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object-alt
An <object> element must have alternative text.
Why it matters
An <object> element is used to embed multimedia content in a web page. It can also be used to embed one web page inside another.
Alternative text is a word or phrase that (1) is coded in a way that assistive technologies can associate it with a specific non-text object, and (2) conveys the same information as the non-text object.
Because assistive technologies can’t interpret objects directly, they rely on alternative text to communicate the meaning of non-text content to users.
How to fix
For each <object> element, provide alternative text using one of the following methods.
Good
titleattribute
Better
aria-labelattribute
Best
aria-labelledbyattribute
For tips on writing good text alternatives, see Providing short text alternative for non-text content that serves the same purpose and presents the same information as the non-text content.
Example
Fail
<object> element doesn't have alternative text.
Assistive technology users won't have any idea what information the object contains unless they interact with it.<object type="application/pdf" data="/media/beeth_fe.pdf" width="250" height="200">
</object>
Pass
<object> element uses an aria-label attribute to provide alternative text.
Assistive technology users can judge from the name whether the object is likely to have useful content.<object type="application/pdf" data="/media/beeth_fe.pdf" width="250" height="200" aria-label="Sheet music for Beethoven's "Für Elise">
</object>
About this rule
This rule passes if ANY of the following is true:
- Element has a non-empty
aria-labelattribute - Element has an
aria-labelledbyattribute that references elements that are visible to screen readers - Element has a non-empty
titleattribute - Element’s default semantics were overridden with
role="presentation"orrole="none"
Important: Use caution when applying role="presentation" or role="none" to an <object> element.
These roles instruct assistive technologies to disregard the element’s implicit role without hiding its content from users.
If an <object> element with a role of presentation or none has inner text, it will be reported to users as a text string with no semantic context. For more information, see Using ARIA: Use of Role=presentation or Role=none.