RE: FW: CHANGE PROPOSAL: Table Summary

An IMHO related - but more specific and simpler - concept, and one that 
@summary already is used for, is to give info about which column (or 
row) that constitutes the order of the table. That info also probably 
solves most of the orientation problem: A table ordered according to a 
column is expected to primarily be read row-by-row from top to bottom, 
while a table sorted according to a row is expected be read primarily 
column-by-column left to right. 

Method: @definesorder in <table> points to the idref of a column or row:

1)	<table definesorder="price">
	<col id="price" />

2)	<table definesorder="price">
	<tr id="price">

3)	When an UA announces that the price column defines the order, it 
should probably read the content of the "head cell" of that column 
(hopefully a <th> cell).

In addition to (or instead of?) <col>, one could permit pointing to 
cells inside the top row. (Because, unfortunately, <col> is sometimes 
complicated to use. It is also an optional feature.)

One could consider allowing @definesorder to point to a <tbody> or 
<colgroup>, for giving a weaker/broader info about how the table is 
ordered. I also wondered if @axis could have a role to play - as a 
name/title of the column/row that constitutes he order. 

@definesorder doesn't indicate any particular ordering - alphabetical, 
numerical or other. That info must be given another way.

Leif Halvard Silli

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:29:12 +0000, Cynthia Shelly wrote:
> Yes, very open to discussion on a future call.
> 
> The goal is to address some of the feedback on the main list that was 
> along the lines of "the AT can/should be able to figure that out from 
> the markup" and "what is supposed to be in a summary anyway?"  
> Orientation can't really be figured out from the markup right now, 
> and I agree that almost no one knows what should be in a summary.  
> There are a lot of different things put in there now, including some 
> things that probably could come from markup, and some things that 
> don't really fit with a layman's definition of the word "summary".  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshue O Connor

> I don't know if I am sold on the need for the orientation mechanism 
> (orientation="rows|cols" to orientation="horizontal|vertical"). Maybe 
> this is something that we could discuss on a future call?

Received on Monday, 23 November 2009 19:13:41 UTC