Re: Are links should underline all the time?

Hi All,
I think I must be missing parts of this thread but a technique that might
be useful is actually in use on the W3C website.

The links have CSS styling rules of "text-decoration: none" (which prevents
the default 'underline') and instead they use "border-bottom: 1px solid
#color".

By using this approach, it's possible to change the styling of the
underline (on w3.org the border, darkens and thickens on hover) and
therefore adjust padding/margins, appearance.

If the links are in a document where the language ordinarily uses
underlines, this could allow the underline to be offset and/or styled
differently enough to be distinct.

I hope that helps!

Adam Powell
http://www.adaminfinitum.com


On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 9:27 PM, Andrew Cunningham <andj.cunningham@gmail.com
> wrote:

> Although it depends on language of the content. Underlining is often used
> to indicate links. But when the language / script in question also uses
> underlining as emphasis you can create confusion. Underlining by itself is
> insufficient. It could be a link or an em element.
>
> Andrew
>
>
> On Tuesday, 4 July 2017, Sailesh Panchang <sailesh.panchang@deque.com>
> wrote:
>
>> HTML's default presentation  has a purpose, accessibility being one of
>> them. These help user groups other than with vision impairment.
>> Links are underlined, contents of a TH cell in a table is bold and
>> centred, a border around a set of form controls within a fieldset
>> conveys a  grouping relationship, the relative significance of
>> headings  with h1 ... h6 is discernible, the element that has keyboard
>> focus is identifiable, and so forth.
>> Browsers respect these  too.
>> Content authors should be free to replace the presentation styles in a
>> manner that retains or enhances their effectiveness from an
>> accessibility standpoint.
>> Permitting them to tinker with the default presentation in a manner
>> that impairs accessibility should be a violation.
>> I am strongly in  favor of an SC along the lines of  the old Section
>> 508 paragraph 1194.21 Para (b) Softtware Apps:
>>
>> • Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of
>> other products that are identified as accessibility features, where
>> those features are
>> developed and documented according to industry standards.
>> • Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of
>> any operating system that are identified as accessibility features
>> where the application
>> programming interface for those accessibility features has been
>> documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is
>> available to the product
>> developer.
>>
>> On the mobile platform for instance, I sometimes see that one is
>> unable to use the handwriting feature to input text into a form within
>> an application ... the developer has unknowningly done something that
>> has broken the handwriting feature. (example of breaking a feature
>> within the OS).
>> (I had referenced the S508 paragraph in a CSUN presentation:
>> http://www.mindoversight.com/csun/2016/slide8-0.html)
>>
>> Thanks and best wishes,
>> On 7/3/17, Herin Hentry <herinhentry@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Hi Corey and Kiran,
>> >
>> > WCAG also mentions another failure. F73: Failure of Success Criterion
>> 1.4.1
>> > due to creating links that are not visually evident without color
>> vision.
>> >
>> > https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html
>> >
>> > There is also a note as Note: If the visual cue is only provided on
>> hover,
>> > it would still fail.
>> >
>> > Underline or Bold is the preferred visual clue.
>> >
>> > 2 techniques related to this are:
>> >
>> >    - G182: Ensuring that additional visual cues are available when text
>> >    color differences are used to convey information
>> >    <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G182.html>
>> >    - G183: Using a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding text and
>> >    providing additional visual cues on focus for links or controls where
>> > color
>> >    alone is used to identify them
>> >    <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html>
>> >
>> > Thanks to Patrick for the example link. It's a clear failure case.
>> >
>> > Thanks and Regards,
>> > Herin
>> >
>> > On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 8:43 AM, Corey Collins <ccollins@usc.edu.au>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi Kiran
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> My understanding, and I am happy to be corrected, is if you have
>> >> sufficient contrast between your link colour and your background colour
>> >> (Success Criterion 1.4.3 and 1.4.6), plus sufficient contrast between
>> >> your
>> >> body text and link text colour (3:1), you can provide a link with no
>> >> underline as long as there is an additional differentiation (underline)
>> >> when the link receives hover/focus.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Further detail: G183: Using a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding
>> text
>> >> and providing additional visual cues on focus for links or controls
>> where
>> >> color alone is used to identify them
>> >> <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html>
>> >>
>> >> Examples
>> >>
>> >> *Example 1: Colors that would provide 3:1 contrast with black words and
>> >> 4.5:1 contrast with a white background*
>> >>
>> >> Refer to *Links with a 3:1 contrast ratio with surrounding text
>> >> <https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/Techniques/working-examples/
>> G183/link-contrast.html>*
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> If in doubt, the preferred technique is to use underlines for links.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I’m not a fan of links with no underline in content but I have had an
>> >> example at work, which I believe I could not fail and as a result,
>> could
>> >> not change the business owner’s decision. I’ll persist for a change
>> >> anyway
>> >> ☺
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hope that helps.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Thanks
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *Corey Collins*
>> >> Web Accessibility Specialist
>> >>
>> >> Student Services and Engagement
>> >> USC
>> >>
>> >> Ph +61 7 5456 5383 <+61%207%205456%205383> <+61%207%205456%205383>
>> >> ccollins@usc.edu.au
>> >> usc.edu.au <http://www.usc.edu.au/>
>> >>
>> >> University of the Sunshine Coast CRICOS Provider No. 01595D
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *From: *Kiran <kiranph@gmail.com>
>> >> *Date: *Saturday, 1 July 2017 at 4:46 am
>> >> *To: *w3c WAI List <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> >> *Subject: *Are links should underline all the time?
>> >> *Resent-From: *<w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> >> *Resent-Date: *Saturday, 1 July 2017 at 4:47 am
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hey All,
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I need expert advice in learning and more clarifying the concept of
>> WCAG
>> >> 1.4.1 Link treatment.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> As per https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html , if links do not
>> have
>> >> underline or other visual cues will it be a failure?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> so If I have added a link in the paragraph where body text is black
>> while
>> >> the link within this paragraph is blue ( enough CCR), will that be a
>> >> failure to WCAG 1.4.1 if I don't provide underline to this link?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> So does that mean, links should always be underlined in a paragraph or
>> in
>> >> a sentence?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I was under the assumption that if links have a different color, plus
>> it
>> >> shows underline(or any visual clue) on hover/focus, should be okay and
>> >> passes WCAG 1.4.1.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I appreciate your opinion in clearing my confusion on this.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Thank you.
>> >>
>> >> USC, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558 Australia.
>> >> CRICOS Provider No: 01595D
>> >> Please consider the environment before printing this email.
>> >> This email is confidential. If received in error, please delete it from
>> >> your system.
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sailesh Panchang
>> Principal Accessibility Consultant
>> Deque Systems Inc
>> Phone 703-225-0380 ext 105 <(703)%20225-0380>
>> Mobile: 571-344-1765 <(571)%20344-1765>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Andrew Cunningham
> andj.cunningham@gmail.com
>
>