RE: Headers for tables used for layout

We may have been down this road already, but it would make a lot of sense to
push for a standard like using summary="" (null, literally two quotes with
nothing in between) for layout tables, just like we use alt="" for images
that don't convey meaning.

Of course, we'd have to get the assistive technologies to respond
accordingly (i.e. not say summary=null). As an added benefit, JAWS (and
others) could recognize it as a layout table and refrain from babbling on
about "table with x columns and y rows"...

-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org]On
Behalf Of David Poehlman
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 11:16 AM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org; William R Williams/R5/USDAFS
Subject: Re: Headers for tables used for layout

yeah, but I don't want to hear:
"summary: this table is used for lay out only" on 50 thousand tables.

----- Original Message -----
From: "William R Williams/R5/USDAFS" <wrwilliams@fs.fed.us>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: Headers for tables used for layout

It seems to me the recommended technique is to include the summary
attribute for the table tag, as demonstrated on the opening page of the
W3C
site:

<table
summary="Layout table: The first cell contains a navigation bar of W3C
technologies, the second contains news, and the third another navigation
bar of W3C pages.">

Bill

Received on Monday, 19 November 2001 14:44:38 UTC