AU techs / ATAG errata

Looking at ATAG checkpoint 3.4 (don't create placeholder text
alternatives) and technique T0176 in particular
http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/WD-ATAG10-TECHS-20011124/imp3 there is a clear
conflict with checkpoint 2.2 (create valid markup) as it relates to 2.1 (use
up to date W3C specifications) since those specifications often require a
text alternative to be present.

In order to resolve this there are 3 possibilities:

1. We really require that the tool meet both checkpoints simultaneously,
relying on checkpoints 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2 (checking and getting text
equivalents...) to keep asking until there is content provided. This meets
the goal IF people don't just fill in dummy text, but I don't think that it
is what the group intended.

2. We state in errata that 2.2 overrides 3.4 and that the checkpoint can be
ignored in order to meet 2.2. I don't think this is what we intended either -
it would lead to the addition of dummy text just to provide validity, and
there is a real need not to do so. If we do go this way we should delete
technique T0176

3. We state in errata that 2.2 may be violated with respect to provision of
textual alternatives, in order to meet the requirements of 3.4. We should
point to that erratum in technique T0176 in that case.

I think that this is a clarification, although we should note that we will
need to deal with the issue a bit more carefully for wombat...

cheers

Charles

-- 
Charles McCathieNevile    http://www.w3.org/People/Charles  phone: +61 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative     http://www.w3.org/WAI    fax: +1 617 258 5999
Location: 21 Mitchell street FOOTSCRAY Vic 3011, Australia
(or W3C INRIA, Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France)

Received on Thursday, 6 December 2001 12:02:43 UTC