The aria-setsize attribute is part of the WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications) specification. This attribute is used to indicate the total number of items within a set or container, such as a list or carousel.

What is WAI-ARIA?

WAI-ARIA is a set of accessibility guidelines and techniques developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It provides a way to enhance the accessibility of web content and applications for people with disabilities, including those using assistive technologies.

WAI-ARIA defines a set of roles, properties, and states that can be added to HTML elements to convey additional semantic information to assistive technologies.

Introduction to aria-setsize

The aria-setsize attribute is used to specify the total number of items within a set or container. It is primarily used in conjunction with the aria-posinset attribute, which indicates the position of a specific item within the set.

By providing the total number of items using aria-setsize, assistive technologies can present more accurate information to users. For example, a screen reader can announce the total number of items and the current position, allowing users to navigate through the set more effectively.

Usage example

Let’s consider a simple list of items as an example:

<ul role="list">
  <li role="listitem" aria-posinset="1" aria-setsize="5">Item 1</li>
  <li role="listitem" aria-posinset="2" aria-setsize="5">Item 2</li>
  <li role="listitem" aria-posinset="3" aria-setsize="5">Item 3</li>
  <li role="listitem" aria-posinset="4" aria-setsize="5">Item 4</li>
  <li role="listitem" aria-posinset="5" aria-setsize="5">Item 5</li>
</ul>

In this example, each list item is assigned a role of “listitem”, indicating its purpose within the list. The aria-posinset attribute specifies the position (from 1 to 5) of each item within the set, and the aria-setsize attribute indicates that there are a total of 5 items in the set.

Considerations and best practices

• Ensure that you set the role attribute appropriately on the container and individual items. In the example above, the role attributes “list” and “listitem” are used to define the list and list items, respectively.

• Always provide a meaningful value for aria-setsize. It should reflect the actual number of items in the set or container.

• Make sure to update the aria-setsize attribute dynamically if the number of items changes dynamically. This can be done using JavaScript or any other programming language as per your application requirements.

• Test the accessibility of your application using assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to ensure that the use of aria-setsize is properly conveyed to users with disabilities.

Conclusion

The aria-setsize attribute is a valuable tool in making web content and applications more accessible. By accurately indicating the total number of items within a set or container, it helps users navigate and understand complex information more effectively when using assistive technologies.

Implementing WAI-ARIA guidelines, including the use of aria-setsize, not only improves the accessibility of your application but also enhances the overall user experience.