(Action) Issue 387: Proposed revision to checkpoint 8.4

Hello,

At the 28 November teleconference [1], I received
an action item to propose a new checkpoint 8.4 as part of
resolving issue 387 [2]. In the 29 December 2000 draft [3],
checkpoint 8.4 is:

<OLD>
8.4 Make available to the user an "outline" view of content, composed
of labels for important structural elements (e.g., heading text, table
titles, form titles, etc.). For discussion about what constitutes the
set of important structural elements, please refer to checkpoint
7.6. [Priority 2]

   Note: This checkpoint is meant to allow the user to simplify the
   view of content by hiding some content selectively. For example,
   for each frame in a frameset, provide a table of contents composed
   of headings (e.g., the H1 - H6 elements in HTML) where each entry
   in the table of contents links to the heading in the document. This
   checkpoint does not require that the outline view be navigable, but
   this is recommended; refer to checkpoint 7.6. For those elements
   that do not have associated text titles or labels, the user agent
   should generate a brief text label (e.g., from content, the element
   type, etc.).  
</OLD>

The reviewer's question was:

      "Does the current HTML/XML/? spec and language provide
      mechanisms authors can use (and UAs can refer to) to provide
      the information called for in this checkpoint or are they on
      their own to figure how they provide (author) and where to go
      to get this info (UA)? 

I suggest the following:

1) We define "label" to mean a short description of some other content.

2) We state that format specifications specify which elements or
attributes
   are labels. For instance, in HTML:
    a) CAPTION is a label for TABLE
    b) "title" is a label for many elements.
    c) H1-H6 are labels for content that follows
    d) LABEL is a label for form control
    e) LEGEND is a label for a set of form controls
    f) TH is a label for a row/column of cells
    g) TITLE is a label for the document.

3) We state that the outline be allowed to include non-text labels. 
   (Whether the rendered outline ultimately consists of text or non-text 
    may depend on user preferences.)

4) We do not require the user agent to generate labels (i.e.,
   if some content doesn't have a label per a format specification,
   then that content needn't have an entry in the outline view.

Here is the proposed checkpoint. This version also takes into
account resolutions related to issue 352 [4] (about improving
the cross-reference to checkpoint 7.6).

<NEW>
8.4 Make available to the user an "outline" view of content, composed
of labels for important structural elements (e.g., heading text, table
titles, form titles, etc.).

   Note: This checkpoint is meant to provide the user with a
   simplified view of content (e.g, a table of contents). What 
   constitutes a label is defined by a markup language specification.
   For example, in HTML, a heading (H1-H6) is a label for the section
   that follows it, a CAPTION is a label for a table, the "title"
   attribute is a label for its element, etc.
   A label is not required to be text only.
   For important elements that do not have associated labels,
   user agents may generate labels for the outline view. 
   For information about what constitutes the set of
   important structural elements, please refer to the Note following
   checkpoint 7.6. By making the
   outline view navigable, it is possible to satisfy this checkpoint
   and checkpoint 7.6 together: Allow users to navigate among the
   important elements of the outline view, and to navigate from a
   position in the outline view to the corresponding position in a
   full view of content.
</NEW>

Also, add to the techniques the list of HTML labels cited above.

 - Ian

[1]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/2000OctDec/0354.html
[2] http://server.rehab.uiuc.edu/ua-issues/issues-linear-lc2.html#387
[3] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/WD-UAAG10-20001229
[4] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2000/11/minutes-20001116#issue-352

-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                         +1 831 457-2842
Cell:                        +1 917 450-8783

Received on Saturday, 6 January 2001 13:45:36 UTC