Use link role for navigational Pressable elements (Expensify logo, workspace rows) by MelvinBot · Pull Request #82754 · Expensify/App

MelvinBot · 2026-02-18T07:31:06Z

Explanation of Change

The Expensify logo button in the wide-layout NavigationTabBar and workspace rows on the Workspaces page both navigate to other pages but were using CONST.ROLE.BUTTON, causing screen readers to announce them as "Button" instead of "Link". Per WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value), elements that perform navigation should use link semantics.

This PR changes both to use CONST.ROLE.LINK:

Expensify logo in NavigationTabBar/index.tsx — changed from accessibilityRole={CONST.ROLE.BUTTON} to role={CONST.ROLE.LINK} (also migrates from the deprecated accessibilityRole prop to the modern role prop, consistent with other items in the same component).
Workspace rows in WorkspacesListRow.tsx — changed role={isWide ? CONST.ROLE.ROW : CONST.ROLE.BUTTON} to role={isWide ? CONST.ROLE.ROW : CONST.ROLE.LINK}. On wide layout, CONST.ROLE.ROW is preserved (correct for table row semantics); on narrow layout, the button role is replaced with link.

BaseGenericPressable already has built-in W3C APG Link Pattern keyboard handling for role="link" (Enter key activation), so this change is well-supported.

Fixed Issues

$ #76938
PROPOSAL: #76938 (comment)

Tests

Open https://new.expensify.com/settings/profile on a wide screen layout
Using a screen reader (e.g. JAWS + Chrome, or VoiceOver + Safari), TAB to the Expensify logo at the top-left corner
Verify it is announced as a link (not a button)
Press Enter on the logo and verify it still navigates to the Inbox/Chats page
Navigate to the Workspaces page
TAB to a workspace row
Verify it is announced as a link (not a button)
Press Enter on the workspace row and verify it still navigates to the workspace page

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

Offline tests

No offline-specific behavior changes. The role attribute is a static accessibility property and does not depend on network state.

QA Steps

On a wide screen layout (desktop Chrome), open https://new.expensify.com/settings/profile
Use a screen reader (JAWS + Chrome on Windows, or VoiceOver + Safari on Mac) and TAB to the Expensify logo at the top-left
Verify it announces as a link with label "Home"
Activate it and verify navigation still works (navigates to Inbox)
Navigate to the Workspaces page
TAB to a workspace row
Verify it announces as a link
Activate it and verify navigation still works (navigates to the workspace)

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

N/A - accessibility role change only, no visual difference

Android: mWeb Chrome

N/A - accessibility role change only, no visual difference

iOS: Native

N/A - accessibility role change only, no visual difference

iOS: mWeb Safari

N/A - accessibility role change only, no visual difference

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

N/A - accessibility role change only, no visual difference. Verify with screen reader that elements announce as "link" instead of "button".

The Expensify logo button and workspace list rows navigate to other pages but were announced as buttons by screen readers. This changes them to use CONST.ROLE.LINK to correctly convey link semantics per WCAG 4.1.2. Co-authored-by: {"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/issues/comments#get-an-issue-comment","status":"404"} <{"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/issues/comments#get-an-issue-comment","status":"404"}@users.noreply.github.com>

Resolved merge conflict: main introduced a conditional role (isWide ? CONST.ROLE.ROW : CONST.ROLE.BUTTON) since the original commit. Updated to use CONST.ROLE.LINK in the narrow case while preserving CONST.ROLE.ROW for wide layout. Co-authored-by: Joel Davies <jjcoffee@users.noreply.github.com>

jjcoffee · 2026-03-13T10:11:57Z

@MelvinBot mark this as ready for review.

MelvinBot · 2026-03-13T10:13:29Z

This PR has been marked as ready for review as requested by jjcoffee.

melvin-bot · 2026-03-13T10:13:31Z

@jjcoffee Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

jjcoffee · 2026-03-13T10:14:41Z

Reviewer Checklist

I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
- I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
- I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
- I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
- I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
- Android: HybridApp
- Android: mWeb Chrome
- iOS: HybridApp
- iOS: mWeb Safari
- MacOS: Chrome / Safari
If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
- I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
- I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
- I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
- I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
- I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
- I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
- I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
- I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
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I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
If a new component is created I verified that:
- A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
- All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
- The file is named correctly
- The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
- The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
- For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
- Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
- All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
- The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
If any new file was added I verified that:
- The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
- A similar style doesn't already exist
- The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
- I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
- I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

android-app-2026-03-13_14.33.26.mp4

Android: mWeb Chrome

android-chrome-2026-03-13_14.35.53.mp4

iOS: HybridApp

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

desktop-chrome-2026-03-13_15.59.08.mp4

desktop-chrome-2026-03-13_14.11.48.mp4

jjcoffee · 2026-03-13T13:09:38Z

@MelvinBot This has gone from announcing Home, button, group, to link, image, Home. Is that expected?

MelvinBot · 2026-03-13T13:14:41Z

Good question — the change from Home, button, group to link, image, Home is partially expected but not ideal. Here's what's happening:

Why the announcement changed

The root cause is how React Native Web maps roles to HTML elements:

Before (accessibilityRole='button'): React Native Web's propsToAccessibilityComponent maps 'button' to a native <button> HTML element. A native <button> groups its children for screen readers, so the inner <svg> is never individually announced. Result: "Home, button, group".
After (role='link'): React Native Web has no native element mapping for 'link' (it's not in the roleComponents map in propsToAccessibilityComponent.js). So the element stays as a <div role="link">. A <div> with an ARIA role does not group its children the same way — the screen reader walks the DOM tree, finds the bare <svg> (which has no aria-hidden or role="presentation"), and announces it as "image".

