hixie: Recommend just redesigning tables to not need explanations instead of including complicated descriptions. (whatwg r4019)

hixie: Recommend just redesigning tables to not need explanations
instead of including complicated descriptions. (whatwg r4019)

http://dev.w3.org/cvsweb/html5/spec/Overview.html?r1=1.3180&r2=1.3181&f=h
http://html5.org/tools/web-apps-tracker?from=4018&to=4019

===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/public/html5/spec/Overview.html,v
retrieving revision 1.3180
retrieving revision 1.3181
diff -u -d -r1.3180 -r1.3181
--- Overview.html 29 Sep 2009 01:05:34 -0000 1.3180
+++ Overview.html 29 Sep 2009 01:14:12 -0000 1.3181
@@ -24797,8 +24797,8 @@
      <tr><td headers="n r2"> Failing
       <th id="r2"> Grade
       <td> Passing
-   </table><p>...might benefit from a description explaining to the way the
-   table is laid out, something like "Characteristics are given in the
+   </table><p>...might benefit from a description explaining the way the table
+   is laid out, something like "Characteristics are given in the
    second column, with the negative side in the left column and the
    positive side in the right column".</p>
 
@@ -24949,7 +24949,34 @@
    </dd>
 
   </dl><p>Authors may also use other techniques, or combinations of the
-  above techniques, as appropriate.<p>The <dfn id="attr-table-summary" title="attr-table-summary"><code>summary</code></dfn>
+  above techniques, as appropriate.<p>The best option, of course, rather than writing a description
+  explaining the way the table is laid out, is to adjust the table
+  such that no explanation is needed.<div class="example">
+
+   <p>In the case of the table used in the examples above, a simple
+   rearrangement of the table so that the headers are on the top and
+   left sides removes the need for an explanation as well as removing
+   the need for the use of <code title="attr-tdth-headers"><a href="#attr-tdth-headers">headers</a></code> attributes:</p>
+
+   <pre>&lt;table&gt;
+ &lt;caption&gt;Characteristics with positive and negative sides&lt;/caption&gt;
+ &lt;thead&gt;
+  &lt;tr&gt;
+   &lt;th&gt; Characteristic
+   &lt;th&gt; Negative
+   &lt;th&gt; Positive
+ &lt;tbody&gt;
+  &lt;tr&gt;
+   &lt;th&gt; Mood
+   &lt;td&gt; Sad
+   &lt;td&gt; Happy
+  &lt;tr&gt;
+   &lt;th&gt; Grade
+   &lt;td&gt; Failing
+   &lt;td&gt; Passing
+&lt;/table&gt;</pre>
+
+  </div><p>The <dfn id="attr-table-summary" title="attr-table-summary"><code>summary</code></dfn>
   attribute on <code><a href="#the-table-element">table</a></code> elements was suggested in earlier
   versions of the language as a technique for providing explanatory
   text for complex tables for users of screen readers. One of the <a href="#table-descriptions">techniques</a> described <!--in the

Received on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 01:15:06 UTC