[web] use a permanent live region for a11y announcements

lib/web_ui/lib/src/engine/initialization.dart

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import 'package:ui/src/engine/profiler.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/raw_keyboard.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/renderer.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/safe_browser_api.dart';
+import 'package:ui/src/engine/semantics/accessibility.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/window.dart';
 import 'package:ui/ui.dart' as ui;
 
@@ -240,6 +241,7 @@ Future<void> initializeEngineUi() async {
   }
   _initializationState = DebugEngineInitializationState.initializingUi;
 
+  initializeAccessibilityAnnouncements();
   RawKeyboard.initialize(onMacOs: operatingSystem == OperatingSystem.macOs);
   MouseCursor.initialize();
   ensureFlutterViewEmbedderInitialized();

lib/web_ui/lib/src/engine/semantics/accessibility.dart

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
 // found in the LICENSE file.
 
-import 'dart:async';
 import 'dart:typed_data';
 
 import '../../engine.dart' show registerHotRestartListener;
@@ -21,84 +20,100 @@ enum Assertiveness {
 }
 
 /// Singleton for accessing accessibility announcements from the platform.
-final AccessibilityAnnouncements accessibilityAnnouncements =
-    AccessibilityAnnouncements.instance;
+AccessibilityAnnouncements get accessibilityAnnouncements {
+  assert(
+    _accessibilityAnnouncements != null,
+    'AccessibilityAnnouncements not initialized. Call initializeAccessibilityAnnouncements() to innitialize it.',
+  );
+  return _accessibilityAnnouncements!;
+}
+AccessibilityAnnouncements? _accessibilityAnnouncements;
+
+void initializeAccessibilityAnnouncements() {
+  assert(
+    _accessibilityAnnouncements == null,
+    'AccessibilityAnnouncements is already initialized. This is likely a bug in '
+    'Flutter Web engine initialization. Please file an issue at '
+    'https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/new/choose',
+  );
+  _accessibilityAnnouncements = AccessibilityAnnouncements();
+  registerHotRestartListener(() {
+    accessibilityAnnouncements.dispose();
+  });
+}
 
 /// Attaches accessibility announcements coming from the 'flutter/accessibility'
 /// channel as temporary elements to the DOM.
 class AccessibilityAnnouncements {
-  AccessibilityAnnouncements._() {
-    registerHotRestartListener(() {
-      _removeElementTimer?.cancel();
-    });
+  factory AccessibilityAnnouncements() {
+    final DomHTMLElement politeElement = _createElement(Assertiveness.polite);
+    final DomHTMLElement assertiveElement = _createElement(Assertiveness.assertive);
+    domDocument.body!.append(politeElement);
+    domDocument.body!.append(assertiveElement);
+    return AccessibilityAnnouncements._(politeElement, assertiveElement);
   }
 
-  /// Initializes the [AccessibilityAnnouncements] singleton if it is not
-  /// already initialized.
-  static AccessibilityAnnouncements get instance {
-    return _instance ??= AccessibilityAnnouncements._();
-  }
+  AccessibilityAnnouncements._(this._politeElement, this._assertiveElement);
 
-  static AccessibilityAnnouncements? _instance;
+  /// A live region element with `aria-live` set to "polite", used to announce
+  /// accouncements politely.
+  final DomHTMLElement _politeElement;
 
-  /// Timer that times when the accessibility element should be removed from the
-  /// DOM.
-  ///
-  /// The element is added to the DOM temporarily for announcing the
-  /// message to the assistive technology.
-  Timer? _removeElementTimer;
+  /// A live region element with `aria-live` set to "assertive", used to announce
+  /// accouncements assertively.
+  final DomHTMLElement _assertiveElement;
 
-  /// The duration the accessibility announcements stay on the DOM.
-  ///
-  /// It is removed after this time expired.
-  Duration durationA11yMessageIsOnDom = const Duration(seconds: 5);
+  DomHTMLElement ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness assertiveness) {
+    assert(!_isDisposed);
+    switch (assertiveness) {
+      case Assertiveness.polite: return _politeElement;
+      case Assertiveness.assertive: return _assertiveElement;
+    }
+  }
 
