This content originally appeared on TPGi — a Vispero company and was authored by Aditya Jainapur
Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) attributes play a vital role in communicating dynamic interface states to assistive technologies. However, attributes like aria-selected, aria-pressed, aria-current, and aria-checked are often confused because they all express some form of “state” or “selection.”
In this article, we’ll clarify what each of these attributes does, when to use them, and common mistakes developers make, helping ensure your ARIA implementation accurately reflects the user interface state and supports a predictable experience for assistive technology users.
aria-selected – Represents an Item’s Selection Within a Set
aria-selected is used for elements within a group of options where one or more items can be selected by the user. It tells assistive technology which item is currently chosen.
Typical use cases:
- Tabs within a tablist (
role="tab") - Listbox options (
role="option") - Rows or cells in a grid (
role="row"orrole="gridcell") - Items within a hierarchical tree structure (
role="treeitem")
Example:
<div role="tablist" aria-label="Sample Tabs">
<button role="tab" aria-selected="true" aria-controls="panel1" id="tab1">Overview</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel2" id="tab2">Details</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel3" id="tab3">Settings</button> </div> <div id="panel1" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="tab1">Overview content...</div> <div id="panel2" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="tab2" hidden>Details content...</div> <div id="panel3" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="tab3" hidden>Settings content...</div> Key takeaway
Use aria-selected only when items belong to a selectable group. It does not toggle a control; it simply communicates which item is selected.
Developers sometimes confuse aria-selected with aria-current. While aria-selected indicates what a user has actively chosen within a group, aria-current indicates the user’s current context, such as the active page or the current step in a process.
Note: aria-selected applies only to roles that support selection — not arbitrary elements — and that using it on unsupported roles has no effect.
aria-pressed – Indicates a Toggle Button’s State
aria-pressed is applied to elements with role="button" that behave like switches or toggles. It describes whether the button is currently active (pressed) or inactive (not pressed).
Possible values:
- true – Button is pressed/active
- false – Button is not pressed/inactive
- mixed – Button has a partially active state (e.g., “select all” that’s partially selected)
Example:
<button aria-pressed="true">Bold</button> <button aria-pressed="false">Italic</button> Key takeaway
Think of aria-pressed as representing an on/off or active/inactive state, not selection within a group.
Note: The aria-pressed="mixed" state has limited support in native elements and should be reserved for advanced composite toggle patterns, such as “Select All That Apply” interfaces, where the active state represents a partial selection across a group of interrelated controls.
aria-checked – Used for Checkable Widgets
aria-checked indicates whether a checkable element (such as a checkbox, radio button, menu item, or switch) is checked, unchecked, or mixed.
Possible values:
- true – Checked
- false – Unchecked
- mixed – Indeterminate (e.g., “partially selected” parent node)
Example:
<div role="checkbox" aria-checked="true">Select All Notifications</div> Key takeaway
Use aria-checked only for widgets where users explicitly check or uncheck items. For elements with role="switch", only true or false are valid values; mixed should not be used. The aria-checked="mixed" state is invalid for the switch role in the current ARIA specification, and user agents must treat a mixed value as equivalent to false for this role.
aria-current – Identifies the Current Item or Location
aria-current marks an item that represents the current point of reference within a set, such as the active page, date, or step. It doesn’t indicate user action but rather context or position.
Common values:
- page – Current page (recommended for navigation links)
- step – Current step in a process
- date – Current date
- true – Generic “current” state (fallback when a more specific value doesn’t apply)
- false – Explicitly marks an item as not current (optional; omitting
aria-currentusually has the same effect)
Example:
<nav aria-label="Main navigation">
<a href="/home" aria-current="page">Home</a> <a href="/about">About</a> <a href="/contact">Contact</a> </nav>
Key takeaway
aria-current identifies where the user is, not what they have selected. It provides important contextual cues, particularly in navigation menus and step indicators.
