Re: providing a long description using the summary and details elements.

Laura Carlson, Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:43:29 -0500:

>>> Sidebar: Something to keep in mind for the examples is that charts and
>>> graphs are not usually interchangeable with data tables so they don't
>>> usually make good long descriptions.
>> 
>>   [ snip ]
>>> Joe Clark talked about this a few years ago in a WCAG comment. [1]
>>> WCAG revised their example after his comment to:
>>> 
>>> "A bar chart compares how many widgets were sold in June, July, and
>>> August. The short label says, "Figure one - Sales in June, July and
>>> August." The longer description identifies the type of chart, provides
>>> a high-level summary of the data, trends and implications comparable
>>> to those available from the chart. Where possible and practical, the
>>> actual data is provided in a table."
>> 
>> Doesn't seem sidebar to me ... Rather, it is material info and
>> justification for having a way to identify to a long description.
> 
> Yes it is very material to the longdesc function but a sidebar to
> Steve's  code example of basically:
> 
> <details>
> <summary>Image</summary>
> Long Description.
> </details>

What I meant was that if the definition of "Long Description" is what 
WCAG describes in the quote above, then Steve's code examples needs 
room for an optional table:

<details>
 <summary>Image</summary>
  Long Description.
  <table>
   <caption>Diagram as table</caption>
        [ snip ]
   </table>
</details>
 
> If that could work without a disclosure triangle or any visual
> indication of a long description being present and without any
> JavaScript or CSS hacka, it might work for an in-page longdesc.

Just wrap the <details/> inside an <object> element:

<object data="image" role="img">
  <details>
    <summary>Alt text equivalent</summary>
      Long Description.
    <table>
      <caption>Diagram as table</caption>
        [ snip ]
    </table>
  </details>
</object>

(Of course, that means that you have to battle a little bit with with 
legacy issues w.r.t. <object/>)

> But @longdesc already does that. And @longdesc does it out of page
> too. We need both.

+1
-- 
leif halvard silli

Received on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 19:07:02 UTC