Web Development
Web Developer Guidelines
Visual Design Recommendations

Checkpoint 1.13 - JavaScript

JavaScript does not cause a refresh of the page unless the user authorises it

WCAG 1.0 Priority 2

WCAG Guideline 7. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.

Users should have control over refreshing of pages content in order to provide context and understanding of the information displayed. Screen readers such as JAWS are not able to read changes to a web page unless the source code is dynamically updated and the refresh is caused by a user action. Automatic refreshing of content can also be very disorienting to some users. Most browsers do not allow the user to disable or vary the refresh rate.

Requirement

Do not use JavaScript to cause a web page to refresh unless the user authorises it.

Checking Tool

View the source code of the web page and the associated JavaScript files to locate any instances of location.reload(true).

  • Internet Explorer - AIS toolbar: Source > View Source
  • Firefox - Web Developer's Toolbar: View Source > View Source

Information Source

The original source of this information is located on the W3C web site  (www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-no-periodic-refresh)

 

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