Re: css abuse

Continuing from Al's intro...

This came up to cover the following case.  A web page author want to define
"new" parts of a page in a color like red.  Instead of using a font tag,
the author defines a class "new" and uses a style sheet to present it in
red.  So far so good.

But for this to benefit the blind user:

1. The user agent must announce the class names to the user
2. The web content guidelines must specify that class names be mnemonic and
useful.
3. The authoring tools should make is simple to change the class name, in
case the initial choice is not good.  This would involve changing it
throughout the style sheet and all pages using the style sheet.

In fact, it would be even better if the text announced to the user could be
independent of the name of the class, just like ALT text is independent of
the filename chosen for a file.

Al points out how this can be considered implicit in what we have already
(except for the very last point).  I'd suggest though that it be made
explicit in the user agent, web content, and authoring tools.

Len

At 12:27 PM 10/4/99 -0400, Al Gilman wrote:
>Briefly, the area under discussion has to do with class tokens that are
>applied to elements in the HTML markup.
>
>The DOM core requirements will expose these values because they are
>attributes.  So the API requirement to share the document contents in
>accordance with the W3C DOM means AT software has access to these through
>this API.  
>
>The part I am vague about is how the guideline that the browser through its
>own UI should give the user access to all content is being interpreted as
>regards CLASS tokens.  IMHO they should be covered; the CLASS tokens are
>metadata and I am arguing that authors should set them in a mnemonic
>fashion as well as eventually tie them to schemata for more precise
>machine-processable definitions.  
>
>This is just an intro; please glance over the thread on w3c-wai-er-ig in
>the archives. Use "css abuse" in the subject to find the thread.
>
>Al
>
>At 10:22 AM 10/4/99 -0400, Ian Jacobs wrote:
>>Al Gilman wrote:
>>> 
>>> At 09:17 PM 10/3/99 -0400, Leonard R. Kasday wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>And yes, a UAGL-conforming user agent not only has access to these
>>> >>attribute values, but makes them available to the user and to add-on
>>> >>assistive technologies.
>>> >
>>> >I think we'll have to coordinate with the Guideline and Authoring
>groups to
>>> >make that point explicit.
>>> >
>>> >I can't find any explicit mention of CLASS name being readable in the
user
>>> >agent guidelines or the web content guidelines.
>>> 
>>> Talk to Jon or Ian about where the drafts and issues are.  They are
>>> wrestling with how to make the guideline transcend HTML and yet make the
>>> checkpoints clear.
>>
>>Could you please describe the requirement?
>> 
>> - Ian
>> 
>
>
-------
Leonard R. Kasday, Ph.D.
Institute on Disabilities/UAP, and
Department of Electrical Engineering
Temple University

Ritter Hall Annex, Room 423, Philadelphia, PA 19122
kasday@acm.org        
(215) 204-2247 (voice)
(800) 750-7428 (TTY)

Received on Monday, 4 October 1999 15:49:17 UTC