From 6359e2e0d0832791e9ec366f7dfc2874667e1b89 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Samuel Wanjohi <sam.wanjohi94@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2026 19:58:35 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] fix(a11y): add persistent instructions for search field

The Search combobox relied on a placeholder that disappears once the user
types, leaving no persistent label or instructions describing its purpose.

Adds programmatically-associated, persistent instructions via
aria-describedby pointing to an sr-only element that describes the field's
purpose and how to operate the suggestions (arrow keys / Enter). The
existing aria-label="Search" is preserved. Fixes WCAG 3.3.2 (Labels or
Instructions). Applies site-wide via the shared navbar include.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 _includes/navbar.html | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/_includes/navbar.html b/_includes/navbar.html
index 84aca56b..3b2f43c1 100644
--- a/_includes/navbar.html
+++ b/_includes/navbar.html
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@
                         <input id="main-search-input"
                                type="text"
                                aria-label="Search"
+                               aria-describedby="main-search-instructions"
                                class="form-control st-default-search-input"
                                placeholder="Search"
                                role="combobox"
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@
                                 aria-expanded="false"
                                 aria-controls="search-results">
                         </button>
+                        <span id="main-search-instructions" class="sr-only">Search the OData site. Suggestions appear below as you type; use the up and down arrow keys to review suggestions and Enter to open the selected result.</span>
                     </div>
                 </form>
             </div>