HTML Guide for button

A button element, or an element with the role=button attribute, is not allowed to be nested inside an <a> element.

A button element cannot contain a descendant element with the attribute tabindex.

The aria-expanded attribute can only be true, false, or undefined.

This attribute indicates whether a grouping element is expanded or collapsed.

An element like <h1>, <h2>, etc., used to define a heading, does not accept the button role.

The following HTML code is invalid because the <h2> element can’t have role="button"

<h2 role="button">Some heading</h2>

Instead, you can nest the <h2> inside a <div> with that role. In this case however, browsers automatically apply role presentation to all descendant elements of any button element as it is a role that does not support semantic children.

<div role="button">
  <h2>Some heading</h2>
</div>

A <li> element, used to define a list item, does not accept the button role.

This HTML code is invalid because the <li> elements can’t have role="button":

<ul>
  <li role="button">One</li>
  <li role="button">Two</li>
</ul>

In HTML, the <button> element is used to create interactive buttons. The W3C HTML Validator message suggests that your <button> element might be missing certain attributes that are typically expected for accessibility or functionality.

Understanding the Required Attributes

1. type Attribute:

   • The type attribute specifies the behavior of the button. It can take one of the following values:
     • submit: Submits the form data to the server.
     • reset: Resets the form data to its initial values.
     • button: A generic button with no default behavior.
   • If omitted, the default value is submit when the button is within a form.

   <button type="button">Click me</button>

2. role and aria-checked Attributes:

   • These attributes are related to ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and states, which enhance accessibility by providing semantic meaning to assistive technologies.
   • The role attribute defines the type of widget the button is supposed to represent, for example, role="switch" or role="checkbox".
   • If using role="checkbox" or role="switch", the aria-checked attribute indicates whether the button is checked (true), unchecked (false), or if its state is indeterminate (mixed).

   <!-- Example for a button acting as a checkbox -->
   <button type="button" role="checkbox" aria-checked="false">Toggle Option</button>

Recommendations

• Always define the type attribute to clearly specify the button’s intended behavior, especially within forms.
• If the button acts like a toggle control such as a checkbox or switch, include the appropriate role and use aria-checked to reflect its current state.
• Ensure alignment of ARIA attributes with the intended behavior and visual representation of the button for users, both with and without assistive technologies.

A <button> tag can’t include other <button> tags inside. Most probable cause is an unclosed <button> tag, like in this example:

<button>Submit
<button>Cancel</button>

The button role is used to make an element appear as a button control to a screen reader and can be applied to otherwise non-interactive elements like <div>. If you’re already using a <button> element, then it’s redundant to apply it the role button, as that’s implicit.

<!-- Instead of this -->
<button role="button">Buy</button>

<!-- Do this -->
<button>Buy</button>

The button role is used to make an element appear as a button control to a screen reader and can be applied to otherwise non-interactive elements like <div>. If you’re already using an <input> element whose type is submit, then it’s redundant to apply it the role button, as that’s implicit.

<!-- Instead of this -->
<input type="submit" role="button">Buy</button>

<!-- Do this -->
<input type="submit">Buy</button>

The <summary> HTML element specifies a clickable summary, caption, or legend for a <details> element’s disclosure box. As the <summary> element has an implicit button role, it’s not needed to include it explicitly.

Here’s an example, clicking the <summary> element toggles the state of the parent <details> element open and closed.

<details>
    <summary>I have keys but no doors. I have space but no room. You can enter but can’t leave. What am I?</summary>
    A keyboard.
</details>

When you encounter the issue where the <a> element is nested inside an element with role="button", it’s important to understand that this can lead to accessibility conflicts. The role="button" indicates that the element is interactive, similar to a button. Nesting an <a> (which is also an interactive element) inside it can confuse assistive technologies.

How to Fix This Issue

You should either change the structure so that the <a> is not inside the button or change the role of the button to avoid this violation. Here are two common approaches to resolve the issue:

Option 1: Remove the <a> Tag

Replace the <a> tag with an appropriate action directly inside the element with role="button".

Example Before:

<div role="button">
  <a href="#link">Click here</a>
</div>

Example After:

<div role="button" tabindex="0" onclick="location.href='#link';">
  Click here
</div>

Here, we use JavaScript to navigate to the link when the div is clicked.

Option 2: Remove the role="button"

If the <a> tag is sufficient by itself, you can remove the role="button" from the surrounding element.

Example Before:

<div role="button">
  <a href="#link">Click here</a>
</div>

Example After:

<a href="#link">Click here</a>

This maintains the desired navigation without creating a conflict between the button and link semantics.

An a element is not allowed to be nested inside a <button> element, or an element with the role=button attribute.

A button element is not allowed to contain other button elements, or other elements with role=button.

The button role identifies an element as a button to assistive technology such as screen readers. A button is a widget used to perform actions such as submitting a form, opening a dialog, canceling an action, or performing a command such as inserting a new record or displaying information. Adding role="button" tells assistive technology that the element is a button but provides no button functionality

A button element, or an element with the role=button attribute, is not allowed to be nested inside an <a> element.

An element with role=button can’t have an input element as descendant.

The ARIA role button can be added to an element to make it behave like a <button> – just like a <button> is not allowed to contain other <input> elements as descendants, any element with this role is not allowed to contain them either.

All these examples in the following code will raise a similar issue:

<div role="button">
  <input type="checkbox" />
</div>

<button>
  <input type="checkbox" />
</button>

<a>
  <input type="checkbox" />
</a>

A label element is not allowed as a descendant of a button element.

The label element represents a caption in a user interface. The caption can be associated with a specific form control, known as the label element’s labeled control, either using the for attribute, or by putting the form control inside the label element itself.