Module 4: Checkpoint 20—Read-only data
| Conformance: Mandatory |
Requirements
Form controls must not be used to display read-only data.
Benefits of conformance
- Reduced cognitive load.
Risks of non-conformance
- Increased frustration and/or abandonment from users who are unable to edit information in restricted fields.
Implementation advice
More information
Applications must not use form controls to display data where a user cannot change the data. Adopt a simple convention: text is not editable, form controls are editable.
Styling non-editable inputs to appear as text is strongly discouraged as inputs cannot be styled consistently across contemporary browsers. Also, allowing this approach would lead to significant inconsistency between different applications for users of assistive technologies.
Correct implementation: Read-only data has been displayed as text.
Incorrect implementation: Read-only data has been displayed in “read-only” or “disabled” form controls, which may cause confusion.
Incorrect implementation: Read-only data has been displayed in “read-only” form controls. In some browsers these may look editable, which is very likely to cause confusion.