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benjaminsehl/liquid-skills/liquid-theme-a11y

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version: "1.0.0" name: liquid-theme-a11y description: "Implement WCAG 2.2 accessibility patterns in Shopify Liquid themes. Covers e-commerce-specific components including product cards, carousels, cart drawers, price display, forms, filters, and modals. Use when building accessible theme components, fixing accessibility issues, or reviewing ARIA patterns in .liquid files."

Accessibility for Shopify Liquid Themes

Core Principle

Every interactive component must work with keyboard only, screen readers, and reduced-motion preferences. Start with semantic HTML — add ARIA only when native semantics are insufficient.

Decision Table: Which Pattern?

Component	HTML Element	ARIA Pattern	Reference
Expandable content	`<details>/<summary>`	None needed	Accordion
Modal/dialog	`<dialog>`	`aria-modal="true"`	Modal
Tooltip/popup	`[popover]` attribute	`role="tooltip"` fallback	Tooltip
Dropdown menu	`<nav>` + `<ul>`	`aria-expanded` on triggers	Navigation
Tab interface	`<div>`	`role="tablist/tab/tabpanel"`	Tabs
Carousel/slider	`<div>`	`role="region"` + `aria-roledescription`	Carousel
Product card	`<article>`	`aria-labelledby`	Product card
Form	`<form>`	`aria-invalid`, `aria-describedby`	Forms
Cart drawer	`<dialog>`	Focus trap	Cart drawer
Price display	`<span>`	`aria-label` for context	Prices
Filters	`<form>` + `<fieldset>`	`aria-expanded` for disclosures	Filters

Page Structure

Landmarks

html

<body>
  <a href="#main-content" class="skip-link">{{ 'accessibility.skip_to_content' | t }}</a>
  <header role="banner">
    <nav aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.main_navigation' | t }}">...</nav>
  </header>
  <main id="main-content">
    <!-- All page content inside main -->
  </main>
  <footer role="contentinfo">
    <nav aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.footer_navigation' | t }}">...</nav>
  </footer>
</body>

Single <header>, <main>, <footer> per page
Multiple <nav> elements must have distinct aria-label
All content must live inside a landmark

Skip Link

css

.skip-link {
  position: absolute;
  inset-inline-start: -999px;
  z-index: 999;
}
.skip-link:focus {
  position: fixed;
  inset-block-start: 0;
  inset-inline-start: 0;
  padding: 1rem;
  background: var(--color-background);
  color: var(--color-foreground);
}

Headings

One <h1> per page, never skip levels (h1 → h3)
Use real heading elements, not styled divs
Template: <h1> is typically the page/product title

Focus Management

Focus Indicators

css

/* All interactive elements */
:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid rgb(var(--color-focus));
  outline-offset: 2px;
}
 
/* High contrast mode */
@media (forced-colors: active) {
  :focus-visible {
    outline: 3px solid LinkText;
  }
}

Minimum 3:1 contrast ratio for focus indicators
Use :focus-visible (not :focus) to avoid showing on click
Never outline: none without a visible replacement

Focus Trapping (Modals/Drawers)

Trap focus inside modals, drawers, and dialogs
Return focus to trigger element on close
First focusable element gets focus on open
Query all focusable elements: a[href], button:not([disabled]), input:not([disabled]), select, textarea, [tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])

See focus and keyboard patterns for full FocusTrap implementation.

Component Patterns

Product Card

html

<article class="product-card" aria-labelledby="ProductTitle-{{ product.id }}">
  <a href="{{ product.url }}" class="product-card__link" aria-labelledby="ProductTitle-{{ product.id }}">
    <img
      src="{{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 400 }}"
      alt="{{ product.featured_image.alt | escape }}"
      loading="lazy"
      width="{{ product.featured_image.width }}"
      height="{{ product.featured_image.height }}"
    >
  </a>
  <h3 id="ProductTitle-{{ product.id }}">
    <a href="{{ product.url }}">{{ product.title }}</a>
  </h3>
  <div class="product-card__price" aria-label="{{ 'products.price_label' | t: price: product.price | money }}">
    {{ product.price | money }}
  </div>
  <button
    class="product-card__quick-add"
    tabindex="-1"
    aria-label="{{ 'products.quick_add' | t: title: product.title }}"
  >
    {{ 'products.add_to_cart' | t }}
  </button>
</article>

