Accessibility Support

• Jul 09, 2021
• 2 minutes to read

This topic describes how to enable UI Automation-based accessibility features in DevExpress WPF Controls, and apply the accessible DevExpress application theme to your application.

UI Automation-based Accessibility Features

UI Automation-based Accessibility Features (such as Screen readers) use Microsoft UI Automation framework to get information about UI elements. To obtain the information, the framework requires that controls include UI Automation peers and raise UI Automation events.

Enable UI Automation-based Accessibility Features

UI Automation peers and events are removed in DevExpress WPF Controls. This allows our controls to avoid an impact on performance in applications that do not rely on UI Automation. To support UI Automation-based Windows features, enable UI Automation peers and events in one of the following ways:

• Launch a screen reading app (such as Windows Narrator) before you start your application.

• Set the Screen Reader Parameter to true on an application startup.

• Set the ClearAutomationEventsHelper.IsEnabled property to false.

Screen Reader App Limitation

The following DevExpress WPF controls do not allow the UI Automation framework to access to their embedded documents, graphic canvases, or designer surfaces:

• Map
• Chart
• End-User Report Designer
• PDF Viewer
• Print/Export Windows
• Rich Text Editor
• Diagram

This limitation does not apply to any shell UI integrated into these controls: Ribbon, Toolbars, or Tool Windows.

High Contrast Theme

You can apply the Office 2019 High Contrast theme to DevExoress WPF Controls.

Refer to the following documentation topic for more information on how to apply a DevExpress theme: Apply a DevExpress theme.