BUGFIX: template-require-valid-alt-text — reject empty-string aria-label/labelledby/alt on <input type=image>, <object>, <area>#2730
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…aria-labelledby/alt Before: for <input type="image">, <object>, and <area>, the rule checked only for the PRESENCE of an accessible-name fallback attribute (aria-label / aria-labelledby / alt / title). An empty-string value provides no accessible name but slipped past. Fix: add hasNonEmptyTextAttr() that requires the attribute's static value to be non-whitespace. Dynamic values (mustache, concat) remain accepted — we can't tell at lint time whether they resolve to empty. <img>'s alt handling is unchanged — alt="" is still valid there (spec-defined marker for decorative images). Nine new invalid tests cover the three elements × three fallback attrs.
Translates 41 cases from peer-plugin rules:
- jsx-a11y alt-text
- vuejs-accessibility alt-text
- lit-a11y alt-text
Fixture documents parity after this fix:
- Empty-string aria-label/aria-labelledby on <object>, <area>, and
<input type=image> is now flagged (reusing existing objectMissing /
areaMissing / inputImage messageIds).
Remaining divergences (<img alt role=presentation> accepting non-empty
alt in jsx-a11y, <img aria-label> without alt) are annotated inline.
This was referenced Apr 21, 2026
…verage (Copilot review) - JSDoc for hasNonEmptyTextAttr() rewritten: no longer overstates the guarantee for dynamic values, and notes that aria-labelledby IDREFs are not validated. - Added invalid-case coverage for whitespace-only aria-label / aria-labelledby / title — ACCNAME 1.2 §4.3.2 step 2D. - hasNonEmptyTextAttr() already trims static values, so the new whitespace-only cases flag without further rule changes.
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Summary
aria-label=""contributes no accessible name per ACCNAME 1.2 §4.3.2 step 2D: "…has an aria-label attribute whose value is not undefined, not the empty string, nor, when trimmed of whitespace, is not the empty string." Emptyaria-labelledby=""likewise contributes no name per ACCNAME 1.2 §4.3.1 step 2B, which requires the attribute to reference at least one valid IDREF — an empty value references none. Emptytitle=""is not handled by any ACCNAME step that would assign a name (step 2I is the Tooltip/titlestep, and it does not match an empty string). For<input type="image">,<object>, and<area>, an accessible name is required per their HTML spec / HTML-AAM conformance requirements.<input type="image" aria-label="" />,<object aria-labelledby="" />, and<area title="" />are accepted.aria-label,aria-labelledby, andtitleon<input type="image">,<object>, and<area>. Dynamic values (mustache, concat) stay accepted — we can't know at lint time whether they resolve to empty.Fix: add
hasNonEmptyTextAttr()that requires a static value to be non-whitespace.<img>'salt=""is unchanged — an emptyalton<img>is spec-defined as a marker for decorative images.Nine new invalid tests (3 elements × 3 fallback attrs) cover the fix.
Prior art
Verified each peer in source:
alt-textariaLabelHasValue(lines 37-46) rejectsundefinedandlength === 0. Called forobject,area, andinput[type="image"]. Does NOT trim whitespace (differs from our rule which does).alt-texthasAriaLabel(node)+getElementAttributeValuetruthiness. Empty strings are falsy → flagged.alt-textisValidObjectNode/isValidAreaNode/isValidInputNodeall return true on mere attribute-name presence (same bug class this PR fixes).alt-text!elementHasAttribute(...). Also: no<object>or<area>handler — rule only checksimg,input[type=image],role="img".Audit fixture
Translated peer-plugin test fixture at
tests/audit/alt-text/peer-parity.js. Not wired into the default test run.