Rules:

Single tab stop per card (the main link)
tabindex="-1" on mouse-only shortcuts (quick add)
aria-labelledby on <article> pointing to the title
Descriptive alt text on images; empty alt="" if decorative

Carousel

html

<div
  role="region"
  aria-roledescription="carousel"
  aria-label="{{ section.settings.heading | escape }}"
>
  <div class="carousel__controls">
    <button
      aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.previous_slide' | t }}"
      aria-controls="CarouselSlides-{{ section.id }}"
    >{% render 'icon-chevron-left' %}</button>
    <button
      aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.next_slide' | t }}"
      aria-controls="CarouselSlides-{{ section.id }}"
    >{% render 'icon-chevron-right' %}</button>
    <button
      aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.pause_slideshow' | t }}"
      aria-pressed="false"
    >{% render 'icon-pause' %}</button>
  </div>
 
  <div id="CarouselSlides-{{ section.id }}" aria-live="polite">
    {% for slide in section.blocks %}
      <div
        role="group"
        aria-roledescription="slide"
        aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.slide_n_of_total' | t: n: forloop.index, total: forloop.length }}"
        {% unless forloop.first %}aria-hidden="true"{% endunless %}
      >
        {{ slide.settings.content }}
      </div>
    {% endfor %}
  </div>
</div>

Rules:

Auto-rotation minimum 5 seconds, pause on hover/focus
Play/pause button required for auto-rotating carousels
aria-live="polite" on slide container (set to "off" during auto-rotation)
aria-hidden="true" on inactive slides
Each slide: role="group" + aria-roledescription="slide"

Modal

html

<dialog
  id="Modal-{{ section.id }}"
  aria-labelledby="ModalTitle-{{ section.id }}"
  aria-modal="true"
>
  <div class="modal__header">
    <h2 id="ModalTitle-{{ section.id }}">{{ title }}</h2>
    <button
      type="button"
      aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.close' | t }}"
      on:click="/closeModal"
    >{% render 'icon-close' %}</button>
  </div>
  <div class="modal__content">
    <!-- Content -->
  </div>
</dialog>

Rules:

Use native <dialog> element
aria-labelledby pointing to the title
Close on Escape key (native with <dialog>)
Focus first interactive element on open
Return focus to trigger on close

Cart Drawer

Same as modal pattern but with additional:

Live region for cart count updates: <span aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
Clear "remove item" buttons with aria-label="{{ 'cart.remove_item' | t: title: item.title }}"
Quantity inputs with associated labels

Forms

html

<form action="{{ routes.cart_url }}" method="post">
  <div class="form__field">
    <label for="Email-{{ section.id }}">{{ 'forms.email' | t }}</label>
    <input
      type="email"
      id="Email-{{ section.id }}"
      name="email"
      required
      aria-required="true"
      autocomplete="email"
      aria-describedby="EmailError-{{ section.id }}"
    >
    <p
      id="EmailError-{{ section.id }}"
      class="form__error"
      role="alert"
      hidden
    >{{ 'forms.email_required' | t }}</p>
  </div>
</form>

Rules:

Every input has a visible <label> with matching for/id
Use <fieldset>/<legend> for radio/checkbox groups
Error messages: role="alert" + aria-describedby linking to input
aria-invalid="true" on invalid inputs
autocomplete attributes on common fields
Required fields: required + aria-required="true" + visual indicator

