Re: longdesc - beside the box

Benjamin Hawkes-Lewis, Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:30:56 +0100:
> On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 6:52 AM, Leif Halvard Silli:
>> Jonas asked for thinking outside the box. I note:
>> 
>> * We want images with longdesc link to be keyboard focusable.
>> * There is an idea that it img is not the only elements that could need
>> a long desc link.
>> 
>> So what about a global attribute which can point to a anchor element
>> that acts as description link?
> 
> You could get similar benefits by reusing "longdesc":
> 
>    1. Suggesting interactive UAs make elements with "longdesc" focusable.
>    2. Suggesting interactive UAs provide a mode in which elements with
> "longdesc" are indicated.
>    3. Allowing "longdesc" on other elements that you want to allow to
> have long descriptions.

I agree.

> As with your proposed attribute, you could easily have a visible link
> that also points to the long description.

One could indeed have the same URL in the longdesc attributed as in a 
visible link somewhere else on the page. But then, if you update the 
one URL, you must also remember to update the other URL.

The attribute I suggest would, instead, allow you to reuse that visible 
link as a longdesc link. This is the same advantage that image maps was 
meant to have, but which HTML5 has dropped.

I imagine that if you do this:

<img describedby=link alt=Diagra, src=diagram >
... snipping over some code ...
<p>The diagram has an <a id=link href=expl >explanation</a>.

Then, when the focus is on the image, and the link is presented as 
description link for the image, then the link text could be ignored in 
favour of a universal "Long description link" announcement - at least, 
that is how @longdesc works.

> By allowing your proposed attribute to point to invisible links
> without link text, I think you open it to the same problems of hidden
> metadata as "longdesc".

One advantage is that authors are already familiar with links. It is 
also easy to visualize the empty link - some simple CSS is all it takes.

> It's not clear to me how your proposal would be more palatable to the
> WG than reinstating "longdesc".

This could be. Depends on that vendors think.
-- 
leif halvard silli

Received on Monday, 25 April 2011 21:51:13 UTC