Automated Inspection
You will typically use the SMART tool together with the Ace automated accessibility checker, with Ace run first to discover any issues that can be detected by machine.
Note: Information on how to install and use Ace is available from the Inclusive Publishing site.
If you are fixing an EPUB publication, you should continue running Ace until it does not report any more errors before moving on to the SMART tool. If you are only creating a report about the publication, you do not need to fix the issues as they will be imported into the SMART tool.
Aside from its use checking for errors, the Ace tool is important to run first because it produces a
data file named report.json. This file contains information about the EPUB publication
and any issues in it. It is also the one that will be loaded into the SMART interface to prepare
the manual evaluation process. Without this file, you will have to start a blank evaluation and
manually add all the necessary information about the publication.
Do not discard the report.html file that Ace also produces, as it contains additional
information that helps expedite certain manual inspection processes (e.g., checking whether images
are decorative or have meaningful alternative texts).
Note: If you are using the Ace graphical user interface, you will need to use the Export option to obtain these files.