Appendix A. Checklist of Checkpoints for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0

1. All user interface non-text objects that are used to convey information (e.g., toolbar icon, graphical depiction of a tag, sound effect, etc.) must have a text alternative (e.g. alternative text label, long text description).
2. All editing views must always include an option to display any available text alternatives for non-text objects in the content.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. All user interface multimedia that is used to convey information (e.g., tutorial videos, progress indicators, etc.) must have synchronized alternatives (e.g. captions, audio descriptions).
2. All editing views must always include an option to display any available synchronized alternatives for multimedia in the content.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. If the visual display (fonts, sizes, colors, spacing, positioning, etc.) is controlled by the authoring tool rather than by the platform, then the authoring tool must provide at least the same configurable properties with at least the same configuration ranges as the platform.
2. If the audio display (volume, speech voices, etc.) is controlled by the authoring tool rather than by the platform, then the authoring tool must provide at least the same configurable properties with at least the same configuration ranges as the platform.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. The author must be able to configure the presentation settings of editing views without affecting the Web content being edited.

1. For author-controlled presentation (e.g. author has used a style class) in rendered editing views , all characteristics of the presentation (e.g. color, boldness, positioning, etc.) must be available programmatically.
2. For authoring tool-controlled presentation in editing views (e.g. coloring misspelled words, identifying tag text in a code view), the semantic description of the presentation must be available programmatically.
3. For the presentation of controls within the editing interface of the authoring tool user interface (e.g. dialog boxes, menus, button bars, user interface elements in the editing view), the semantic description of the presentation must be available programmatically.
4. Any information that is conveyed by color (e.g. red underlining for spelling error vs. green underlining for grammar error) is either visually evident when color is not available (e.g. by the shape of the underlining) or is provided by an alternative version that meets Part A (e.g. spell and grammar checking utilities).

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. The author must be able, through keyboard input alone, to perform any authoring task (e.g. navigating, selecting, and editing content within editing views, operating the user interface, installing and configuring the authoring tool, and accessing documentation) that is available through the user interface. (Note: an authoring task may have multiple user mechanisms, e.g. a menu item and a button bar item, at least one of which must satisfy this success criteria)
2. There must be an option that ensures that selection is separate from activation (e.g. navigating through the items in a dropdown menu without activating any of the items).
3. There must be an option to enable single-key access to the following functionalities:
   • move content focus to the next enabled control in user interface (e.g. using "tab" key).
   • navigate forward and backward within editing views (e.g. using "arrow" keys).
4. There must be an option to enable key-plus-modifier-key (or single-key) access to the following functionalities (if present):
   • move content focus to the previous enabled control (e.g. using "shift-tab" key).
   • navigate between panels or windows
   • open help system
   • open new content
   • open existing content
   • save content
   • close content
   • cut/copy/paste
   • undo/redo
   • open find/replace function
   • navigate to the start and end

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet success criteria 1 and 2 of this checkpoint. Browser functionality (e.g. for "cut/copy/paste") or access keys (e.g. for "open new content") may be relied on to achieve success criteria 3 and 4 as long as the applicable user agent(s) are specified in the conformance profile. Also see Checkpoint A.3.1 when choosing keystrokes.

1. All user interface time limits must be author configurable unless they are controlled by time-sensitive external processes (e.g. time-outs of systems outside of the authoring tool).
2. If a time limit is under the control of the authoring tool, it must not be less than 20 seconds and must be extendible with a single input action.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. Authors must be able to turn off flashing in the user interface that violates international health and safety standards for general flash or red flash.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. At least one version of the documentation must conform to the minimum requirements (Level 1) of WCAG (whether delivered on the Web, CD-ROM, etc.).
2. All features that benefit the accessibility of the authoring interface must be documented in the help system (e.g., keyboard shortcuts).
3. The current configuration of selectable actions must be displayed in either a centralized fashion (e.g., a list of keyboard shortcuts) or a distributed fashion (e.g., by listing keyboard shortcuts in the user interface menus).