-  /// Element which is used to communicate the message from the
-  /// 'flutter/accessibility' to the assistive technologies.
-  ///
-  /// This element gets attached to the DOM temporarily. It gets removed
-  /// after a duration. See [durationA11yMessageIsOnDom].
-  ///
-  /// This element has aria-live attribute.
-  ///
-  /// It also has id 'accessibility-element' for testing purposes.
-  DomHTMLElement? _element;
+  bool _isDisposed = false;
 
-  DomHTMLElement get _domElement => _element ??= _createElement();
+  void dispose() {
+    assert(!_isDisposed);
+    _isDisposed = true;
+    _politeElement.remove();
+    _assertiveElement.remove();
+    _accessibilityAnnouncements = null;
+  }
 
   /// Decodes the message coming from the 'flutter/accessibility' channel.
   void handleMessage(StandardMessageCodec codec, ByteData? data) {
+    assert(!_isDisposed);
     final Map<dynamic, dynamic> inputMap =
         codec.decodeMessage(data) as Map<dynamic, dynamic>;
     final Map<dynamic, dynamic> dataMap = inputMap.readDynamicJson('data');
     final String? message = dataMap.tryString('message');
     if (message != null && message.isNotEmpty) {
       /// The default value for politeness is `polite`.
-      final int ariaLivePolitenessIndex = dataMap.tryInt('assertiveness') ?? 0;
-      final Assertiveness ariaLivePoliteness = Assertiveness.values[ariaLivePolitenessIndex];
-      _initLiveRegion(message, ariaLivePoliteness);
-      _removeElementTimer = Timer(durationA11yMessageIsOnDom, () {
-        _element!.remove();
-      });
-    }
-  }
+      final int assertivenessIndex = dataMap.tryInt('assertiveness') ?? 0;
+      final Assertiveness assertiveness = Assertiveness.values[assertivenessIndex];
+      final DomHTMLElement liveRegion = ariaLiveElementFor(assertiveness);
 
-  void _initLiveRegion(String message, Assertiveness ariaLivePoliteness) {
-    final String assertiveLevel = (ariaLivePoliteness == Assertiveness.assertive) ? 'assertive' : 'polite';
-    _domElement.setAttribute('aria-live', assertiveLevel);
-    _domElement.text = message;
-    domDocument.body!.append(_domElement);
+      // If the last announced message is the same as the new message, some
+      // screen readers, such as Narrator, will not read the same message
+      // again. In this case, add an artifical "." at the end of the message
+      // string to force the text of the message to look different.
+      final String suffix = liveRegion.innerText == message ? '.' : '';
+      liveRegion.text = '$message$suffix';
+    }
   }
 
-  DomHTMLLabelElement _createElement() {
+  static DomHTMLLabelElement _createElement(Assertiveness assertiveness) {
+    final String ariaLiveValue = (assertiveness == Assertiveness.assertive) ? 'assertive' : 'polite';
     final DomHTMLLabelElement liveRegion = createDomHTMLLabelElement();
-    liveRegion.setAttribute('id', 'accessibility-element');
+    liveRegion.setAttribute('id', 'ftl-announcement-$ariaLiveValue');
     liveRegion.style
       ..position = 'fixed'
       ..overflow = 'hidden'
       ..transform = 'translate(-99999px, -99999px)'
       ..width = '1px'
       ..height = '1px';
+    liveRegion.setAttribute('aria-live', ariaLiveValue);
     return liveRegion;
   }
 }

lib/web_ui/test/engine/semantics/accessibility_test.dart

@@ -2,90 +2,103 @@
 // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
 // found in the LICENSE file.
 
-import 'dart:async' show Future;
-
 import 'package:test/bootstrap/browser.dart';
 import 'package:test/test.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/dom.dart';
+import 'package:ui/src/engine/initialization.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/semantics.dart';
 import 'package:ui/src/engine/services.dart';
 
 const StandardMessageCodec codec = StandardMessageCodec();
-const String testMessage = 'This is an tooltip.';
-const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{
-  'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': testMessage}
-};
 
 void main() {
   internalBootstrapBrowserTest(() => testMain);
 }
 
 void testMain() {
-  late AccessibilityAnnouncements accessibilityAnnouncements;
+  setUpAll(() async {
+    await initializeEngine();
+  });
 
   group('$AccessibilityAnnouncements', () {
-    setUp(() {
-      accessibilityAnnouncements = AccessibilityAnnouncements.instance;
-    });
+    void expectAnnouncementElements({required bool present}) {
+      expect(
+        domDocument.getElementById('ftl-announcement-polite'),
+        present ? isNotNull : isNull,
+      );
+      expect(
+        domDocument.getElementById('ftl-announcement-assertive'),
+        present ? isNotNull : isNull,
+      );
+    }
 
