Table header text should not be empty

Rule ID: empty-table-header
Ruleset: axe-core 4.6
User Impact: Minor
Guidelines: Deque Best Practice

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Compliance Data & Impact

User Impact

Minor
▼
Minor
Critical

Disabilities Affected

  • Blind
  • Low Vision

Standard(s)

  • Deque Best Practice

    How to Fix the Problem

    Correct markup solutions

    Table header elements (those marked with <th> or role="rowheader" or role="columnheader") should have visible text that describes its purpose. 

    <table><tr><th>Student Name</th></tr></table>

    Incorrect markup solutions

    <table><tr><th></th></tr></table>

<table><tr><th aria-label="Student Name"></th></tr></table>

    Why it Matters

    Table header elements should have visible text that describes the purpose of the row or column to both sighted users and screen reader users.

    Rule Description

    Table header elements should have visible text. Ensure that the table header can be used by screen reader users. If the element is not a header, marking it up with a `td` is more appropriate.

    The Algorithm (in simple terms)

    Checks all table header elements to ensure that they have a visible text.

    Resources

    Deque University Course Pages (subscription required)

    No related course information available.

    Contribute to axe-core on GitHub

    Refer to the complete list of axe 4.6 rules.

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