Table of Contents

Accessibility

TableView exposes a complete UI Automation (UIA) tree so that screen readers, keyboard-only users, and accessibility testing tools can navigate and interact with the control. Custom AutomationPeer classes are registered for every interactive element: the table itself, rows, cells, column headers, and row headers.

When to use it

You do not need to opt in. Accessibility support is always active. This page explains what is exposed, how to improve automation names for custom content, and what limitations apply.

Supported UIA patterns

Element UIA patterns
TableView GridPattern, TablePattern, SelectionPattern (inherited from ListView)
TableViewRow SelectionItemPattern (inherited), ExpandCollapsePattern when RowDetailsVisibilityMode is VisibleWhenExpanded
TableViewCell GridItemPattern, TableItemPattern, SelectionItemPattern
TableViewColumnHeader InvokePattern when CanSort is true
TableViewRowHeader Structural header element

GridPattern / TablePattern (TableView)

TableView implements IGridProvider and ITableProvider:

  • RowCount — number of data rows currently loaded
  • ColumnCount — number of visible columns
  • GetItem(row, column) — returns the automation element for the specified cell (only for realized, on-screen cells)
  • GetColumnHeaders() — returns automation elements for all visible column headers
  • RowOrColumnMajor — always RowMajor

GridItemPattern / TableItemPattern (cells)

Each TableViewCell exposes IGridItemProvider and ITableItemProvider:

  • Row — zero-based row index
  • Column — zero-based column index
  • RowSpan / ColumnSpan — always 1
  • ContainingGrid — the owning TableView
  • GetColumnHeaderItems() — the column header for this cell

SelectionItemPattern (cells and rows)

  • IsSelected reflects the current selection state
  • Select(), AddToSelection(), and RemoveFromSelection() manipulate the selection programmatically
  • SelectionContainer returns the owning TableView
  • Row SelectionItemPattern is provided automatically by the base ListView infrastructure

InvokePattern (column headers)

When a column is sortable (CanSort is true), its header exposes IInvokeProvider. Invoking the header cycles the sort direction: ascending → descending → unsorted.

ExpandCollapsePattern (row details)

When RowDetailsVisibilityMode is VisibleWhenExpanded, each row exposes IExpandCollapseProvider so automation clients can expand or collapse the details pane programmatically.

Automation names

TableView

Uses AutomationProperties.Name if set; otherwise inherits from the base ListView peer.

<tv:TableView AutomationProperties.Name="Products table" />

Column headers

Format: "{headerText}", with an optional sort-state suffix and filter suffix when applicable.

State Automation name example
Unsorted, unfiltered "Name"
Sorted ascending "Name, Sort Ascending"
Sorted descending "Name, Sort Descending"
Sorted and filtered "Name, Sort Descending, Filtered"

Rows

Format: "Row {N}" (1-based index). The help text contains a summary of all cells in the row, for example "Name: Waheed Ahmad, Age: 30, City: London".

Cells

Format: "{columnHeader}, Row {N}, {cellValue}".

Examples:

  • "Name, Row 3, Waheed Ahmad"
  • "Salary, Row 7, 95000"

Override the name for a specific column by setting AutomationProperties.Name through a CellStyle:

<tv:TableViewTextColumn Header="Status">
    <tv:TableViewTextColumn.CellStyle>
        <Style TargetType="tv:TableViewCell">
            <Setter Property="AutomationProperties.Name"
                    Value="{Binding StatusDescription}" />
        </Style>
    </tv:TableViewTextColumn.CellStyle>
</tv:TableViewTextColumn>

Row headers

Uses AutomationProperties.Name if set on the TableViewRowHeader, otherwise derives the name from the header's content, or falls back to "Row {N}".

Keyboard navigation

Key Action
Arrow keys Move the current cell or row
Tab / Shift+Tab Move to the next / previous cell
Enter Move to the next row cell, or commit an edit
Space Select or deselect the current cell or row
F2 Begin editing the current cell
Escape Cancel editing and return focus to the current cell
Home / End Move to the first / last column in the row
Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End Move to the first / last row
Page Up / Page Down Move by one page
Ctrl+A Select all
Ctrl+Shift+A Deselect all
Ctrl+C Copy to clipboard

Screen reader behavior

When navigating with a screen reader such as Narrator:

  1. Moving to the TableView announces it as a table with its row and column count.
  2. Moving between rows announces the row number and a summary of its content.
  3. Moving between cells announces the column header, row number, and current value.
  4. Column headers announce their header text, current sort state, and filter state.
  5. Editing: pressing F2 (or double-tapping) enters edit mode. Focus moves to the editing control (for example, a TextBox), which announces itself independently with its own value. Pressing Escape returns focus to the cell, keeping Narrator on the correct cell.
  6. Selection changes are announced through SelectionItemPattern.IsSelected.

Custom automation names for template columns

TableViewTemplateColumn cells display developer-defined content. The cell automation name defaults to "{columnHeader}, Row {N}" unless overridden. Set AutomationProperties.Name directly on the root element of the template:

<tv:TableViewTemplateColumn Header="Actions">
    <tv:TableViewTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <Button Content="Edit"
                    AutomationProperties.Name="Edit row" />
        </DataTemplate>
    </tv:TableViewTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
</tv:TableViewTemplateColumn>

Custom column header names

To override the automation name of a column header (for example, to provide a longer description for an abbreviated header):

<tv:TableViewTextColumn Header="DOB">
    <tv:TableViewTextColumn.HeaderStyle>
        <Style TargetType="tv:TableViewColumnHeader">
            <Setter Property="AutomationProperties.Name"
                    Value="Date of Birth" />
        </Style>
    </tv:TableViewTextColumn.HeaderStyle>
</tv:TableViewTextColumn>

Notes and limitations

  • Virtualized cells: IGridProvider.GetItem(row, column) returns null for rows that are not currently in the visual tree. Scroll the target row into view before calling GetItem.
  • IValueProvider on cells: IValueProvider is not implemented on the cell peer. Instead, the editing element (for example, a TextBox) exposes IValueProvider while the cell is in edit mode.
  • Custom column types: cells in TableViewTemplateColumn show developer-defined content. Accessible names for those cells default to the column header and row index unless the template explicitly sets AutomationProperties.Name.
  • Non-Windows platforms: automation peers are compiled and run on all platforms (WinUI and Uno Platform). However, not all Uno Platform targets expose a full UIA tree to assistive technologies. On WebAssembly (WASM), the platform relies on ARIA attributes managed by Uno. On Desktop Skia targets, accessibility support depends on the native platform's accessibility APIs.
Edit this page