RE: [check 7] ALT text can't be empty (null or all spaces) if image is used as an anchor

The technique  may be :
if the image has information and message that is not in the linked text
-that should be alt text of the image

I do not think it is an automated check  (except that we are looking
into incorporating character recognition for V@ of SWAP - maybe we will
get it automated after all :)

All the best
Lisa Seeman
 
Visit us at the UB Access website
UB Access - Moving internet accessibility
 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: w3c-wai-er-ig-request@w3.org 
> [mailto:w3c-wai-er-ig-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Chris Ridpath
> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:51 PM
> To: Michael Cooper; w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org
> Subject: Re: [check 7] ALT text can't be empty (null or all 
> spaces) if image is used as an anchor
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the update. Sounds like this requirement should 
> appear in the next draft.
> 
> This has got me thinking that check #7 [1] is not quite 
> right. What we really want is simply that an anchor must 
> contain some text. An image used in an anchor can have empty 
> ALT text as long as there is a text equivalent somewhere 
> (ALT, TITLE or link text).
> 
> The different placements of text have different meaning, 
> semantically and in terms of specification purpose. But does 
> this make much of a practical difference to the user? If link 
> text is present, do we need another check to make sure it's 
> put in the proper place?
> 
> [1] http://checker.atrc.utoronto.ca/servlet/ShowCheck?check=7&lang=eng
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Cooper" <michaelc@watchfire.com>
> To: <w3c-wai-er-ig@w3.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 5:03 PM
> Subject: RE: [check 7] ALT text can't be empty (null or all 
> spaces) if ima ge is used as an anchor
> 
> 
> >
> > I think you've got your finger on a problem with the techniques and 
> > guidelines. The HTML techniques provide a few techniques designed to
> prevent
> > null link text, but none of them say in so many words that's the
> objective.
> > I think we decided to move some of that to the Gateway techniques, 
> > which would describe the general case of hyperlinks independent of 
> > technology.
> But
> > that isn't in the current draft of the Gateway either. Also, when we
> mapped
> > HTML techniques to WCAG 2.0 I think link text was one of the holes, 
> > where
> it
> > didn't seem the guidelines spoke clearly enough about.
> >
> > My personal perspective is that hyperlinks should never 
> have null link
> text.
> > How you achieve the link text, from text or image alt text 
> inside the
> link,
> > doesn't matter, but it needs to be present. There should be a 
> > guideline
> that
> > says so in so many words (along with forbidding meaningless link 
> > text).
> The
> > Gateway techniques would probably expound on that, and the HTML 
> > techniques would cover the cases Chris has been describing 
> - various 
> > combinations of images (with and without alt text) and text inside 
> > links.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

Received on Wednesday, 31 March 2004 08:20:32 UTC