Grouping in the Navigation test
Grouping in Navigation identifies when two or more records describe essentially the same problem pattern, so that the report does not repeat the same finding dozens of times.
Here the unit of grouping is the structure of the control, not just the individual node.
When two records are grouped
Two records are grouped only if all of the following hold:
| Criterion | What it means |
|---|---|
| Same tag name | Both elements must be the same element — <a>, <button>, <li>, <nav>, and so on. |
| Same number of children | The internal structure must be equivalent. |
| Children with the same tag names | The content need not be identical, but the node types must match (for example <span>, <svg>, <i>). |
| Same issue type | Both must be focus problems, or both tab-order problems, and so on. A "not focusable" finding is never grouped with an "illogical order" finding. |
| They differ only in permitted attributes | Differences are allowed only in id, class, alt, href, tabindex (where applicable) and aria-* attributes. Elements are not grouped if the semantics change — a different role, for instance. |
For tabindex issues, the value must match | If the issue relates to tabindex, both elements must carry the same value (for example both tabindex="-1"). |
A note on how this evolves
The Navigation grouping rule is deliberately an evolving one. As new patterns are found in real audits, these criteria are adjusted, and each new rule or exception is recorded here so that past and future audits stay comparable.