Re: remembering ALTs that go with [SRC] URLs

In the A-Prompt program, the Alt text database is used to aid the author of
the HTML document. I think it has several uses:

1) it can save keystrokes entering the alt text
2) it could make alt text more consistent
3) LONG DESC files are also associated with the object and alt text so they
will be used more consistently

Chris


-----Original Message-----
From: David Clark <dmclark@cast.org>
To: asgilman@access.digex.net <asgilman@access.digex.net>
Cc: w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org <w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org>
Date: December 14, 1998 9:48 AM
Subject: RE: remembering ALTs that go with [SRC] URLs


>
>I  tend to agree,(I think). But I need to clarify:
>
>Is this "database" to aid the author, or to aid the user? If it is to aid
>the aid,, I see no reason why one ALT cannot be the "default" value, but
>editable, in the next encounter of an image.
>
>I must sway that I still have problems with the practicality/usefulness of
>such a repository on the user side.
>
>David Clark
>CAST, Inc.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: w3c-wai-er-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-er-ig-request@w3.org] On
>Behalf Of asgilman@access.digex.net
>Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 8:33 PM
>To: w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org
>Subject: remembering ALTs that go with [SRC] URLs
>
>I want to get back to one point that came up in the phone call and I don't
>know if it was a consensus or not.
>
>Both the A-prompt and ALTifier have been assuming that it is enough to
>remember one ALT to go with an image SRC URL.  And I said that this
>is a problem and Daniel explained a bit.
>
>Page-dependent "role" of the image apart, there are a variety of reasons
>why the tools must have a logical model that allows for different
>elements to use different ALTs with the same SRC value.
>
>Reason 1: language variation and localisation
>
>Reason 2: The basic principle is that the author needs to be in charge.
>Any time we succeed in getting an author to think through what they
>put in the ALT attribute, we do not want the tools interfering with
>what the author(s) of different pages decide.  There are lots of
>reasonable choices.  Surveying the site or the whole, World-Wide
>Web for what someone else has used is appropriate to generate a
>suggestion if the current author doesn't have a clue.  Not to override
>what the author wants to say.
>
>The practical upshot is that I believe you need a model of how ALT
>strings are remembered that is a little richer.  Just SRC and ALT
>values is not enough.  I actually suggest that you use an XML like
>format with start and stop tags and named fields for insurance.  Then
>it is easy to extend the schema without breaking old code.
>
><img-alt-use>
><img-src>[URI]</img-src>
><alt-text>[text]</alt-text>
><as-used-in>[URI]</as-used-in>
></img-alt-use>
>
>Al
>

Received on Monday, 14 December 1998 17:10:22 UTC