- From: Charles (Chuck) Oppermann <chuckop@MICROSOFT.com>
- Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 17:39:39 -0800
- To: HTML Guidelines Working Group <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
I strongly disagree with this interpretation of ALT. Every book I have on HTML specifies that ALT is a description of the image. The HTML 4.0 specification says that TITLE is "advisory information." Are we now reversing that? Are we going to say "Use TITLE as functional information EXCEPT when there is a image and then use it as a description of the image?" So for a textual link it would go like this: <HTML> <A HREF=homepage.htm TITLE="enter my home page"> Click here </A> </HTML> but for a image link it would be: <HTML> <A HREF=homepage.htm TITLE="enter my home page"> <IMG SRC="globle.gif" TITLE="picture of the world" ALT="enter my home page"> </A> </HTML> That's making exceptions in the meaning of TITLE. In my view it should be: <HTML> <A HREF=homepage.htm TITLE="enter my home page"> <IMG SRC="globle.gif" ALT="picture of the world"> </A> </HTML> I look at the above examples and think it's clear why there is a separation between ALT and TITLE. For starters, in this case, the image *object* has no functional meaning. It's the anchor surrounding it which gives it functional meaning and as such the TITLE indicates that. Just like it would for non-image links. The whole reason TITLE was invented was to supplement existing attributes, not to replace them. Changing the meaning of ALT now is likely to kill the gains we've made in getting it accepted. -----Original Message----- From: Jason White [mailto:jasonw@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU] Sent: Thursday, February 05, 1998 5:02 PM To: HTML Guidelines Working Group Subject: RE: ALT text I agree with Liam's interpretation. To simplify the matter, I would suggest that the TITLE attribute should not be used in connection with IMG. Use ALT to provide a genuine substitute for the image which conveys the informational content of the image, or, if associated with a long description, gives it an identifying label so that the reader can decide whether to access the resource referred to by the LONGDESC attribute. TITLE on anchor elements is perfectly acceptable, and indeed the HTML 4.0 specification clearly demarcates its role as providing the title of the resource to which the link refers. It is an "advisory" title in the sense that it is displayed prior to the actual retrieval of the information designated by the link.
Received on Thursday, 5 February 1998 20:41:56 UTC