Datasheet

left to right and top to bottom, screen readers and other assistive devices may follow the order specified
in the HTML. To make a report accessible, you must add objects to reports in the order that you want
a screen reader to read them.
For example, you place Quarter, Year, and Invoice fields in the Details section and then add the report
title "Invoices by Quarter" to the Report Header. When you publish the report to BusinessObjects
Enterprise, it looks the same as it did in Crystal Reports, but the underlying HTML displays the database
field headings first, followed by the title. Instead of reading the report title first, a screen reader reads
the headings first: "Quarter, Year, Invoice, Invoices by Quarter."
To avoid this, insert the "Invoices by Quarter" title first. Before you add the data table, you could provide
an introductory text object that describes the table. Finally, add the fields to the Details section. The
report will now make more sense in a screen reader, which will read "Invoices by Quarter. The following
table lists our invoices for each quarter. Quarter, Year, Invoice.", and then read the data. (For details
on providing accessible data tables, see Improving data table accessibility.)
Therefore, to create accessible reports, you must plan the order of your report before you begin working
in Crystal Reports. Plan it on paper. Make sure you know which objects you want to add and where
you want them. Include all calculations, images, and charts on your plan. When you create a new report
based on your plan, you can start adding objects from the upper left corner and work your way to the
bottom right corner of the report. Once the objects are placed, you can make changes to them afterwards
without affecting their order.
Note:
If you create a text-only alternative of your report, add it to your report as a subreport and, most
importantly, add the subreport before you add any other object to your report. For further details, see
Text.
After you add all objects to the report, you can test their placement order by tabbing through the objects.
27.2.1.2.1 To test the placement order of objects in a report
1.
Make sure no objects in the report are selected.
2.
Press the Tab key.
Crystal Reports selects the object that was placed on the report first.
3.
Tab through the remaining objects.
The order that Crystal Reports uses to tab through the objects is the same order adopted by a screen
reader that views the published version of the report.
27.2.2 Text
The most common accessibility issue encountered by report designers is also one of the easiest to
resolve: providing text-only versions of non-text objects. A non-text object is an object that conveys
meaning through a picture or sound. Non-text objects include pictures, charts, graphical buttons,
graphical representations of text, sounds, animations, and audio or video clips.
2011-05-16673
Creating Accessible Reports