What's expected vs. what needs fixing

"link" instead of "button" — Expected and correct. This is the whole point of the PR.
"group" disappearing — Expected side effect of no longer being a native <button>.
"image" appearing — Not ideal. The ImageSVG component renders the <svg> without any aria-hidden attribute (ImageSVG/index.tsx:25-35), so it gets announced as a separate image element.

Recommended fix

Add aria-hidden="true" to the ImageSVG so screen readers skip the decorative icon and only announce the link's aria-label. The ideal announcement should be just "Home, link" (or similar phrasing depending on the screen reader). Something like:

<ImageSVG
    style={StyleUtils.getAvatarStyle(CONST.AVATAR_SIZE.DEFAULT)}
    src={expensifyIcons.ExpensifyAppIcon}
    pointerEvents="none"
    aria-hidden={true}
/>

This way the screen reader would see <div role="link" aria-label="Home"> with no visible child content to announce, giving a clean "Home, link" announcement.

Would you like me to make this fix?

jjcoffee · 2026-03-13T13:31:00Z

@MelvinBot pointerEvents="none" seems unnecessary, but the rest you can implement.

The SVG icon inside the link-role pressable was being announced as a separate "image" element by screen readers. Adding aria-hidden hides the decorative icon so only the link's aria-label is announced, giving a clean "Home, link" announcement. Co-authored-by: jjcoffee <pjcoffee@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Joel Davies <jjcoffee@users.noreply.github.com>

melvin-bot · 2026-03-13T13:39:44Z

@jjcoffee Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

MelvinBot · 2026-03-13T13:39:50Z

Done — I've added aria-hidden support to ImageSVG and applied it to the Expensify logo, without pointerEvents="none". Here's what changed:

src/components/ImageSVG/types.ts — Added 'aria-hidden'?: boolean prop to ImageSVGProps
src/components/ImageSVG/index.tsx — Destructure and pass aria-hidden through to the rendered SVG component
src/components/Navigation/NavigationTabBar/index.tsx — Added aria-hidden to the ImageSVG for the Expensify logo

This should give screen readers a clean "Home, link" announcement instead of "link, image, Home".

codecov · 2026-03-13T13:54:53Z

Codecov Report

✅ Changes either increased or maintained existing code coverage, great job!

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
...c/components/Navigation/NavigationTabBar/index.tsx	`53.33% <ø> (ø)`
src/pages/workspace/WorkspacesListRow.tsx	`98.48% <100.00%> (ø)`
src/components/ImageSVG/index.tsx	`0.00% <0.00%> (ø)`
... and 44 files with indirect coverage changes

JmillsExpensify

LGTM

jjcoffee

LGTM!

melvin-bot · 2026-03-13T15:00:15Z

We did not find an internal engineer to review this PR, trying to assign a random engineer to #76938 as well as to this PR... Please reach out for help on Slack if no one gets assigned!

github-actions · 2026-03-16T15:59:02Z

🚧 @mollfpr has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

github-actions · 2026-03-16T16:04:41Z

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #82754.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-android-Adhoc-70089d6-a6a9d5f-67aff241e9e59e4d00ddfc2b8c090bc34471907d/index.html	https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-ios-device-AdHoc-70089d6-a6a9d5f-ae8cd9cb4d9c28b1b0240dd3d59fc01738f396e8/index.html

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https://82754.pr-testing.expensify.com

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

OSBotify · 2026-03-16T16:05:48Z

✋ This PR was not deployed to staging yet because QA is ongoing. It will be automatically deployed to staging after the next production release.

OSBotify · 2026-03-17T11:54:44Z

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/mollfpr in version: 9.3.39-0 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

jponikarchuk · 2026-03-18T07:27:14Z

This PR failing because of the issue #85618
This issue is reproducible in: MacOS / Safari

OSBotify · 2026-03-18T13:01:50Z

🚀 Deployed to production by https://github.com/cristipaval in version: 9.3.39-3 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	failure ❌
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

MelvinBot added Bug Something is broken. Auto assigns a BugZero manager. Accessibility Issues affecting WACG accessibility on any platform. labels Feb 18, 2026

MelvinBot requested a review from a team February 18, 2026 07:31

MelvinBot mentioned this pull request Feb 18, 2026

Screen Reader: Many Pages: The control opens another page/URL but announces with a button role #76938

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MelvinBot marked this pull request as ready for review March 13, 2026 10:13

MelvinBot requested a review from a team as a code owner March 13, 2026 10:13

melvin-bot bot requested review from JmillsExpensify and jjcoffee and removed request for jjcoffee March 13, 2026 10:13

melvin-bot bot removed request for a team March 13, 2026 10:13

MelvinBot requested a review from a team as a code owner March 13, 2026 13:39

melvin-bot bot requested review from jjcoffee and removed request for a team March 13, 2026 13:39

JmillsExpensify approved these changes Mar 13, 2026

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mollfpr merged commit 70089d6 into main Mar 16, 2026
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mollfpr deleted the claude-fixButtonRoleForNavigationalElements branch March 16, 2026 15:57

OSBotify mentioned this pull request Mar 17, 2026

Deploy Checklist: New Expensify 2026-03-17 #85529

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jponikarchuk mentioned this pull request Mar 18, 2026

[$250] VoiceOver - Workspace row is announced as Entering instead of Link #85618

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Explanation of Change

Fixed Issues

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QA Steps

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Why the announcement changed

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