Product Filters

html

<form class="facets">
  <div class="facets__group">
    <button
      type="button"
      aria-expanded="false"
      aria-controls="FilterColor-{{ section.id }}"
    >{{ 'filters.color' | t }}</button>
    <fieldset id="FilterColor-{{ section.id }}" hidden>
      <legend class="visually-hidden">{{ 'filters.filter_by_color' | t }}</legend>
      {% for color in colors %}
        <label>
          <input type="checkbox" name="filter.color" value="{{ color }}">
          {{ color }}
        </label>
      {% endfor %}
    </fieldset>
  </div>
  <div aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
    {{ 'filters.results_count' | t: count: results.size }}
  </div>
</form>

Price Display

html

{% if product.compare_at_price > product.price %}
  <div class="price" aria-label="{{ 'products.sale_price_label' | t: sale_price: product.price | money, original_price: product.compare_at_price | money }}">
    <s aria-hidden="true">{{ product.compare_at_price | money }}</s>
    <span>{{ product.price | money }}</span>
  </div>
{% else %}
  <div class="price">{{ product.price | money }}</div>
{% endif %}

Use aria-label to provide full price context (sale vs. original)
aria-hidden="true" on the visual strikethrough to avoid duplicate reading

Accordion

html

<details>
  <summary>{{ block.settings.heading }}</summary>
  <div class="accordion__content">
    {{ block.settings.content }}
  </div>
</details>

Native <details>/<summary> provides keyboard and screen reader support automatically.

Tabs

html

<div role="tablist" aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.product_tabs' | t }}">
  {% for tab in tabs %}
    <button
      role="tab"
      id="Tab-{{ tab.id }}"
      aria-selected="{% if forloop.first %}true{% else %}false{% endif %}"
      aria-controls="Panel-{{ tab.id }}"
      tabindex="{% if forloop.first %}0{% else %}-1{% endif %}"
    >{{ tab.title }}</button>
  {% endfor %}
</div>
{% for tab in tabs %}
  <div
    role="tabpanel"
    id="Panel-{{ tab.id }}"
    aria-labelledby="Tab-{{ tab.id }}"
    {% unless forloop.first %}hidden{% endunless %}
    tabindex="0"
  >{{ tab.content }}</div>
{% endfor %}

Arrow keys navigate between tabs (left/right)
Only active tab has tabindex="0", others -1

Dropdown Navigation

html

<nav aria-label="{{ 'accessibility.main_navigation' | t }}">
  <ul role="list">
    {% for link in linklists.main-menu.links %}
      <li>
        {% if link.links.size > 0 %}
          <button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="Submenu-{{ forloop.index }}">
            {{ link.title }}
          </button>
          <ul id="Submenu-{{ forloop.index }}" hidden role="list">
            {% for child in link.links %}
              <li><a href="{{ child.url }}">{{ child.title }}</a></li>
            {% endfor %}
          </ul>
        {% else %}
          <a href="{{ link.url }}">{{ link.title }}</a>
        {% endif %}
      </li>
    {% endfor %}
  </ul>
</nav>

Tooltip

html

<button aria-describedby="Tooltip-{{ block.id }}">
  {{ 'labels.info' | t }}
</button>
<div id="Tooltip-{{ block.id }}" role="tooltip" popover>
  {{ block.settings.tooltip_text }}
</div>

Mobile Accessibility

Touch targets: minimum 44x44px, 8px spacing between targets
No orientation lock: never restrict to portrait/landscape
No hover-only content: everything accessible via tap
Use dvh instead of vh for mobile viewport units

Animation & Motion

css

/* Always provide reduced motion */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *, *::before, *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    scroll-behavior: auto !important;
  }
}

No flashing above 3 times per second
Auto-playing animations need pause/stop controls
Meaningful animations only — don't animate for decoration

Visually Hidden Utility

css

.visually-hidden {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  padding: 0;
  margin: -1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
  white-space: nowrap;
  border: 0;
}

Use for screen-reader-only content like labels and descriptions.

Color Contrast

Element	Minimum Ratio
Normal text (<18px / <14px bold)	4.5:1
Large text (≥18px / ≥14px bold)	3:1
UI components & graphics	3:1
Focus indicators	3:1

Never rely solely on color to convey information — always pair with text, icons, or patterns.

References

All versions