1. The authoring tool must follow accessibility platform architectures (e.g. MSAA, Java Access, etc.).
2. If there is any authoring tool functionality or information that is not addressed by available accessibility platform architectures, another published interoperability mechanism must be provided so that all authoring tasks can be accomplished in at least one way by an assistive technology implementing the mechanism.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. Any authoring tool that chooses the content type used for publication on the Web for the author must always choose content types for which a published content type-specific WCAG benchmark exists.
2. Any authoring tool that allows authors to choose the content type used for publication on the Web must always support at least one content type for which a published content type-specific WCAG benchmark exists and always give prominence to those content types.

1. When the author inserts an unrecognized non-text object, the tool must never insert an automatically generated text equivalent (e.g. a label generated from the file name).
2. When the author inserts a non-text object for which the tool has a previously authored equivalent alternatives (i.e. created by the author, tool designer, pre-authored content developer, etc.), but the function of the object is not known with certainty, the tool must always prompt the author to confirm insertion of the equivalent. However, where the function of the non-text object is known with certainty (e.g. "home button" on a navigation bar, etc.), the tool may automatically insert the equivalent.

1. For any structured element set, the author must always be able to move the editing focus from any element to any other element with the following relationship (if they exist): the element immediately above (i.e. parent), the first element immediately below (i.e. child), the element immediately preceding at the same level (i.e. previous sibling), and the element immediately following at the same level (i.e. next sibling).
2. For any structured element set, the author must always be able to select content and perform editing functions (e.g. cut, copy, paste, styling) on any element along with any content, including sub-elements.

1. The author must be able to perform text searches of all content that is editable by the author.
2. The author must be able to perform text searches of all markup that is editable by the author.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Web-based authoring tools may make use of the find function of the browsers to help perform the searches.

1. Actions that modify content must be either reversible with an undo function or include a warning to the author that the action is irreversible.
2. The author must be able to perform a series of multiple undos.
3. The author must be able to undo any series of undos.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Web-based authoring tools may rely on the undo function of the browser to perform the undo function for editing actions that do not involve server communication (e.g. typing in a text area). Therefore, all Web-based interface components, that meet Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint as long as the user agent(s) specified in the conformance profile have the ability to perform at least one level of text entry undo.

1. The authoring tool must provide the ability to save and reload all configuration settings related to visual or auditory output and keyboard operability.
2. The author must be able to select, within the application, from multiple configuration sets.

1. If a preview is provided, then:
   • (a) The author must be able to choose an external browser to perform the preview
   • (b) or, the preview must provide the same accessibility features as a target browser (which must be identified in the conformance profile) that is being emulated and the following must be true:
     • Any other part of the user interface other than the content being previewed must meet the other requirements of Part A.
     • A means of exiting the preview must be provided that meet the other requirements of Part A.
   • (c) or, the preview does not claim to emulate a specific browser, in which case it must meet all of the requirements of Part A. In other words, Note 1 does not apply.

1. Focus and selection conventions for the current platform (specified in the conformance profile) must be followed.
2. Keyboard accessibility configuration conventions (e.g. default accelerator key bindings) for the current platform (specified in the conformance profile) must be followed.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. User interface controls with the same text label or icon must perform the same function.
2. Any text label or icon must not have more than one function.
3. When the same function (e.g. saving, running a checker or canceling an action) is available in multiple areas of an authoring tool user interface, at least one method of controlling the function must be implemented for each area using identical user interface elements.

For Web-Based Interface Components: Meeting Checkpoint A.0.1 will serve to meet this checkpoint.

1. During all transformations and conversions supported by the authoring tool, the author must be notified before any unrecognized markup is permanently removed.
2. During all transformations and conversions supported by the authoring tool, accessibility information must always be handled according to at least one of the following:
   • (a) preserve it in the target format such that the information can be "round-tripped" (i.e. converted or transformed back into its original form) by the same authoring tool,
   • (b) preserve it in some other way in the target format, or
   • (c) be removed only after the author has been notified and the content has been preserved in its original format.

