Introduction
The table below shows how MSAA roles are mapped to Gecko roles. There are MSAA roles mapped to several Gecko roles due to MSAA restrictions. You should use IAccessible2 to avoid this (see IAccessible2 roles).
Role List
| Role | Description | Gecko Role |
|---|---|---|
| ROLE_SYSTEM_ALERT | The object represents an alert or a condition that a user should be notified about. This role is used only for objects that embody an alert but are not associated with another user interface element such as a message box, graphic, text, or sound. | ROLE_ALERT |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_ANIMATION | The object represents an animation control, which contains content that changes over time, such as a control that displays a series of bitmap frames. Animation controls are displayed when files are copied, or when some other time-consuming task is performed. | ROLE_ANIMATION |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_APPLICATION | The object represents a main window for an application. | ROLE_CHROME_WINDOW, ROLE_APP_ROOT, ROLE_APPLICATION |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_BORDER | The object represents a window border. The entire border is represented by a single object rather than by separate objects for each side. | ROLE_BORDER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_BUTTONDROPDOWN | The object represents a button that drops down a list of items. | ROLE_BUTTONDROPDOWN |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_BUTTONDROPDOWNGRID | The object represents a button that drops down a grid. | ROLE_BUTTONDROPDOWNGRID |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_BUTTONMENU | The object represents a button that drops down a menu. | ROLE_BUTTONMENU |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CARET | The object represents the system caret. | ROLE_CARET |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CELL | The object represents a cell within a table. | ROLE_CELL |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CHARACTER | The object represents a cartoon-like graphic object, such as Microsoft Office Assistant, which is displayed to provide help to users of an application. | ROLE_CHARACTER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CHART | The object represents a graphical image used to represent data. | ROLE_CHART |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CHECKBUTTON | The object represents a check box control, an option that is turned on or off independently of other options. | ROLE_CHECKBUTTON |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CLIENT | The object represents a window's client area. Active Accessibility uses this role as a default if there is a question about the role of a UI element. | ROLE_CALENDAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CLOCK | The object represents a control that displays time. | ROLE_CLOCK |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_COLUMN | The object represents a column of cells within a table. | ROLE_COLUMN |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_COLUMNHEADER | The object represents a column header, providing a visual label for a column in a table. | ROLE_TABLE_COLUMN_HEADER, ROLE_COLUMNHEADER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_COMBOBOX | The object represents a combo box; an edit control with an associated list box that provides a set of predefined choices. | ROLE_COMBOBOX, ROLE_AUTOCOMPLETE |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_CURSOR | The object represents the system mouse pointer. | ROLE_CURSOR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_DIAGRAM | The object represents a graphical image used to diagram data. | ROLE_DIAGRAM |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_DIAL | The object represents a dial or knob. | ROLE_DIAL |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_DIALOG | The object represents a dialog box or message box. | ROLE_DIALOG, ROLE_COLOR_CHOOSER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_DOCUMENT | The object represents a document window. A document window is always contained within an application window. This role applies only to multiple-document interface (MDI) windows and refers to the object that contains the MDI title bar. | ROLE_DOCUMENT |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_DROPLIST | The object represents the calendar control, SysDateTimePick32. Oleacc uses this role to indicate that Active Accessibility has found either a date or a calendar control. | ROLE_DROPLIST |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_EQUATION | The object represents a mathematical equation. | ROLE_EQUATION |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_GRAPHIC | The object represents a picture. | ROLE_IMAGE_MAP, ROLE_GRAPHIC |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_GRIP | The object represents a special mouse pointer, which allows a user to manipulate user interface elements such as windows. For example, a user clicks and drags a sizing grip in the lower-right corner of a window to resize it. | ROLE_GRIP |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_GROUPING | The object logically groups other objects. There is not always a parent-child relationship between the grouping object and the objects it contains. | ROLE_PANE, ROLE_GROUPING |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_HELPBALLOON | The object displays a Help topic in the form of a ToolTip or Help balloon. | ROLE_HELPBALLOON |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_HOTKEYFIELD | The object represents a hot-key field that allows the user to enter a combination or sequence of keystrokes. | ROLE_HOTKEYFIELD |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_INDICATOR | The object represents an indicator, such as a pointer graphic, that points to the current item. | ROLE_ARROW, ROLE_INDICATOR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_IPADDRESS | The object represents an edit control designed for an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The edit control is divided into sections for the different parts of the IP address. | ROLE_IPADDRESS |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_LINK | The object represents a link to something else. This object might look like text or a graphic, but it acts like a button. | ROLE_LINK |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_LIST | The object represents a list box, allowing the user to select one or more items. | ROLE_LIST, ROLE_COMBOBOX_LIST, ROLE_LISTBOX |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_LISTITEM | The object represents an item in a list box or the list portion of a combo box, drop-down list box, or drop-down combo box. | ROLE_LISTITEM, ROLE_COMBOBOX_OPTION, ROLE_OPTION, ROLE_RICH_OPTION |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_MENUBAR | The object