is not about target size. */
button, input { min-width: 44px; min-height: 44px; }
.inline-link {
color: blue;
text-decoration: none;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<main>
<h1>Image maps, tables, abbreviations, and misc issues</h1>
<!-- area-alt -->
<img src="/floorplan.png" usemap="#floor-map" alt="Floor plan">
<map name="floor-map">
<area href="/room1" shape="rect" coords="0,0,50,50">
</map>
<!-- input-image-alt -->
<input type="image" src="/submit.png">
<!-- presentation-semantic-children: dropped in #697 — role="presentation" does not
strip the semantics of descendants (WAI-ARIA 1.2), so this is no finding -->
<div role="presentation">
<button>Semantic button inside a presentation container</button>
</div>
<!-- tables/header-missing: data table without any headers -->
<table>
<tbody>
<tr><td>Alice</td><td>90</td></tr>
<tr><td>Bob</td><td>85</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<!-- redundant-entry: two email fields without reuse/autocomplete -->
<form>
<label for="email-a">Email</label>
<input type="email" id="email-a" name="email_a">
<label for="email-b">Confirm email</label>
<input type="email" id="email-b" name="email_b">
</form>
<!-- abbreviations -->
<p><abbr>W3C</abbr> publishes web standards.</p>
<!-- modern-attribute-misuse: popovertarget references a missing element -->
<button popovertarget="missing-popover-id">Open</button>
<!-- non-text-contrast-css: checkbox border barely distinguishable from background -->
<input type="checkbox" class="low-contrast-checkbox">
<!-- link-in-text-block: inline link distinguished only by color -->
<p>Read our <a href="/policy" class="inline-link">privacy policy</a> for details.</p>
</main>
</body>
</html>Passing example
The check passes here and reports nothing. Corpus case content_images_ok. The page may contain further findings for other rules.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Exhibition: maps of the old town</title>
<style>
.icon { display: inline-block; width: 16px; height: 16px; background: #446; }
.sr-only { position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); white-space: nowrap; }
</style>
<style>
nav a, .skip-link, form input, a[href="/print"] { display: inline-block; min-width: 44px; min-height: 44px; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<a class="skip-link" href="#main">Skip to main content</a>
<header>
<p>City Library</p>
<nav aria-label="Main"><a href="/" aria-current="page">Home</a> <a href="/catalogue">Catalogue</a> <a href="/visit">Visit</a></nav>
</header>
<main id="main">
<h1>Exhibition: maps of the old town</h1>
<img id="poster" src="/poster.jpg" alt="Poster: maps of the old town, 3 May to 30 June" width="200" height="120">
<img id="divider" src="/divider.png" alt="" width="200" height="4">
<img id="labelled" src="/map-1850.png" aria-label="Town map of 1850" width="200" height="120">
<p id="caption-1900">Town map of 1900</p>
<img id="labelledby" src="/map-1900.png" aria-labelledby="caption-1900" width="200" height="120">
<img id="titled" src="/seal.png" title="Town seal" width="40" height="40">
<img id="three-chars" src="/sign.png" alt="Inn" width="40" height="40">
<img id="presentational" src="/flourish.png" role="presentation" width="40" height="10">
<img id="hidden-from-at" src="/flourish.png" aria-hidden="true" width="40" height="10">
<img id="not-rendered" src="/print-only.png" style="display: none">
<img id="hidden-attr" src="/later.png" hidden>
<img id="town-map" src="/town.png" usemap="#town-areas" alt="Old town districts" width="200" height="120">
<map name="town-areas">
<area id="area-market" href="/districts/market" shape="rect" coords="0,0,100,60" alt="Market district">
<area id="area-harbour" href="/districts/harbour" shape="rect" coords="100,0,200,60" aria-label="Harbour district">
<area id="area-decor" shape="rect" coords="0,60,200,120">
</map>
<form action="/search">
<label for="q">Search the collection</label>
<input id="q" name="q" type="search">
<input id="search-go" type="image" src="/go.png" alt="Search">
<span id="reset-label" hidden>Clear search</span>
<input id="search-clear" type="image" src="/clear.png" aria-labelledby="reset-label">
</form>
<object id="catalogue-pdf" data="/catalogue.pdf" type="application/pdf" width="300" height="200">
<a href="/catalogue.pdf">Download the exhibition catalogue (PDF)</a>
</object>
<object id="floor-plan" data="/floor.svg" type="image/svg+xml" title="Floor plan of the exhibition" width="300" height="200"></object>
<audio id="muted-loop" autoplay muted loop src="/ambience.mp3"></audio>
<audio id="tour-audio" controls src="/tour.mp3"></audio>
<span id="warning-icon" role="img" aria-label="Warning" class="icon"></span>
<span id="decor-icon" role="img" class="icon" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<a href="/print"><span id="print-icon" role="img" class="icon"></span>Print this page</a>
</main>
<footer><p>City Library, 1 Market Square</p></footer>
</body>
</html>This page is generated from the rule catalogue and the rule contracts; see therule overview for how the outcome classes are derived.