FRAME Techniques (was Re: Proposed techniques for Checkpoint 2.7)

aloha, jon!

as per your proposed techniques for Checkpoint 2.7, contained in a post
archived at:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/1999OctDec/0297.html
i would recommend splitting your proposed technique 2.7.3

quote
2.7.3. If no TITLE text is available for a FRAMESET element, render FRAME x
of y frames or use the TITLE information from the URL referenced by the
FRAMESET element
unquote

into several Techniques, to wit:

2.7.3.A. If no TITLE text is available for a FRAMESET element, use the
information contained in the TITLE element of the document or resource
referenced by the FRAMESET element to provide a TITLE for that FRAMESET
element.  If the resource referenced via a FRAMESET element does not
contain a TITLE, or if the TITLE element is empty, render "FRAME X of Y",
where "Y" indicates the total number of frames.

2.7.3.B. If the LONGDESC attribute, but not the TITLE attribute, has  been
defined for a FRAMESET element, use the information contained in the TITLE
element of the document or resource referenced by the LONGDESC to provide a
TITLE for the FRAME.  If the resource referenced via the LONGDESC attribute
does not contain a TITLE, or if the TITLE element is empty, render "FRAME X
of Y", where "Y" indicates the total number of frames.

2.7.3.C. If neither the TITLE nor the LONGDESC attributes have been defined
for a FRAMESET element, use the information contained in the TITLE element
of the document or resource referenced by each FRAMESET element to provide
a TITLE for each FRAME.  If the referenced resource does not contain a
TITLE, or if the TITLE element is empty, render "FRAME X of Y", where "Y"
indicates the total number of frames.

2.7.3.D. If a NAME, but no TITLE or LONGDESC, has been defined for a
FRAMESET element, use the information contained in the TITLE element of the
document or resource referenced by each FRAMESET element to provide a TITLE
for each FRAME.  If any of the referenced resources do not contain a TITLE,
or if the TITLE element is empty, render the content of the NAME attribute,
along with orientation information that conveys the number of frames
contained in each FRAMESET and the number of the FRAME with focus.  For
example, in a FRAMESET element for which the NAME attribute has been
defined as "nav", render:

	Frame name "nav" - Frame X of Y

where Y represents the total number of frames.  NOTE: The NAME attribute
should only be used if (a) the FRAMESET element lacks a TITLE or LONGDESC;
(b) the referenced resource either lacks a TITLE element or if the TITLE
element contained in the referenced resource is empty; AND (c) if the user
has configured the user agent to use the NAME attribute as alternative
content for FRAMESET elements.  If the user has configured the user agent
to ignore the NAME attribute, then the following technique should be
implemented.

2.7.3.E.  If no TITLE, LONGDESC, or NAME is defined for a FRAMESET element,
render "FRAME X of Y", where "Y" indicates the total number of frames

--- end proposed techniques, begin notes and comments

NOTE 1: i have included a technique to deal with the misuse of the NAME
attribute (at least in HTML4) because (at least currently) most authors of
framed sites use the NAME attribute, rather than the TITLE attribute when
defining frames.  perhaps a reference to the relevant Checkpoints and
Techniques that cover this issue in WCAG would also be appropriate if this
technique is included in the UAGL Techniques document.

NOTE 2: i have reordered the proposed techniques, so as to illustrate
best-to-worst case scenarios, as well as to emphasize the correct encoding
of FRAMESETs

NOTE 3: well, actually more a question for Jon than a note...  Jon, did you
intend the term "FRAMESET element" to cover not only the FRAMESET element
itself, but also all of the individual FRAME elements contained in the
FRAMESET?  that is my reading of your proposed techniques, and if, indeed,
my interpretation of the phrase "FRAMESET element" is correct, we might
want to hyperlink that phrase to a definition, in which it is explicitly
stated that by the use of the term "FRAMESET element" the document refers
to all of the elements defined by the HTML4 frameset.dtd

if i am incorrect, however, i will have to reword my proposed techniques to
make it explicit that what is meant is individual elements defined by the
HTML4 frameset DTD

NOTE 4: in reference to FRAMES, the WCAG Techniques document states:

quote
4.10.4 Always make the source of a frame an HTML document
   Checkpoints in this section: 6.2. 
Content developers must provide text equivalents of frames so that their
contents and the relationships between frames make sense. Note that as the
contents of a frame change, so must change any description. This is not
possible if an IMG is inserted directly into a frame. Thus, content
developers should always make the source ("src") of a frame an HTML file.
Images may be inserted into the HTML file and their text alternatives will
evolve correctly.
 
is this something that needs to be referenced in the UAGL Techniques
document, or should it be addressed in the ATAG Techniques document?

i raise the issue because i used the phrase "document or resource" in
several of my proposed techniques, since an author may use a FRAMESET
element (i.e. a FRAME element) to point to a SMIL document or an XML
document, and not only an HTML document...  of course, anyone who
references a naked image using a FRAME element should be keelhauled, but
that's another topic altogether!

gregory
--------------------------------------------------------
He that lives on Hope, dies farting
     -- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1763
--------------------------------------------------------
Gregory J. Rosmaita <unagi69@concentric.net>
   WebMaster and Minister of Propaganda, VICUG NYC
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Received on Wednesday, 17 November 1999 15:09:12 UTC