represents the menu bar (positioned beneath the title bar of a window) from which menus are selected by the user. | ROLE_MENUBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_MENUITEM | The object represents a menu item, which is an entry in a menu that a user can choose to carry out a command, select an option, or display another menu. Functionally, a menu item is equivalent to a push button, radio button, check box, or menu. | ROLE_MENUITEM, ROLE_CHECK_MENU_ITEM, ROLE_RADIO_MENU_ITEM, ROLE_TEAR_OFF_MENU_ITEM, ROLE_PARENT_MENUITEM |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_MENUPOPUP | The object represents a menu, which presents a list of options from which the user can make a selection to perform an action. All menu types must have this role, including drop-down menus that are displayed by selecting from a menu bar, and shortcut menus that are displayed by clicking the right mouse button. | ROLE_POPUP_MENU, ROLE_MENUPOPUP |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_OUTLINE | The object represents an outline or tree structure, such as a tree view control, that displays a hierarchical list and allows the user to expand and collapse branches. | ROLE_TREE_TABLE, ROLE_OUTLINE |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_OUTLINEBUTTON | The object represents items that navigate like an outline item. You can use the up and down arrows to move through the outline. However, instead of expanding and collapsing the menus by using left and right arrow keys, these menus expand or collapse when the space bar or enter key is pressed and the item has focus. | no |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_OUTLINEITEM | The object represents an item in an outline or tree structure. | ROLE_OUTLINEITEM |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PAGETAB | The object represents a page tab. The only child of a page tab control is a ROLE_SYSTEM_GROUPING object that contains the contents of the associated page. | ROLE_PAGETAB |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PAGETABLIST | The object represents a container of page tab controls. | ROLE_PAGETABLIST |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PANE | The object represents a pane within a frame or document window. Users can navigate between panes and within the contents of the current pane, but cannot navigate between items in different panes. Thus, panes represent a level of grouping lower than frame windows or documents, but above individual controls. The user navigates between panes by pressing TAB, F6, or CTRL+TAB, depending on the context. | ROLE_VIEWPORT |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PROGRESSBAR | The object represents a progress bar, dynamically showing the user the percent complete of an operation in progress. This control takes no user input. | ROLE_PROGRESSBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PROPERTYPAGE | The object represents a property sheet. | ROLE_PROPERTYPAGE |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_PUSHBUTTON | The object represents a push button control. | ROLE_PUSHBUTTON, ROLE_ICON, ROLE_TOGGLE_BUTTON |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_RADIOBUTTON | The object represents an option button, also called a radio button. It is one of a group of mutually exclusive options. All objects sharing a single parent that have this attribute are assumed to be part of single mutually exclusive group. Use ROLE_SYSTEM_GROUPING objects to divide them into separate groups. | ROLE_RADIOBUTTON |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_ROW | The object represents a row of cells within a table. | ROLE_ROW |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_ROWHEADER | The object represents a row header, which provides a visual label for a table row. | ROLE_TABLE_ROW_HEADER, ROLE_ROWHEADER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SCROLLBAR | The object represents a vertical or horizontal scroll bar, which is part of the client area or used in a control. | ROLE_SCROLLBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SEPARATOR | The object is used to visually divide a space into two regions, such as a separator menu item or a bar that divides split panes within a window. | ROLE_SEPARATOR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SLIDER | The object represents a slider, which allows the user to adjust a setting in given increments between minimum and maximum values. | ROLE_COLUMN |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SOUND | The object represents a system sound, which is associated with various system events. | ROLE_SLIDER |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SPINBUTTON | The object represents a spin box, which is a control that allows the user to increment or decrement the value displayed in a separate "buddy" control associated with the spin box. | ROLE_SPINBUTTON |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_SPLITBUTTON | The role represents a button on a toolbar that has a drop-down list icon directly adjacent to the button. | ROLE_COLUMN |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_STATICTEXT | The object represents read-only text, such as labels for other controls or instructions in a dialog box. Static text cannot be modified or selected. | ROLE_ACCEL_LABEL, ROLE_LABEL, ROLE_STATICTEXT |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_STATUSBAR | The object represents a status bar, which is an area at the bottom of a window that displays information about the current operation, state of the application, or selected object. The status bar has multiple fields, which display different kinds of information. | ROLE_STATUSBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_TABLE | The object represents a table that contains rows and columns of cells, and optionally, row headers and column headers. | ROLE_TABLE |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_TEXT | The object represents selectable text that allows edits or is designated read-only. | ROLE_TEXT_LEAF, ROLE_PASSWORD_TEXT, ROLE_EDITBAR, ROLE_ENTRY |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_TITLEBAR | The object represents a title or caption bar for a window. | ROLE_TITLEBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_TOOLBAR | The object represents a toolbar, which is a grouping of controls that provides easy access to frequently used features. | ROLE_TOOLBAR |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_TOOLTIP | The object represents a ToolTip that provides helpful hints. | ROLE_TOOLTIP |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_WHITESPACE | The object represents blank space between other objects. | ROLE_WHITESPACE |
| ROLE_SYSTEM_WINDOW | The object represents the window frame, which contains child objects such as a title bar, client, and other objects contained in a window. | ROLE_WINDOW |