/sapui5

SAPUI5 Accessibility Guide

Source: Official SAP SAPUI5 Documentation Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sapui5/tree/main/docs/05_Developing_Apps Last Updated: 2025-11-21

Overview

Accessibility in SAPUI5 ensures applications are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. SAPUI5 controls include built-in accessibility features, but developers must implement them correctly.

Standards: SAPUI5 follows WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Level AA.

Key Principles:

1. Perceivable: Information must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive
2. Operable: User interface components must be operable
3. Understandable: Information and operation must be understandable
4. Robust: Content must be robust enough to work with assistive technologies

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sapui5/tree/main/docs/05_Developing_Apps (search: accessibility)

Screen Reader Support

Overview

Screen readers announce UI content to visually impaired users. SAPUI5 controls provide built-in screen reader support through ARIA attributes.

Supported Screen Readers:

• JAWS (Windows)
• NVDA (Windows)
• VoiceOver (macOS, iOS)
• TalkBack (Android)

Implementation

Automatic Support: Most SAP UI5 controls include screen reader support automatically:

<Button
    text="Save"
    icon="sap-icon://save"
    press=".onSave"/>
<!-- Automatically announces: "Save button" -->

Custom Labels:

<Input
    value="{/email}"
    ariaLabelledBy="emailLabel"/>

<Label
    id="emailLabel"
    text="Email Address"
    labelFor="emailInput"/>

ARIA Descriptions:

<Button
    text="Delete"
    ariaDescribedBy="deleteHint"/>

<InvisibleText
    id="deleteHint"
    text="This action cannot be undone"/>

Invisible Text

Provide information only for screen readers:

<InvisibleText
    id="statusHint"
    text="Status: {status}. Last updated: {lastUpdate}"/>

<ObjectStatus
    text="{status}"
    state="{statusState}"
    ariaDescribedBy="statusHint"/>

Use Cases:

• Additional context not visible on screen
• Status changes announcements
• Navigation instructions
• Form validation messages

Invisible Messaging

Announce dynamic content changes to screen readers:

sap.ui.require([
    "sap/ui/core/InvisibleMessage",
    "sap/ui/core/library"
], function(InvisibleMessage, coreLibrary) {
    var InvisibleMessageMode = coreLibrary.InvisibleMessageMode;

    // Get instance
    var oInvisibleMessage = InvisibleMessage.getInstance();

    // Announce politely (after current announcement)
    oInvisibleMessage.announce("Data loaded successfully", InvisibleMessageMode.Polite);

    // Announce assertively (interrupts current announcement)
    oInvisibleMessage.announce("Error: Form submission failed", InvisibleMessageMode.Assertive);
});

Modes:

• Polite: Wait for current announcement to finish
• Assertive: Interrupt current announcement immediately

Use Cases:

• Loading states
• Error messages
• Success confirmations
• Dynamic content updates

Keyboard Navigation

Overview

All functionality must be accessible via keyboard without requiring a mouse.

Standard Keys:

• Tab: Move focus forward
• Shift+Tab: Move focus backward
• Enter/Space: Activate buttons, links
• Arrow Keys: Navigate within components
• Esc: Close dialogs, cancel actions
• Home/End: Jump to first/last item

Focus Management

Visible Focus Indicator: All focusable elements must have a visible focus indicator (automatically provided by SAPUI5 controls).

Focus Order:

<!-- Logical focus order -->
<VBox>
    <Input id="firstName" value="{/firstName}"/>
    <Input id="lastName" value="{/lastName}"/>
    <Input id="email" value="{/email}"/>
    <Button text="Submit" press=".onSubmit"/>
</VBox>

Programmatic Focus:

// Set focus to control
this.byId("emailInput").focus();

// Set focus after dialog opens
oDialog.attachAfterOpen(function() {
    oDialog.getInitialFocus().focus();
});

Keyboard Handling

Handling Keyboard Events:

onKeyDown: function(oEvent) {
    // Check for specific key
    if (oEvent.keyCode === jQuery.sap.KeyCodes.ENTER) {
        this.onSave();
        oEvent.preventDefault();
    }

    // Check for Escape
    if (oEvent.keyCode === jQuery.sap.KeyCodes.ESCAPE) {
        this.onCancel();
    }
}

Item Navigation: For custom list-like controls:

sap.ui.require([
    "sap/ui/core/delegate/ItemNavigation"
], function(ItemNavigation) {
    onAfterRendering: function() {
        // Create item navigation
        this._oItemNavigation = new ItemNavigation();

        // Set root element and items
        this._oItemNavigation.setRootDomRef(this.getDomRef());
        this._oItemNavigation.setItemDomRefs(this.$().find(".item").toArray());

        // Configure navigation
        this._oItemNavigation.setCycling(false);
        this._oItemNavigation.setPageSize(10);

        // Attach to element
        this.addDelegate(this._oItemNavigation);
    },

    onExit: function() {
        if (this._oItemNavigation) {
            this._oItemNavigation.destroy();
        }
    }
});

