Gecko Roles

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This page offers a list of accessible roles used in Gecko. Role constants are defined in the nsIAccessibleRole interface.

ROLE_NOTHING

Used when the accessible item doesn't have a strongly defined role.

ROLE_TITLEBAR

Represents a title or caption bar for a window. Used by MSAA only, this is supported automatically by Microsoft Windows.

ROLE_MENUBAR

Represents the menu bar (positioned beneath the title bar of a window on most platforms or at the top of the screen on Mac OS X) from which menus are selected by the user.

ROLE_SCROLLBAR

Represents a vertical or horizontal scroll bar, which is part of the client area or used in a control.

ROLE_GRIP

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_SOUND

Represents a system sound, which is associated with various system events.

ROLE_CURSOR

Represents the system mouse pointer.

ROLE_CARET

Represents the system caret.

ROLE_ALERT

Represents an alert or a condition that a user should be notified about. Assistive Technologies typically respond to the role by reading the entire onscreen contents of containers advertising this role. Should be used for warning dialogs, etc.

ROLE_WINDOW

Represents the window frame, which contains child objects such as a title bar, client, and other objects contained in a window. The role is supported automatically by Microsoft Windows.

ROLE_INTERNAL_FRAME

A sub-document.

ROLE_MENUPOPUP

Represents a menu, which presents a list of options from which the user can make a selection to perform an action.

ROLE_MENUITEM

Represents a menu item, which is an entry in a menu that a user can choose to carry out a command, select an option.

ROLE_TOOLTIP

Represents a tooltip that provides helpful hints; this is generally displayed at the mouse cursor position.

ROLE_APPLICATION

Represents a main window for an application.

ROLE_DOCUMENT

Represents a document window. A document window is always contained within an application window.

ROLE_PANE

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.

ROLE_CHART

Represents a graphical image used to represent data.

ROLE_DIALOG

Represents a dialog box or message box.

ROLE_BORDER

Represents a window border.

ROLE_GROUPING

Logically groups other objects.

ROLE_SEPARATOR

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_TOOLBAR

Represents a toolbar, which is a grouping of controls (push buttons or toggle buttons) that provides easy access to frequently used features.

ROLE_STATUSBAR

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_TABLE

Represents a table that contains rows and columns of cells, and optionally, row headers and column headers.

ROLE_COLUMNHEADER

Represents a column header, providing a visual label for a column in a table.

ROLE_ROWHEADER

Represents a row header, which provides a visual label for a table row.

ROLE_COLUMN

Represents a column of cells within a table.

ROLE_ROW

Represents a row of cells within a table.

ROLE_CELL

Represents a cell within a table.

ROLE_LINK

Represents a link to something else. This object might look like text or a graphic, but it acts like a button.

ROLE_HELPBALLOON

Displays a Help topic in the form of a ToolTip or Help balloon.

ROLE_CHARACTER

Represents a cartoon-like graphic object, such as Microsoft Office Assistant, which is displayed to provide help to users of an application.

ROLE_LIST

Represents a list box, allowing the user to select one or more items.

ROLE_LISTITEM

Represents an item in a list.

ROLE_OUTLINE

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_OUTLINEITEM

Represents an item in an outline or tree structure.

ROLE_PAGETAB

Represents a page tab, it is a child of a page tab list.

ROLE_PROPERTYPAGE

Represents a property sheet.

ROLE_INDICATOR

Represents an indicator, such as a pointer graphic, that points to the current item.

ROLE_GRAPHIC

Represents a picture.

ROLE_STATICTEXT

Represents read-only text, such as labels for other controls or instructions in a dialog box. Static text cannot be modified or selected.

ROLE_TEXT_LEAF

Represents selectable text that allows edits or is designated read-only.

ROLE_PUSHBUTTON

Represents a push button control.

ROLE_CHECKBUTTON

Represents a check box control.

ROLE_RADIOBUTTON

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.

ROLE_COMBOBOX

Represents a combo box; an edit control with an associated list box that provides a set of predefined choices.

ROLE_DROPLIST

Represents the calendar control.

ROLE_PROGRESSBAR

Represents a progress bar, dynamically showing the user the percent complete of an operation in progress.

ROLE_DIAL

Represents a dial or knob whose purpose is to allow a user to set a value.

ROLE_HOTKEYFIELD

Represents a hot-key field that allows the user to enter a combination or sequence of keystrokes.

ROLE_SLIDER

Represents a slider, which allows the user to adjust a setting in given increments between minimum and maximum values.

ROLE_SPINBUTTON

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_DIAGRAM

Represents a graphical image used to diagram data.

ROLE_ANIMATION

Represents an animation control, which contains content that changes over time, such as a control that displays a series of bitmap frames.

ROLE_EQUATION

Represents a mathematical equation. It is used by MATHML.

ROLE_BUTTONDROPDOWN

Represents a button that drops down a list of items.

ROLE_BUTTONMENU

Represents a button that drops down a menu.

ROLE_BUTTONDROPDOWNGRID

Represents a button that drops down a grid.

ROLE_WHITESPACE

Represents blank space between other objects.

ROLE_PAGETABLIST

Represents a container of page tab controls.

ROLE_CLOCK

Represents a control that displays time.

ROLE_SPLITBUTTON

Represents a button on a toolbar that has a drop-down list icon directly adjacent to the button.

ROLE_IPADDRESS

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_ACCEL_LABEL

Represents a label control that has an accelerator.

