LC 654: failure due to omitting form labels

Hi,

I tried to submit a technique through the techniques submission form to 
address LC 654 [1], but after 50 minutes, the submission is still not 
showing up in the archives, so I'm sending it to the list.


Short Name: Failure due to omitting labels for form controls for item 
selection or text input
Technique Category: HTML Techniques
Guideline Reference: content-structure-separation-programmatic
Success Criterion Reference: SC 1.3.1 (and 4.1.2)


Applicability:
HTML and XHTML controls that use external labels


UA Issues:
The HTML specification allows both implicit and explicit labels. However, 
many assistive technologies do not correctly handle implicit labels (for 
example, <label>First name <input type="text" name="firstname"></label>).

[This is copied from technique H44: Using label elements to associate text 
labels with form controls]


Description:
The objective of this technique is to describe a failure that occurs when 
no label elements are used to explicitly associate a form control with a 
label.

[Notes below are copied from H44.]

Note: Elements that use explicitly associated labels are
* input type="text",
* input type="checkbox",
* input type="radio",
* input type="file",
* input type="password",
* textarea,
* select.

Note 1: The label element is not used for the following:
* submit and reset buttons (input type="submit" or input type="reset"),
* image buttons (input type="image"),
* hidden input fields (input type="hidden"),
* script buttons (button elements or <input type="button">).

Note 2: Labels for these elements are implicitly associated via the value 
attribute (for Submit and Reset buttons), the alt attribute (for image 
buttons), or element content (button).



Related Techniques:
H44: Using label elements to associate text labels with form controls
H65: Using the title attribute to identify form controls when the label 
element cannot be used



Test Procedure:
For all input elements of type text, file or password, for all textareas 
and for all select elements in the Web unit:

1. check that there is a label element with at least one printable 
character before the input element;
2. check that the for attribute of the label element matches the id of the 
input element.


Expected Result:
If any check above is false, then this failure condition applies and the 
content fails the success criterion.


Additional Notes:
This also applies to SC 4.1.2. See LC comment 654: 
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/issue-tracking/viewdata_individual.php?id=654.



[1] 
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/issue-tracking/viewdata_individual.php?id=654

Regards,

Christophe


-- 
Christophe Strobbe
K.U.Leuven - Departement of Electrical Engineering - Research Group on 
Document Architectures
Kasteelpark Arenberg 10 - 3001 Leuven-Heverlee - BELGIUM
tel: +32 16 32 85 51
http://www.docarch.be/ 


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