Summary: Key Differences
Table 1: Comparison of ARIA State Attributes
|
Attribute |
Purpose |
Common Roles |
Values |
Best Used For |
|
|
Marks an item as selected within a group |
tab, option, row, gridcell, treeitem |
true / false |
Highlighting selected item in a set (e.g., tabs, listbox, tree) |
|
|
Indicates a toggle button’s active state |
button |
true / false / mixed* |
Toggle buttons (e.g., Bold/Italic). Mixed is for advanced composite toggles like “Select All That Apply” |
|
|
Shows checked/unchecked/mixed state |
checkbox, radio, menuitemcheckbox, switch |
true / false / mixed** |
Checkable controls. For role=”switch”, only true/false are valid; mixed is invalid |
|
|
Identifies current location or context |
link, listitem, step, date |
page / step / date / true / false |
Current page, step, date, or contextual item. |
* Limited support for mixed in native buttons; intended for complex composite toggle patterns.
** mixed is valid for checkboxes / radio / menuitemcheckbox, but not for switch; user agents treat mixed as false for switch.
Common Mistakes Developers Make
Even experienced developers sometimes mix up these attributes. Here are a few frequent issues:
Using aria-selected on navigation links
Developers often mark the current page link with aria-selected=”true”.
Correct approach: Use aria-current="page" instead.
Using aria-checked for toggle buttons
Toggle buttons should use aria-pressed, not aria-checked.
Example: <button aria-pressed="true">Mute</button>
Forgetting to update the ARIA state dynamically
When a button or checkbox changes visually, its ARIA state must also update programmatically to reflect that change.
Keep ARIA states synchronized with UI behavior.
Applying multiple ARIA state attributes together
Adding both aria-selected and aria-pressed to the same element can confuse assistive technologies.
Use only the one that matches the widget’s interaction pattern.
Overusing ARIA on native HTML controls
Native controls already communicate state through built-in accessibility APIs. Adding redundant ARIA attributes can cause duplicate or conflicting announcements.
Prefer semantic HTML elements wherever possible.
Not removing unused ARIA attributes
When a widget changes state or is hidden/removed, leftover ARIA attributes can cause assistive technologies to announce outdated information.
Tip: Always remove or update ARIA attributes when no longer relevant to prevent confusion and ensure accurate accessibility feedback.
Why This Matters
Correct ARIA state usage ensures that assistive technologies, such as screen readers, convey accurate and predictable information to users. Misusing these attributes can result in misleading or inconsistent feedback. for example, announcing a toggle button as a checkbox or marking a link as “selected” instead of “current.”
By aligning your implementation with the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices 1.2, you ensure that your components behave consistently across devices and assistive technologies.
Best Practices
- Use native HTML elements whenever possible; they include built-in ARIA semantics.
- Dynamically update ARIA states as user interactions occur.
Avoid redundant or conflicting ARIA attributes.- Always test using screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack) to confirm correct behavior.
Follow WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices 1.2 for implementation examples.
Conclusion
Each ARIA state attribute serves a distinct purpose:
- Use
aria-selectedto indicate selected items within a group. - Use
aria-pressedfor toggle buttons representing on/off or active/inactive states. - Use
aria-checkedfor checkable controls such as checkboxes or radios. - Use
aria-currentto identify the user’s current location or context.
Correct use of these attributes ensures assistive technologies present information accurately, fostering predictable and inclusive interactions.
By applying ARIA semantics carefully and only where necessary, developers can create interfaces that are not just compliant but truly accessible for all users.
Resources
- MDN – ARIA: aria-selected attribute
- MDN – ARIA: aria-pressed attribute
- MDN – ARIA: aria-current attribute
- MDN – ARIA: aria-checked attribute
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.2
- ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (APG)
The post What State ARIA In? appeared first on TPGi — a Vispero company.
This content originally appeared on TPGi — a Vispero company and was authored by Aditya Jainapur
Aditya Jainapur | Sciencx (2025-10-20T12:15:10+00:00) What State ARIA In?. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/20/what-state-aria-in/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.