Layout table with header cells
tables/presentational-with-headers
- WCAG success criterion
- 1.3.1 (level A)
- Outcome class
- Automatic. An automated check that can report a confirmed violation.
- Area
- Accessibility, Structure & Semantics
- Default severity
- medium
- axe-core rule
tables/presentational-with-headers
Why we flag this
Screen reader users receive contradictory signals about whether this is a data table.
role="presentation"/"none" on a table with <th>.
What the rule checks
Scope. Every rendered table marked role="presentation" or role="none".
Expectation. A table marked presentational but holding header cells (<th>, columnheader, rowheader) contradicts itself: the role removes the table semantics the header cells announce (F92 reasoning). Confirmed violation at the table. A presentational layout table without header cells passes.
Source. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (H51, H39, H63, H43, F91, F92); HTML §4.9 tabular data; WAI-ARIA 1.2 table/grid/row/cell roles
Detection: shared; needs dom, computed_style.
Failing example
The check reports a violation here. Corpus case content_tables_broken, element table#layout-with-headers. 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>Library statistics with broken tables</title>
<style>
nav a, .skip-link { 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>Library statistics</h1>
<h2>Loans</h2>
<table id="loans">
<tr><td>January</td><td>1,204</td></tr>
<tr><td>February</td><td>1,180</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Layout grid</h2>
<table id="layout-with-headers" role="presentation">
<tr><th id="layout-head">Column</th></tr>
<tr><td>Left text</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Upcoming events</h2>
<table id="events" aria-label="Upcoming events">
<thead><tr><th id="events-date">Date</th><th id="events-title">Event</th></tr></thead>
</table>
<h2>Budget</h2>
<table id="budget" aria-label="Budget">
<tr><th id="budget-item">Item</th><th id="budget-cost">Cost</th></tr>
<tr><td id="cell-missing-ref" headers="budget-nothing">Paper</td><td id="cell-empty-ref" headers="">5</td></tr>
<tr><td id="cell-to-cell" headers="cell-missing-ref">Ink</td><td id="cell-other-table" headers="opening-day">8</td></tr>
</table>
<table id="opening" aria-label="Opening">
<tr><th id="opening-day">Day</th><td>Monday</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Branch overview</h2>
<div role="table" id="aria-branches">
<div role="row"><div role="cell">North</div><div role="cell">Open</div></div>
</div>
<div role="grid" id="aria-headers-only" aria-label="Seat map">
<div role="row"><div role="columnheader" id="aria-seat-head">Seat</div></div>
</div>
<h2>Archive</h2>
<table id="hidden-table" hidden><tr><td>Old</td><td id="hidden-cell" headers="nothing-here">1</td></tr></table>
<div aria-hidden="true"><table id="decorative-table"><tr><td>Pattern</td></tr></table></div>
<h2>Widgets</h2>
<stat-table></stat-table>
<iframe id="frame-table" title="Branch statistics" style="width:400px;height:120px;border:0" srcdoc="<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><title>Branch statistics</title></head><body><table id="frame-stats"><tr><td>Visitors</td><td>120</td></tr></table></body></html>"></iframe>
<div id="late-table"></div>
<script>
customElements.define('stat-table', class extends HTMLElement {
connectedCallback() {
this.attachShadow({ mode: 'open' }).innerHTML =
'<table id="shadow-stats"><tr><td>Visitors</td><td>310</td></tr></table>';
}
});
document.getElementById('late-table').innerHTML =
'<table id="late-stats"><tr><td>Members</td><td>4,800</td></tr></table>';
</script>
</main>
<footer><p>City Library, 1 Market Square</p></footer>
</body>
</html>Passing example
The check passes here and reports nothing. Corpus case content_tables_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>Library statistics</title>
<style>
nav a, .skip-link { 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>Library statistics</h1>
<table id="prices">
<caption>Copy and print prices</caption>
<thead><tr><th scope="col" id="price-item">Item</th><th scope="col" id="price-cost">Cost</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td headers="price-item">Black and white page</td><td headers="price-cost">0.10</td></tr>
<tr><td headers="price-item">Colour page</td><td headers="price-item price-cost">0.50</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="hours-heading">Opening hours</h2>
<table id="hours" aria-labelledby="hours-heading">
<tr><th scope="row">Monday</th><td>9:00 to 18:00</td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Sunday</th><td></td></tr>
</table>
<table id="minimal" aria-label="Late returns">
<tr><th id="late-head">Late returns this week</th><td></td></tr>
</table>
<table id="layout" role="presentation">
<tr><td>Address: 1 Market Square</td><td>Phone: 555 0100</td></tr>
</table>
<div role="table" id="aria-branches" aria-label="Branches">
<div role="row"><div role="columnheader">Branch</div><div role="columnheader">Status</div></div>
<div role="row"><div role="cell">North</div><div role="cell">Open</div></div>
</div>
<stat-table></stat-table>
<script>
customElements.define('stat-table', class extends HTMLElement {
connectedCallback() {
this.attachShadow({ mode: 'open' }).innerHTML =
'<table id="shadow-stats"><caption>Visitors</caption>' +
'<tr><th scope="col" id="shadow-day">Day</th><th scope="col">Visitors</th></tr>' +
'<tr><td headers="shadow-day">Monday</td><td>310</td></tr></table>';
}
});
</script>
</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.