Welcome to the Block Accessibility Checks Validation API — your toolkit for building accessibility checks and validation directly into your WordPress blocks. This API enables you to register custom checks, provide real-time feedback to editors, and enforce consistent accessibility standards across your content.
How It Works
The Block Accessibility Checks plugin uses a hybrid architecture that combines PHP and JavaScript:
- PHP handles registration and configuration, defining check metadata and exposing options to the block editor
- JavaScript executes validation logic in real-time, providing instant feedback as users edit content
When users edit blocks, registered checks run automatically in the editor. The system displays contextual messages or prevents publication when critical issues exist, helping maintain accessibility standards without requiring deep technical knowledge from content creators.
Three Validation Types
The Validation API provides three distinct approaches for validating WordPress content:
Block Attributes Validation
Validate data stored directly in block attributes, such as titles, image URLs, text content, or custom settings. This is the most common validation type.
Use this when:
- Validating content entered in block fields
- Checking required attributes
- Ensuring attribute values meet specific criteria
- Validating relationships between multiple attributes
Learn more: Block Validation Quick Start Guide
Post Meta Validation
Validate data stored in WordPress post meta fields. This approach integrates with WordPress’s register_meta() function to provide real-time validation for custom fields.
Use this when:
- Validating custom post meta fields
- Ensuring required metadata is present for specific post types
- Validating custom field values as editors type
- Providing accessibility checks for post-level data
Learn more: Post Meta Validtion Quick Start Guide
General Editor Validation
Validate the overall state of the editor, including all blocks in a post, block patterns, or global content structure. This approach is ideal for document-level requirements.
Use this when:
- Validating entire content structure
- Checking relationships between multiple blocks
- Ensuring required blocks are present
- Validating block order or hierarchy
- Enforcing document-level accessibility requirements
Learn more: Editor Validation Quick Start Guide
API Features
Real-Time Validation
All validation runs in real-time as users edit content. Feedback appears immediately in the editor, helping content creators fix issues as they work.
Configurable Severity
Checks can be configured to show errors, warnings, or be disabled entirely. When using type => 'settings', administrators can adjust severity levels through the WordPress admin.
Automatic Settings Integration
External plugins automatically receive dedicated sections in the Block Accessibility Checks settings panel. Plugin names, versions, and all registered checks appear without additional configuration.
Multiple Check Types
Combine different validation types in a single plugin. For example, validate block attributes, post meta, and editor structure all from one integration.
i18n Support
All messages support WordPress internationalization, allowing you to translate error messages, warnings, and descriptions for multilingual sites.
Summary
The Block Accessibility Checks Validation API provides three powerful approaches for enforcing accessibility and quality standards in WordPress content. By combining PHP registration with JavaScript validation, you can create real-time checks that guide content creators toward better, more accessible content.
Choose the validation type that fits your needs, follow the quick start guides, and start building accessible WordPress experiences today.