- From: Laura Carlson <laura.lee.carlson@gmail.com>
- Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:16:05 -0500
- To: public-html@w3.org
>From W3C WCAG 2.0 [1]: > H73: Using the summary attribute of the table element to give an > overview of data tables > > Description > > The objective of this technique is to provide a brief overview of how > a data table is organized or a brief explanation of how to navigate > the table. The summary attribute of the table element makes this > information available to people who use screen readers; the > information is not displayed visually. > > The summary is useful when the table has a complex structure (for > example, when there are several sets of row or column headers, or > when there are multiple groups of columns or rows). The summary may > also be helpful for simple data tables that contain many columns or > rows of data. > > The summary attribute may be used whether or not the table includes a > caption element. If both are used, the summary should not duplicate > the caption. > > Although WCAG 2 does not prohibit the use of layout tables, CSS-based > layouts are recommended in order to retain the defined semantic > meaning of the HTML table elements and to conform to the coding > practice of separating presentation from content. However, if a > layout table is used, then the summary attribute is not used or is > null. [LC-1407] The purpose of a layout table is simply to control > the placement of content; the table itself is "transparent" to the > user. A summary would "break" this transparency by calling attention > to the table. A null summary (summary="") on layout tables is > acceptable. [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/#H73 Best Regards, Laura -- Laura L. Carlson http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
Received on Monday, 18 June 2007 18:16:10 UTC