This is a test page to show the alt text issues. Issues are listed at bottom and examples at top for convenience.

Different conditions are shown for information

Example #2 is the most important issue though 2, 3, and 4 are all >problems

 
 


 

ALT="1 = NO Width or Height and a relatively long alt text."
BORDER=0
 

1 = NO >Width or Height and a relatively long alt text.ALIGN=CENTER>
 
This one is fine. No problem
 


 

ALT="2 = Normal length alt text "
BORDER=0 HEIGHT=150 WIDTH=150

 2 = >Normal length alt textALIGN=CENTER>
This is a problem.  Alt text is not shown at all.  Should at least show what it can.  Ideally should word wrap or change width to accomodate Alt Text.
 


 
 

ALT="3 = Normal length alt text"
BORDER=0 HEIGHT=6 WIDTH=600

 3 >= Normal length alt textALIGN=CENTER>
 
 
This is a problem.  Should adjust height to accomodate Alt >Text.

 


 
 
 

ALT="4 = NO Width or Height and a very long alt text. This is >longer than you would usually find but is provided here to show the >behavior.  It is very very  long since you may be looking at this on a very >e program.  I have not checked any other versions.
 

ALT TEXT APPEARING OR NOT IN A DOCUMENT

  1. Alt text DOES appear if you either a) don’t have any Height and Width >set for an image or b)  the Height and Width are large enough to >include the ENTIRE alt text.
  2. If you DO set the Height and Width and the Width you set is not big >enough to hold the ENTIRE alt text,  then NONE of the alt text is >displayed.
  3. The alt text DOES NOT WRAP so that you must have enough room for the >ENTIRE length of the alt text to appear in the WIDTH setting.   (You must also have the HEIGHT setting large enough for the height of the >text… but not usually a problem except for graphic lines)
  4. There are also circumstances where all the alt text disappears from the Edit View but if I close the view and reopen it the alt text returns so that doesn’t seem to be a real problem..  just a bug.
Note:  In all these circumstances, the alt text still appears as a tooltip which pops up when you point to a graphic.
 

 

MOVING OF THE ALT TEXT TO A LOWER LEVEL IN THE IMAGE PROPERTIES

The place that calls for ALT TEXT for a graphic used to be at the >highest level of the image properties dialog box, right next to the >path.    It has now been moved to a button at the bottom of the properties dialog box that is labeled "Alt Text / Low Res…"   It therefore >takes more time to use and is less obvious that it should be filled out. (At first I couldn’t find it because I was looking for it in the dialog >itself and then I went looking for it under the tabs at the top.) It would be MUCH better if it was on the top level so that it was convenient and >looked like an important part of the image specification rather than an >optional specification.

 It would be EVEN BETTER if it prompted for the alt text… >though it should not require it I don’t think (there may be places where it >is not appropriate and situations where someone else will do the alt >text).  There are already prompts for other things like image files that aren't found at the specified location and they are easy to dismiss.
 
 

 Two Other Notes On ALT TEXT

 
While on the topic of ALT TEXT   here are two other notes regarding alt text.

1) UNDERLINE ALT TEXT IF IT IS A LINK
If the alt text is on an image that is a link the alt text SHOULD BE UNDERLINED
If the alt text is on an image that is NOT a link - is should appear as it does now. (not underlined)
 

2)  WHEN YOU TURN OFF IMAGES THEY SHOULD NOT APPEAR EVEN IF THEY ARE IN THE CACHE.
The Alt text should appear instead.  This makes it much easier for webmasters and others to check their web pages to see if and how >well the ALT TEXT appears.