spec 3 linked patterns checked
W3C WCAG 2.2 Understanding Success Criterion 2.2.6: Timeouts
Documents warning users about inactivity durations that can cause data loss unless data is preserved long enough, supporting clear warnings for exit or timeout conditions that risk losing work.
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What this source can teach
Use this source to check a technical or accessibility requirement against its exact wording and scope.
- Start with the original. Open the source and find the guidance or example relevant to your task.
- Trace the connection. Use the claim notes below to see how this site applies the source to specific patterns.
- Check the setting. Compare the source's platform, people, and constraints with your own decision.
Pattern Decisions This Source Supports
| Pattern | Supported decision | Required contract | Claim note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exit warning | Choose exit warning when departure has already been attempted and leaving would lose work or context that is not safely recoverable. | The warning appears only after a departure attempt or immediately before a known session boundary that could cause loss. | W3C documents warning users before timeouts can cause data loss. |
| Session timeout | Choose session timeout when the authenticated session has already expired or been terminated and the next valid path is sign-in, reauthentication, restart, or safe task restoration. | The timeout state is driven by server or identity-provider session validity, not by a cosmetic client-only overlay. | Supports communicating timeout duration and data-loss risk around inactivity timeouts. |
| Session timeout warning | Choose session timeout warning when the session is approaching an inactivity, absolute, device-lock, or reauthentication boundary that can interrupt authenticated work. | The warning is driven by the authoritative session or identity state, not only a local countdown. | W3C documents warning users when inactivity can cause data loss. |
Comparisons supported by this source
- Exit warning vs autosave form vs draft state vs confirmation dialog
W3C documents warning users before inactivity can cause data loss.
- Session timeout vs session timeout warning vs sign in vs permission denied state vs autosave recovery
Supports timeout communication and data-loss risk around inactivity.
- Session timeout warning vs exit warning vs autosave form vs permission denied state
W3C documents warning users about inactivity durations that may cause data loss unless data remains preserved.
Evidence Role
This source is treated as spec evidence. Its value comes from the specific claims and setting described above.
Publisher: World Wide Web Consortium. Last checked: .