1. All features that play a role in creating accessible content must be documented in the help system.

1. When the author has more than one authoring option for a given task (e.g. changing the color of text can be changed with presentation markup or style sheets) then any options that conform to WCAG must have equal or higher prominence than any options that do not.
2. Any choices of content types or authoring practices presented to the author (e.g., in menus, toolbars or dialogs) that will lead to the creation of content that does not conforms to WCAG must be marked or labeled so that the author is aware of the consequences prior to making the choice.

1. All accessibility prompting, checking, repair functions and documentation that is continuously active must always be enabled by default and if the author disables them (e.g. from a preferences screen), then the tool must inform the author that this may increase the risk of accessibility problems.
2. All user interface controls for accessibility prompting, checking, repair functions and documentation must have at least the same prominence as the controls for prompting, checking, repair and documentation for other types of Web content problems (e.g. markup validity, program code syntax, spelling and grammar).

1. Interactive features that sequence author actions (e.g. object insertion dialogs, templates, wizards) must provide any accessibility prompts relevant to the content being authored at or before the first opportunity to complete the interactive feature (without canceling).
2. For read-only instruction text (e.g. tutorials, reference manuals, design guides, etc.) that includes a sequence of steps for the author to follow, the relevant accessibility authoring practices must appear in the step sequence before the first opportunity to complete the sequence.

1. There must be an option to add and modify key-plus-modifier-key (or single-key) access to all selectable actions.
2. There must be an option to customize the items (from the set of all selectable actions) and their order within at least one area of the user interface that is controllable by a single selection (e.g. button bar, palette, panel, etc).

1. The authoring tool must always keep a record of alternative equivalents that the author inserts for particular non-text objects in a way that allows the text equivalent to be offered back to the author for modification and re-use if the same non-text object is reused.

1. The authoring tool must provide an option to view a list of all known accessibility problems (i.e. detected by automated checking or identified by the author) prior to completion of authoring.

1. All examples of markup and screenshots of the authoring tool user interface that appear in the documentation and help must demonstrate accessible Web content.

1. A tutorial on the accessible authoring process for the specific authoring tool must be provided.

1. The configurability of all functions related to accessibility prompting, checking, repair, and documentation must at least match the configurability of other prompting, checking, repair, and documentation functions of the tool (respectively), in terms of both of the following:
   • (a) the range of options controllable by the author, and
   • (b) the degree to which each option can be controlled

1. Any component of an authoring tool that is accessed by the author within a Web browser must conform to WCAG.

1. All markup and content that is automatically generated by the authoring tool (i.e. not authored "by hand") must always conform to WCAG.

1. Any Web content (e.g., templates, clip art, example pages, graphical widgets, etc.) that is bundled with the authoring tool or preferentially licensed to the users of the authoring tool (i.e. provided for free or sold at a discount), must conform to WCAG when used by the author.

1. Every time that content that requires accessibility information from the author in order to conform to WCAG is added or updated, then the authoring tool must inform the author that this additional information is required (e.g. via input dialogs, interactive feedback, etc.).
2. Whenever the tool provides instructions to the author, either the instructions (if followed) must lead to the creation of Web content that conforms to WCAG, or the author must be informed that following the instructions would lead to Web content accessibility problems.

1. An individual check must be associated with each requirement in the content type benchmark document (i.e. not blanket statements such as "does the content meet all the requirements").
2. For checks that are associated with a type of element (e.g. img), each element instance must be individually identified as potential accessibility problems. For checks that are relevant across multiple elements (e.g. consistent navigation, etc.) or apply to most or all elements (e.g. background color contrast, reading level, etc.), the entire span of elements must be identified as potential accessibility problems, up to the entire content if applicable.
3. If the authoring tool relies on author judgment to determine if a potential accessibility problem is correctly identified, then the message to the author must be tailored to that potential accessibility problem (i.e. to that requirement in the context of that element or span of elements).
4. The authoring tool must present checking as an option to the author at or before the completion of authoring.

Note: This checkpoint does not apply to authoring tools that constrain authoring choice to such a degree that it is not possible to create Web content that does not conform to WCAG.

1. For each potential accessibility problem identified by the checking function (required in checkpoint B.2.2) provide at least one of the following:
   • repair instructions, for the author to follow, that are specific to the accessibility problem
   • an automated repair or semi-automated repair mechanism