ARIA: table role

An element with role="table" is a static tabular structure with rows containing cells. The cells are not focusable or selectable, though widgets within individual cells of the table can be interactive. Using a native HTML <table> element whenever possible is strongly encouraged.

To create an ARIA table, add role="table" to the container element. Within that container, each row has role="row" set and contains child cells. Each cell has a role of either columnheader, rowheader, or cell. Rows can be children of the table or within a rowgroup.

The table caption can be defined via aria-labelledby or aria-label. All other semantic table elements, such as <tbody>, <thead>, <tr>, <th>, and <td>, need to be added via associated roles, such as rowgroup, row, columnheader, and cell.

If the table contains sortable columns or rows, the aria-sort attribute should be added on the header cell element (not the table itself). If any rows or columns are hidden, the aria-colcount or aria-rowcount should be included indicating the total number of columns or rows, respectively, along with the aria-colindex or aria-rowindex on each cell. The aria-colindex or aria-rowindex is set to the position of a cell within the row or column, respectively. If the table includes cells that span multiple rows or multiple columns, then aria-rowspan or aria-colspan should be included as well. Realize, it is much simpler to use the <table> element, along with all the related semantic elements and attributes that are all supported by all assistive technologies.

To create an interactive widget that has a tabular structure, use the grid pattern instead. If the interaction provides for the selection state of individual cells, if left to right and top to bottom navigation is provided, or if the user interface allows the rearranging of cell order or otherwise changing individual cell order such as through drag and drop, use grid or treegrid instead.

role="rowgroup"

An optional child of the table, the row group encapsulates a group of rows, similar to <thead>, <tbody>, and <tfoot>.

role="row"

A row within the table, and optionally within a rowgroup, that is a container for one or more cells, columnheaders, or rowheaders.

aria-describedby attribute

Takes as its value the id of the element that serves as a description for the table.

aria-label attribute

The aria-label provides an accessible name for the table.

aria-colcount attribute

This attribute is only required if the columns are not present in the DOM all the time. It provides an explicit indication of the number of columns in the full table. Set the value to the total number of columns in the full table. If unknown, set aria-colcount="-1".

aria-rowcount attribute

This attribute is only required if the rows are not present in the DOM all the time, such as scrollable tables that reuse rows to minimize the number of DOM nodes. It provides an explicit indication of the number of rows in the full table. Set the value to the total number of rows in the full table. If unknown, set aria-rowcount="-1".

None

None. For sortable columns, see the columnheader aria role.

<div
  role="table"
  aria-label="Semantic Elements"
  aria-describedby="semantic_elements_table_desc"
  aria-rowcount="81">
  <div id="semantic_elements_table_desc">
    Semantic Elements to use instead of ARIA's roles
  </div>
  <div role="rowgroup">
    <div role="row">
      <span role="columnheader" aria-sort="none">ARIA Role</span>
      <span role="columnheader" aria-sort="none">Semantic Element</span>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div role="rowgroup">
    <div role="row" aria-rowindex="11">
      <span role="cell">header</span>
      <span role="cell">h1</span>
    </div>
    <div role="row" aria-rowindex="16">
      <span role="cell">header</span>
      <span role="cell">h6</span>
    </div>
    <div role="row" aria-rowindex="18">
      <span role="cell">rowgroup</span>
      <span role="cell">thead</span>
    </div>
    <div role="row" aria-rowindex="24">
      <span role="cell">term</span>
      <span role="cell">dt</span>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

The above is part of a table. While the full table has 81 entries, as indicated by the aria-rowcount property, only four are currently visible. The columns are sortable, but not currently sorted, as indicated by the aria-sort property on the column headers.

Only use <table>, <tbody>, <thead>, <tr>, <th>, <td>, etc., for data table structure. You can add these ARIA roles to ensure accessibility should the native semantics of the table be removed, such as with CSS. A relevant use case for the ARIA table role is when CSS's display property overrides the native semantics of a table, such as by display: grid. In this case, you can use the ARIA table roles to re-add the semantics.

none

• HTML table element
• HTML table tutorial
• ARIA: grid role