Text not allowed in element “ul” in this context.

The alert role can be used to tell the user an element has been dynamically updated. Screen readers will instantly start reading out the updated content when the role is added. The element <ul> doesn’t accept this kind of role, consider using other element like <p> or <div>.

The alert role is used to communicate an important and usually time-sensitive message to the user. When this role is added to an element, the browser will send out an accessible alert event to assistive technology products which can then notify the user about it. The alert role is most useful for information that requires the user’s immediate attention.

The role attribute value navigation is invalid for a ul element, as it should be used with a nav element or similar suitable elements.

In HTML, the role attribute defines what an element represents in the context of accessible web technologies, primarily for assistive tools like screen readers. The nav element represents a section of a page intended for navigational links, and it inherently provides the role of navigation. If you want to make a ul element serve as navigation, it is more appropriate to use it inside a nav element, or alternatively, set a valid ARIA role on the element itself.

Detailed Explanation

HTML5 introduced a specific set of elements with implicit ARIA roles and behaviors, like the nav element, which implicitly has the navigation role. For backward compatibility or advanced use cases, developers might explicitly set ARIA roles using the role attribute. However, setting an invalid role can lead to accessibility issues, as seen with trying to assign navigation to a ul element.

Instead of applying the navigation role to a ul directly, wrap your ul with a nav element.

The allowed ARIA roles for an ul element are directory, group, listbox, menu, menubar, none, presentation, radiogroup, tablist, toolbar and tree, but not navigation.

Examples

Here is how you can use the nav element with a ul.

<nav>
  <ul>
    <li><a href="#home">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="#about">About</a></li>
    <li><a href="#contact">Contact</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

The role attribute in HTML is used to define the accessibility role of an element, which helps assistive technologies understand the purpose or type of the element. The value tabpanel is not appropriate for a <ul> element, which is used for unordered lists.

The role of tabpanel is intended to be used with elements that represent a tab panel, which is part of a tabbed interface. A tabbed interface consists of elements with roles like tablist, tab, and tabpanel. Typically, tabpanel is used with containers that house the content associated with a tab, such as a <div>.

To fix this error, ensure that the tabpanel role is applied to the correct element. Here’s a simple example of how a tab interface can be structured correctly:

<div role="tablist" aria-label="Sample Tabs">
  <button role="tab" aria-controls="panel-1" id="tab-1">Tab 1</button>
  <button role="tab" aria-controls="panel-2" id="tab-2">Tab 2</button>
</div>

<div role="tabpanel" id="panel-1" aria-labelledby="tab-1" hidden>
  <p>Content for Tab 1.</p>
</div>

<div role="tabpanel" id="panel-2" aria-labelledby="tab-2" hidden>
  <p>Content for Tab 2.</p>
</div>

In this example:

• The role tablist is applied to the container element that directly contains the tab elements.
• Each button serving as a tab has the role of tab.
• Each tab panel, which contains the content for a tab, has the role of tabpanel.

Avoid using tabpanel on non-semantic or incorrectly associated elements like <ul>. Instead, use elements like <div> or <section> for tab panels, ensuring the roles align with the intended roles in a tabbed interface.

A <div> tag has been found as a direct child of an <ul> tag, and this is not allowed. For example, <ul><div><li>item</li></div></ul> is not valid, but <ul><li><div>item</div></li></ul> is valid as the direct child of <ul> is <li>.

Direct text nodes inside select are not permitted content. Browsers typically ignore or mangle that text, leading to inconsistent rendering and confusing experiences for screen reader users. It also breaks conformance, which can impact maintainability and automated tooling. The right approach is to keep instructional text in a corresponding label, or provide a non-selectable prompt using a disabled, selected option. Group labels must be provided with optgroup elements, not free text.

To fix it, remove any raw text inside the select. If you need a prompt, add a first option with value="" and disabled selected hidden for a placeholder-like experience, or rely on a visible label. Ensure all selectable items are wrapped in option, and any grouping uses optgroup with its label attribute. Always associate the select with a label via for/id for accessibility.

Examples

Triggers the error (text node inside select)

<select>
  Please select an option:
  <option value="1">Option 1</option>
  <option value="2">Option 2</option>
</select>

Correct: move instructions to a label

<label for="flavor">Please select a flavor:</label>
<select id="flavor" name="flavor">
  <option value="vanilla">Vanilla</option>
  <option value="chocolate">Chocolate</option>
</select>

Correct: provide a non-selectable prompt inside select

<label for="country">Country</label>
<select id="country" name="country" required>
  <option value="" disabled selected hidden>Select a country</option>
  <option value="us">United States</option>
  <option value="ca">Canada</option>
</select>

Correct: use optgroup for grouping, not free text

<label for="city">City</label>
<select id="city" name="city">
  <optgroup label="USA">
    <option value="nyc">New York</option>
    <option value="la">Los Angeles</option>
  </optgroup>
  <optgroup label="Canada">
    <option value="toronto">Toronto</option>
    <option value="vancouver">Vancouver</option>
  </optgroup>
</select>

Correct: full document (for context)

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Select without stray text</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <form>
      <label for="size">Choose a size:</label>
      <select id="size" name="size">
        <option value="" disabled selected hidden>Select a size</option>
        <option value="s">Small</option>
        <option value="m">Medium</option>
        <option value="l">Large</option>
      </select>
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

Tips:

• Put instructions in a label or surrounding text, not inside select.
• Every choice must be an option; use optgroup with label to name groups.
• For placeholders, prefer a disabled, selected first option; avoid raw text nodes.

Remove the role="list" attribute from the ul element.

The ul (unordered list) element is inherently recognized as a list in HTML. As such, it is automatically associated with the semantic role of a list. Adding role="list" to a ul is redundant and can also confuse browsers and screen readers, potentially leading to inconsistent behavior or impaired accessibility. This attribute is unnecessary because the list role is implicitly defined for this element through HTML specifications, and W3C HTML validation flags it to ensure semantic clarity and best practices.

Example of Incorrect role Usage:

<ul role="list">
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
  <li>Item 3</li>
</ul>

Corrected Example Without Unnecessary role:

<ul>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
  <li>Item 3</li>
</ul>

By excluding the role="list", the code adheres to semantic clarity and best practices, complying with W3C standards while maintaining accessibility.