-    test(
-        'Creates element when handling a message and removes '
-        'is after a delay', () {
-      // Set the a11y announcement's duration on DOM to half seconds.
-      accessibilityAnnouncements.durationA11yMessageIsOnDom =
-          const Duration(milliseconds: 500);
+    test('Initialization and disposal', () {
+      // Elements should be there right after engine initialization.
+      expectAnnouncementElements(present: true);
 
-      // Initially there is no accessibility-element
-      expect(domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element'), isNull);
+      accessibilityAnnouncements.dispose();
+      expectAnnouncementElements(present: false);
 
-      accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec,
-          codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
-      expect(
-        domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element'),
-        isNotNull,
-      );
-      final DomHTMLLabelElement input =
-          domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element')! as DomHTMLLabelElement;
-      expect(input.getAttribute('aria-live'), equals('polite'));
-      expect(input.text, testMessage);
-
-      // The element should have been removed after the duration.
-      Future<void>.delayed(
-          accessibilityAnnouncements.durationA11yMessageIsOnDom,
-          () =>
-              expect(domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element'), isNull));
+      initializeAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      expectAnnouncementElements(present: true);
     });
 
+    void resetAccessibilityAnnouncements() {
+      accessibilityAnnouncements.dispose();
+      initializeAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      expectAnnouncementElements(present: true);
+    }
+
     test('Default value of aria-live is polite when assertiveness is not specified', () {
-      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'message'}};
+      resetAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'polite message'}};
       accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
-      final DomHTMLLabelElement input = domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element')! as DomHTMLLabelElement;
-
-      expect(input.getAttribute('aria-live'), equals('polite'));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'polite message');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
     });
 
-     test('aria-live is assertive when assertiveness is set to 1', () {
-      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'message', 'assertiveness': 1}};
+    test('aria-live is assertive when assertiveness is set to 1', () {
+      resetAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'assertive message', 'assertiveness': 1}};
       accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
-      final DomHTMLLabelElement input = domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element')! as DomHTMLLabelElement;
-
-      expect(input.getAttribute('aria-live'), equals('assertive'));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, '');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, 'assertive message');
     });
 
     test('aria-live is polite when assertiveness is null', () {
-      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'message', 'assertiveness': null}};
+      resetAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'polite message', 'assertiveness': null}};
       accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
-      final DomHTMLLabelElement input = domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element')! as DomHTMLLabelElement;
-
-      expect(input.getAttribute('aria-live'), equals('polite'));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'polite message');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
     });
 
     test('aria-live is polite when assertiveness is set to 0', () {
-      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'message', 'assertiveness': 0}};
+      resetAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'polite message', 'assertiveness': 0}};
       accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
-      final DomHTMLLabelElement input = domDocument.getElementById('accessibility-element')! as DomHTMLLabelElement;
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'polite message');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
+    });
 
-      expect(input.getAttribute('aria-live'), equals('polite'));
+    test('The same message announced twice is altered to convince the screen reader to read it again.', () {
+      resetAccessibilityAnnouncements();
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'Hello'}};
+      accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'Hello');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
+
+      // The DOM value gains a "." to make the message look updated.
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput2 = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'Hello'}};
+      accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput2));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'Hello.');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
+
+      // Now the "." is removed because the message without it will also look updated.
+      const Map<dynamic, dynamic> testInput3 = <dynamic, dynamic>{'data': <dynamic, dynamic>{'message': 'Hello'}};
+      accessibilityAnnouncements.handleMessage(codec, codec.encodeMessage(testInput3));
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.polite).text, 'Hello');
+      expect(accessibilityAnnouncements.ariaLiveElementFor(Assertiveness.assertive).text, '');
     });
   });
 }