Isn't X-Link where the Fat Links infrastructure belongs?

Note:

I am asking the WAI-PF to consider this matter because X-Link is in
Candidate Recommendation status.

However, the format requirements involve the expertise of GL and UA groups.

GL is involved because the proposal would give authors the option to frame
their links in fully descriptive text, and no longer require them to have
the sensitive text range itself be complete documentation of the action
opportunity.

UA is involved because this adds work to the client software -- to give the
user the option to play out the link's immediate logical context and not
just what is inside the link.

The basic proposition is to resurrect "click here" links by having a
defined context for all links that should be included when a link is read
out of context.  This would apply to audio out and to lists of links.

It can default to some rule in terms of the parse tree.  like the next
container up.  Assistive technology would have the option, of course, of
grabbing the largest subtree in which this is the only link.  But we need
something like html:td.headers or html:label to identify how much of the
context is actually defining the link beyond what immediately is
click-sensitive, and in lists there should be an html:axes equivalent to
link back through the list headers if the type information given there is
material.

But there should be something like html:label for links that allows for
explicit marking of the link context or framing text around the hotspot
itself.

And the place for this is in the linking spec., not the HTML spec.

Al

Received on Thursday, 6 July 2000 15:32:41 UTC