Targets.
A target is [label=]<spec>. The label is optional, and names the target in the report.
| Target | Spec |
|---|---|
| A live page | https://example.com/page |
| A local page or site | ./page.html or ./dist. A path with no prefix is relative to the working folder, so dist means ./dist. Prefixes ../, /, ~, and file: work too. |
| A Storybook | Its URL, or a local folder with index.json or stories.json. |
| An npm package | npm:name, npm:@scope/name, or npm:name@version. Add a sub-path to test one entry of a package: npm:@scope/pkg/button or npm:@scope/[email protected]/button/v2. React, Vue 3, and web component libraries work. |
A bare word such as button is a path: the folder or file ./button. Write npm:button to pick the package. The prefix is what chooses a package, so a folder with the same name never gets in the way. A bare word that isn't a path fails with a hint, such as "If you meant the npm package, write npm:react."
A local .html file is served over http://localhost, never file://. A static site audits its index.html only.
Evidence levels.
A page target gives page evidence: the whole page is tested, and the interaction and computed tiers say "not applicable", because a page carries no trigger to press. An npm package gives component evidence: each archetype runs from a fixture that marks the control to exercise. A comparison that mixes the two opens with a warning, because the evidence isn't equivalent.
Sub-paths of an npm package.
npm:name[@version][/sub/path] tests one entry of a package, such as npm:@scope/ui-buttons/button or npm:@scope/[email protected]/button/v2. That lets you compare two versions of a component side by side:
automatica11y compare v1=npm:@scope/ui-buttons/button v2=npm:@scope/ui-buttons/button/v2The sub-path is what a person would import (import ... from "@scope/pkg/button"), and it has to be something the package exports. The version stops at the first slash, and a sub-path can't contain empty parts, ., .., or backslashes. Capital letters are fine.
The tool checks the sub-path twice. At plan time it reads the registry's exports field, so --plan rejects a wrong sub-path before anything installs. After the install it checks the package's own package.json, and a package with no exports map is checked against its files. A wrong sub-path names the package and version, suggests the closest exports, and lists what the package offers.