Summary

This issue tracks ARIA improvements and bug fixes for find/filter widgets to enhance the screen reader experience.

Problem Statement

Currently, find widgets have several accessibility issues:

1. Spurious "No results" announcements - The find widget announces "No results" even when the search string is empty, causing confusing screen reader output
2. Stale aria-label updates - The widget updates aria-labels even when not visible, which can interfere with screen reader focus
3. Missing accessibility help hints - Users have no indication that accessibility help is available (Alt+F1)
4. Double-speak issue - Hints can be announced multiple times in rapid succession

Proposed Changes

Bug Fixes (findWidget.ts)

1. Guard search result announcements - Only announce results when a search string is present:

   // Before: Always announced results
   // After: Only announce when search string exists
   if (this._state.searchString) {
       this._updateSearchResultAria();
   }

2. Check widget visibility - Only update aria-label when widget is visible:

   if (!this._isVisible) {
       return;
   }

ARIA Hint Additions (simpleFindWidget.ts)

Add accessibility help hints to all find widgets inheriting from SimpleFindWidget:

1. Add announcement tracking flag:

   private _accessibilityHelpHintAnnounced: boolean = false;

2. Add IConfigurationService and IAccessibilityService for settings checks

3. Announce hint pattern - Announce "Press Alt+F1 for accessibility help" on focus:

   • Only announce once per session
   • Uses 1-second reset timeout to prevent double-speak
   • Only when accessibility.verbosity.find setting is enabled
   • Only when screen reader is active

Files Changed

Acceptance Criteria

• No "No results" announcement when search input is empty
• No aria-label updates when find widget is hidden
• Screen reader users hear "Press Alt+F1 for accessibility help" once when focusing find input
• Hint only announces when accessibility.verbosity.find setting is enabled
• No double-speak of the hint

Related

• Depends on: Add Accessibility Help System for Find/Filter Dialogs #292367 (Accessibility Help System infrastructure)
• PR: (to be created)

Testing

1. Enable screen reader (NVDA/JAWS/VoiceOver)
2. Open find widget (Ctrl+F)
3. Verify hint is announced once
4. Close and reopen - verify hint announces again
5. Clear search input - verify no "No results" announcement