Techniques for WCAG 2.0

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G83: Providing text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed

Applicability

Content that includes mandatory fields in user input

This technique relates to:

Description

The objective of this technique is to notify the user when a field that must be completed has not been completed. When users fail to provide input for any mandatory form fields, information is provided in text to enable the users to identify which fields were omitted. One approach is to use client-side validation and provide an alert dialog box identifying the mandatory fields which were omitted. Another approach, using server-side validation, is to re-display the form (including any previously entered data), with either a text description at the location of the omitted mandatory field, or a text description that identifies the omitted mandatory fields.

Examples

Tests

Procedure

  1. Fill out a form, deliberately leaving one or more required (mandatory) fields blank, and submit it.

  2. Check that a text description is provided identifying the mandatory field(s) that was not completed.

Expected Results