Fast Navigation

F6 key for quick navigation between major screen regions:

sap.ui.define([
    "sap/ui/core/mvc/Controller",
    "sap/ui/core/CustomData"
], function(Controller, CustomData) {
    "use strict";

    return Controller.extend("my.app.controller.Main", {
        onInit: function() {
            // Mark sections for F6 navigation
            this.byId("headerSection").addCustomData(
                new CustomData({
                    key: "sap-ui-fastnavgroup",
                    value: "true"
                })
            );

            this.byId("contentSection").addCustomData(
                new CustomData({
                    key: "sap-ui-fastnavgroup",
                    value: "true"
                })
            );
        }
    });
});

Use Cases:

• Skip from header to content
• Jump to footer
• Navigate between major sections

ARIA Implementation

ARIA Attributes

role: Defines element type:

<div role="navigation">...</div>
<div role="main">...</div>
<div role="complementary">...</div>

aria-label: Provides accessible name:

<Button
    icon="sap-icon://delete"
    aria-label="Delete item"/>

aria-labelledby: References label element:

<Label id="nameLabel" text="Full Name"/>
<Input ariaLabelledBy="nameLabel"/>

aria-describedby: References description:

<Input
    value="{/password}"
    ariaDescribedBy="passwordHint"/>
<Text id="passwordHint" text="Must be at least 8 characters"/>

aria-live: Announces dynamic updates:

<Text
    text="{statusMessage}"
    aria-live="polite"/>

aria-expanded: Indicates expanded/collapsed state:

<Button
    text="Show Details"
    aria-expanded="{detailsVisible}"
    press=".onToggleDetails"/>

Landmark Regions

Define major page sections using landmarks:

sap.ui.require([
    "sap/ui/core/AccessibleLandmarkRole"
], function(AccessibleLandmarkRole) {
    // In XML view
    <Page
        landmarkInfo="{
            rootRole: 'Region',
            rootLabel: 'Product Details',
            contentRole: 'Main',
            contentLabel: 'Product Information',
            headerRole: 'Banner',
            headerLabel: 'Page Header',
            footerRole: 'Region',
            footerLabel: 'Page Actions'
        }">
    </Page>
});

Standard Roles:

• banner: Site header
• navigation: Navigation section
• main: Main content
• complementary: Supporting content
• contentinfo: Site footer
• region: Generic landmark
• search: Search functionality

Labeling & Tooltips

Labels

Always Provide Labels:

<!-- Good -->
<Label text="First Name" labelFor="firstName"/>
<Input id="firstName" value="{/firstName}"/>

<!-- Bad (no visible label) -->
<Input placeholder="First Name"/>  <!-- Placeholders are not labels -->

Required Fields:

<Label
    text="Email"
    required="true"
    labelFor="email"/>
<Input
    id="email"
    value="{/email}"
    required="true"/>

Tooltips

Provide additional information:

<Button
    icon="sap-icon://hint"
    tooltip="Click for more information"
    press=".onShowHelp"/>

Rich Tooltips:

<Button icon="sap-icon://action-settings">
    <customData>
        <core:CustomData
            key="tooltip"
            value="Settings (Ctrl+,)"/>
    </customData>
</Button>

Form Accessibility

Field Labels

<form:SimpleForm>
    <Label text="First Name" required="true"/>
    <Input value="{/firstName}" required="true"/>

    <Label text="Last Name" required="true"/>
    <Input value="{/lastName}" required="true"/>

    <Label text="Email"/>
    <Input value="{/email}" type="Email"/>

    <Label text="Phone"/>
    <Input value="{/phone}" type="Tel"/>
</form:SimpleForm>

Error Messages

<Input
    value="{/email}"
    valueState="{= ${/emailValid} ? 'None' : 'Error'}"
    valueStateText="Please enter a valid email address"/>

Field Groups

<VBox>
    <Title text="Personal Information"/>
    <Input value="{/firstName}" ariaLabelledBy="personalInfoTitle"/>
    <Input value="{/lastName}" ariaLabelledBy="personalInfoTitle"/>
</VBox>

Table Accessibility

Column Headers

<Table items="{/products}">
    <columns>
        <Column>
            <Text text="Product Name"/>
        </Column>
        <Column>
            <Text text="Price"/>
        </Column>
        <Column>
            <Text text="Status"/>
        </Column>
    </columns>
    <items>
        <ColumnListItem>
            <cells>
                <Text text="{name}"/>
                <Text text="{price}"/>
                <ObjectStatus text="{status}" state="{statusState}"/>
            </cells>
        </ColumnListItem>
    </items>
</Table>

Row Actions

<ColumnListItem type="Active" press=".onRowPress">
    <cells>
        <Text text="{name}"/>
    </cells>
    <customData>
        <core:CustomData
            key="aria-label"
            value="View details for {name}"/>
    </customData>
</ColumnListItem>

High Contrast Themes

Overview

High contrast themes help users with visual impairments.

