Liquid Theme A11y

by benjaminsehl483f969bed62No license120 starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 2 months ago

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.

Instructions onlySoftware Development
AI-generated overview

Implements WCAG 2.2 accessibility patterns in Shopify Liquid themes, covering e-commerce components like product cards, carousels, and cart drawers.

What it does
This skill provides guidance and code patterns for making Shopify Liquid theme components accessible under WCAG 2.2. It covers page structure, focus management, and specific e-commerce components such as product cards, carousels, modals, cart drawers, forms, filters, and price displays. It produces HTML, CSS, and ARIA markup examples along with rules for keyboard and screen reader support. It also includes reference documents on component patterns and focus/keyboard behavior.
When to use it
Use this when building accessible theme components in Shopify Liquid, fixing accessibility issues, or reviewing ARIA patterns in .liquid files. It is suited for e-commerce storefront work that must meet WCAG 2.2 requirements.
Requirements
No scripts or special runtime are required; it is instructions and reference documents only. It assumes familiarity with Shopify Liquid templating and the theme file structure.

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?

ComponentHTML ElementARIA PatternReference
Expandable content<details>/<summary>None neededAccordion
Modal/dialog<dialog>aria-modal="true"Modal
Tooltip/popup[popover] attributerole="tooltip" fallbackTooltip
Dropdown menu<nav> + <ul>aria-expanded on triggersNavigation
Tab interface<div>role="tablist/tab/tabpanel"Tabs
Carousel/slider<div>role="region" + aria-roledescriptionCarousel
Product card<article>aria-labelledbyProduct card
Form<form>aria-invalid, aria-describedbyForms
Cart drawer<dialog>Focus trapCart drawer
Price display<span>aria-label for contextPrices
Filters<form> + <fieldset>aria-expanded for disclosuresFilters

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 [blocked] 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

ElementMinimum Ratio
Normal text (<18px / <14px bold)4.5:1
Large text (≥18px / ≥14px bold)3:1
UI components & graphics3:1
Focus indicators3:1

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

References

  • Component accessibility patterns [blocked]
  • Focus and keyboard patterns [blocked]

Source and attribution

Source:benjaminsehl/liquid-skillsinskills/liquid-theme-a11yat commit483f969

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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