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Screen reader and Html Text control

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I have a PowerApp with an HTML Text control and am setting its content dynamically elsewhere.
 
When I run the app and navigate to the screen with the Html Text control, with Narrator enabled, it does not read the content - unless I click on the content with the mouse pointer. There seems to be no way to set focus on the HTML Text control with the keyboard.
 
For comparison, a regular text label, with a TabIndex of 0, can be navigated to via keyboard, but of course a regular text label does not support rich content.
 
How do I get a screen reader to read the contents of an HTML Text control?
 
Thanks!
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  • Verified answer
    AndrewR1 Profile Picture
    1,572 Moderator on at

    This is a known issue with the HTML Text control in Power Apps—since it's primarily a rendering element, it does not automatically receive focus, and screen readers like Narrator often skip over it unless the user manually interacts with it.

    Potential Workarounds

    Here are some ways you can make the content accessible to a screen reader:

    1. Use a Hidden Accessible Label

    Since a regular Label control supports screen readers, you can add a label with the same content as the HTML Text control but keep it hidden.

    • Steps:
      1. Insert a Label control.
      2. Set its Text property to the same value as the HTML Text control:
      3. HtmlTextControl.HtmlText
      4. Set its Visible property to false so it doesn't affect UI layout.
      5. Ensure its TabIndex is 0 so it can be navigated to.

    This way, the screen reader will read the content from the label even though it's hidden from the visual UI.


    2. Use a Button or Focusable Element

    If you want the user to be able to focus on the HTML Text control via the keyboard, you can:

    • Place a Button or an invisible Text Input next to the HTML control.

    • Use a Select() function to move focus when the screen loads.

    • Steps:

      1. Add a Button or Text Input (set Visible = false if necessary).
      2. In the OnVisible property of the screen, add:
        Select(Button1) // or Select(TextInput1)
      3. The button/text input should have an accessible label (via AccessibleLabel) that describes the content.

    3. Move the HTML Content into a Rich Text Editor

    If interactivity isn't an issue, you can use a Rich Text Editor control instead of an HTML Text control:

    • It supports rich content.
    • It can be focused and read by screen readers.

    Set:

    RichTextEditor1.Default = HtmlTextControl.HtmlText

    And ensure TabIndex = 0 so it can be navigated.


    4. Ensure HTML Uses Proper Accessibility Tags

    If you are using HtmlText with raw HTML, check that it contains ARIA roles and semantic elements like <p>, <h1>, <div role="document">, etc.

    For example:

    <div role="document">
    <h1>Important Announcement</h1>
    <p>This is the content that should be read by the screen reader.</p>
    </div>

    If it's wrapped in an incorrect or unsupported element (e.g., <span>), screen readers might skip it.


    Conclusion

    The best approach depends on your needs:

    • Quick Fix: Use a hidden Label control with the same text.
    • Better Focus Handling: Use a Button or hidden Text Input to move focus.
    • Rich Content Editing: Use a Rich Text Editor instead.
    • Improve HTML Accessibility: Add ARIA roles and correct markup
     
    Please click Accept as the Answer 

    If my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. Remember, you can accept more than one post as a solution. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it a Like 👍

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