Available Themes:

• sap_fiori_3_hcb: High Contrast Black
• sap_fiori_3_hcw: High Contrast White
• sap_horizon_hcb: Horizon High Contrast Black
• sap_horizon_hcw: Horizon High Contrast White

Testing

Test your app with high contrast themes:

// Switch theme programmatically
sap.ui.getCore().applyTheme("sap_horizon_hcb");

In URL:

http://myapp.com/index.html?sap-ui-theme=sap_horizon_hcb

CSS Considerations

Use theme parameters, not hard-coded colors:

/* Good */
.myClass {
    color: var(--sapUiContentForegroundColor);
    background-color: var(--sapUiBaseBG);
}

/* Bad */
.myClass {
    color: #333333;
    background-color: #ffffff;
}

Right-to-Left (RTL) Support

Overview

Support languages written right-to-left (Arabic, Hebrew, etc.).

Configuration

Enable RTL:

<script
    src="resources/sap-ui-core.js"
    data-sap-ui-rtl="true">
</script>

Or programmatically:

sap.ui.getCore().getConfiguration().setRTL(true);

CSS for RTL

Use logical properties:

/* Good (automatically flipped in RTL) */
.myClass {
    padding-inline-start: 1rem;
    margin-inline-end: 0.5rem;
    border-inline-start: 1px solid;
}

/* Bad (not flipped) */
.myClass {
    padding-left: 1rem;
    margin-right: 0.5rem;
    border-left: 1px solid;
}

Text Direction

<Text text="{description}" textDirection="Inherit"/>

<!-- Force LTR for codes/IDs -->
<Text text="{productId}" textDirection="LTR"/>

Testing Accessibility

Manual Testing

1. Keyboard Navigation:

   • Tab through all interactive elements
   • Verify focus visibility
   • Test Enter/Space activation
   • Test Esc key behavior

2. Screen Reader:

   • Test with JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver
   • Verify all content is announced
   • Check announcements are meaningful
   • Test dynamic content updates

3. High Contrast:

   • Switch to high contrast theme
   • Verify all content is visible
   • Check color contrast ratios

4. Zoom:

   • Zoom to 200%
   • Verify layout doesn't break
   • Check text remains readable

Automated Testing

Use UI5 Support Assistant:

// Enable support assistant
sap.ui.require(["sap/ui/support/RuleAnalyzer"], function(RuleAnalyzer) {
    RuleAnalyzer.analyze();
});

Or via keyboard: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S

Checks:

• Missing labels
• Invalid ARIA attributes
• Keyboard navigation issues
• Color contrast problems

Accessibility Checklist

General

• All functionality keyboard accessible
• Focus indicators visible
• Logical focus order
• No keyboard traps
• Esc key closes dialogs

Labeling

• All form fields have labels
• Required fields marked
• Error messages clear and accessible
• Buttons have meaningful labels
• Images have alt text

ARIA

• Proper ARIA roles used
• aria-label or aria-labelledby on inputs
• aria-describedby for additional info
• aria-live for dynamic updates
• Landmark regions defined

Screen Readers

• Test with screen reader
• All content announced
• Announcements meaningful
• InvisibleText used where needed
• Dynamic updates announced

Visual

• Color contrast sufficient (4.5:1 for text)
• Works with high contrast themes
• Text remains readable at 200% zoom
• No information by color alone

Tables

• Column headers defined
• Row headers where appropriate
• Summary/caption provided
• Complex tables avoided

Common Issues

Issue: Input without label

Bad:

<Input placeholder="Search..."/>

Good:

<Label text="Search" labelFor="searchInput"/>
<Input id="searchInput" placeholder="Enter search term..."/>

Issue: Button with only icon

Bad:

<Button icon="sap-icon://delete" press=".onDelete"/>

Good:

<Button
    icon="sap-icon://delete"
    tooltip="Delete item"
    ariaLabel="Delete item"
    press=".onDelete"/>

Issue: Dynamic content not announced

Bad:

this.byId("statusText").setText("Loading complete");

Good:

this.byId("statusText").setText("Loading complete");

// Announce to screen reader
var oInvisibleMessage = sap.ui.core.InvisibleMessage.getInstance();
oInvisibleMessage.announce("Loading complete", "Polite");

Official Documentation

• Accessibility: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sapui5/tree/main/docs/05_Developing_Apps (search: accessibility)
• Screen Reader Support: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sapui5/tree/main/docs/05_Developing_Apps (search: screen-reader)
• Keyboard Handling: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sapui5/tree/main/docs/05_Developing_Apps (search: keyboard)
• ARIA: https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/
• WCAG 2.1: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/

Note: This document covers accessibility implementation in SAPUI5. Accessibility is not optional - it's a requirement for enterprise applications. Always test with keyboard and screen readers.