ROLE_ARROW

Represents an arrow in one of the four cardinal directions.

ROLE_CANVAS

Represents a control that can be drawn into and is used to trap events.

ROLE_CHECK_MENU_ITEM

Represents a menu item with a check box.

ROLE_COLOR_CHOOSER

Represents a specialized dialog that lets the user choose a color.

ROLE_DATE_EDITOR

Represents control whose purpose is to allow a user to edit a date.

ROLE_DESKTOP_ICON

An iconified internal frame in an ROLE_DESKTOP_PANE.

ROLE_DESKTOP_FRAME

A desktop pane. A pane that supports internal frames and iconified versions of those internal frames.

ROLE_DIRECTORY_PANE

A directory pane. A pane that allows the user to navigate through and select the contents of a directory. May be used by a file chooser.

ROLE_FILE_CHOOSER

A file chooser. A specialized dialog that displays the files in the directory and lets the user select a file, browse a different directory, or specify a filename. May use the directory pane to show the contents of a directory.

ROLE_FONT_CHOOSER

A font chooser. A font chooser is a component that lets the user pick various attributes for fonts.

ROLE_CHROME_WINDOW

Frame role. A top level window with a title bar, border, menu bar, etc. It is often used as the primary window for an application.

ROLE_GLASS_PANE

A glass pane. A pane that is guaranteed to be painted on top of all panes beneath it.

ROLE_HTML_CONTAINER

A document container for HTML, whose children represent the document content.

ROLE_ICON

A small fixed size picture, typically used to decorate components.

ROLE_LABEL

Presents an icon or short string in an interface.

ROLE_LAYERED_PANE

A layered pane. A specialized pane that allows its children to be drawn in layers, providing a form of stacking order. This is usually the pane that holds the menu bar as well as the pane that contains most of the visual components in a window.

ROLE_OPTION_PANE

A specialized pane whose primary use is inside a dialog.

ROLE_PASSWORD_TEXT

A text object uses for passwords, or other places where the text content is not shown visibly to the user.

ROLE_POPUP_MENU

A temporary window that is usually used to offer the user a list of choices, and then hides when the user selects one of those choices.

ROLE_RADIO_MENU_ITEM

A radio button that is a menu item.

ROLE_ROOT_PANE

A root pane. A specialized pane that has a glass pane and a layered pane as its children. Its children can include scroll bars and a viewport.

ROLE_SCROLL_PANE

A scroll pane. An object that allows a user to incrementally view a large amount of information.

ROLE_SPLIT_PANE

A split pane. A specialized panel that presents two other panels at the same time. Between the two panels is a divider the user can manipulate to make one panel larger and the other panel smaller.

ROLE_TABLE_COLUMN_HEADER

The header for a column of a table.

ROLE_TABLE_ROW_HEADER

The header for a row of a table.

ROLE_TEAR_OFF_MENU_ITEM

A menu item used to tear off and reattach its menu.

ROLE_TERMINAL

Represents an accessible terminal.

ROLE_TEXT_CONTAINER

Collection of objects that constitute a logical text entity.

ROLE_TOGGLE_BUTTON

A toggle button. A specialized push button that can be checked or unchecked, but does not provide a separate indicator for the current state.

ROLE_TREE_TABLE

Representas a control that is capable of expanding and collapsing rows as well as showing multiple columns of data.

ROLE_VIEWPORT

A viewport. An object usually used in a scroll pane. It represents the portion of the entire data that the user can see. As the user manipulates the scroll bars, the contents of the viewport can change.

ROLE_HEADER

Header of a document page.

ROLE_FOOTER

Footer of a document page.

ROLE_PARAGRAPH

A paragraph of text.

ROLE_RULER

A ruler such as those used in word processors.

ROLE_AUTOCOMPLETE

A text entry having dialog or list containing items for insertion into an entry widget, for instance a list of words for completion of a text entry.

ROLE_EDITBAR

An editable text object in a toolbar.

ROLE_ENTRY

An control whose textual content may be entered or modified by the user.

ROLE_CAPTION

A caption describing another object.

ROLE_DOCUMENT_FRAME

A visual frame or container which contains a view of document content. Document frames may occur within another Document instance, in which case the second document may be said to be embedded in the containing instance. HTML frames are often ROLE_DOCUMENT_FRAME. Either this object, or a singleton descendant, should implement the Document interface.

ROLE_HEADING

Heading.

ROLE_PAGE

An object representing a page of document content. It is used in documents which are accessed by the user on a page by page basis.

ROLE_SECTION

A container of document content.

ROLE_REDUNDANT_OBJECT

An object which is redundant with another object in the accessible hierarchy. ATs typically ignore objects with this role.

ROLE_FORM

A container of form controls.

ROLE_IME

An object which is used to allow input of characters not found on a keyboard, such as the input of Chinese characters on a Western keyboard.

ROLE_APP_ROOT

 ???

ROLE_PARENT_MENUITEM

Represents a menu item, which is an entry in a menu that a user can choose to display another menu.

ROLE_CALENDAR

A calendar that allows the user to select a date.

ROLE_COMBOBOX_LIST

A list of items that is shown by combobox.

ROLE_COMBOBOX_OPTION

A item of list that is shown by combobox

ROLE_IMAGE_MAP

An image map -- has child links representing the areas

ROLE_OPTION

An option in a listbox

ROLE_RICH_OPTION

A rich option in a listbox, it can have other widgets as children

ROLE_LISTBOX

A list of options