Java

JavaTM Accessibility Helper

Testing Applications for Accessibility
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The Java Accessibility Helper creates accessibility reports based on test sets. A test set describes the Java application, applet, or executable script to test, and a list of tests to run. The tests are chosen from the Helper's built-in test properties.

To Create or Edit a Test Set

To create a test set, click Test Set -> New, or click the "Test Set Properties" icon. To edit a test set, click Test Set -> Properties, or click the "Test Set Properties" icon. The Helper displays the Test Set Properties dialog.

Test Set Properties Dialog

The dialog consists of the following parts:
 
Target Tab Type of Target Click the radio button that corresponds to the type of target to test for accessibility.
Edit Class Path... This allows you to modify where the Helper gets the classes from when you run an application.
Application Class Type in the simple name of the class to test, without any path or suffix. The name of this entry varies based on the type of target selected. When Java Application Class is chosen, this field is titled Application Class. When Java Applet Class is chosen, this field is called Applet HTML File. When Executable or script is chosen, this field is called Command.
Browse... This button displays a file chooser, which allows the selection of a .class, .jar, or executable file or script.
Arguments to Java Type in arguments that should be given to the java command used to start the application, rather than to the application being tested.
Arguments to main() Arguments that should be passed to the application, when it is started
Initialization Timeout This is the amount of time in seconds that the Helper will wait for the application to be tested to start. Minimum time is 30 seconds, the maximum is 600 seconds (10 minutes).
View Command Line... Displays the command to execute based on the type of target, application, class, and arguments given. The Helper uses this command to start the target application. This information can be an invaluable troubleshooting tool.
Test Selection Tab This area lists the built-in tests you can run on the target application and indicates which tests are currently selected. It provides convenience buttons marked Alpha, and Product so you can select a set of tests simply by clicking the appropriate development phase for the test target.

When you are done setting the test set properties, click OK.

To Save a Test Set

To save a test set:
  1. If the Test Set Properties Dialog is visible, click OK.

  2. Choose File -> Save Test Set or File -> Save Test Set As. The Save Test Set As option is for saving a test set to a different file.

  3. Use the file chooser to browse directories and select or type in a test set name.

To Open a Test Set

To open a test set, click File -> Open Test Set, or click the "Open Test Set" icon. You can then edit or execute the test set.

To Execute a Test Set

To execute a test set:
  1. Create or open a test set.

  2. Choose Test Set -> Execute, or click the "Execute Test Set" icon.

  3. While the Testing in Progress dialog is displayed, do not touch the mouse or keyboard.

  4. When the Waiting for New Components dialog is displayed, activate a component that has not yet been tested. For example, open a menu or bring up a dialog.

  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have activated every component you wish to test.
While testing an application, the Helper displays a list of potential accessibility problems in the main window. When testing is complete, you can save the list in a report.

To Save a Report

To save a report:
  1. Click File -> Save Report As..., or click the "Save Report As..." icon.

  2. Use the file chooser to browse directories and select or type in a report name.

    Note: The Helper creates its reports in HTML format, and will automatically add a .html suffix to the file name you choose.

For an explanation of reported items, see Using Accessibility Reports.

Copyright © 2005 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Please send comments to: jaccesshelper@sun.com 		Sun