Re: imagemaps

On Wed, 14 Mar 2001, Kynn Bartlett wrote:

  At 09:03 AM 3/14/2001 , Josh Krieger wrote:
  >Just going through the techniques doc for WCAG 1.0. I'm surprised at the
  >following flub. When these techniques make their way into the HTML specific
  >techniques, 7.4.4 should be removed as it contradicts 7.4.3.

  >7.4.3 Client-side versus server-side image maps
  >Checkpoints in this section:
  >    9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps
  >except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric
  >shape. [Priority 1]
  >7.4.4 Server-side image maps
  >Checkpoints in this section:
  >    1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side
  >image map. [Priority 1]

  Can you explain how they contradict each other?

Hmmm. Seems more like 7.4.4 is redundant with 7.4.3 - if we had a single set
of techniques for imagemaps it would say "where possible use client-side not
server side - P1", and "provide redundant text links - P1 for server side
maps, P3 for client-side" (or whatever it is).

As an additional technique for dealing with image maps in general, providing
a form-based way of doing the same thing is useful. For example as well as
selecting a region from a map, being able to select it by name from a form.

For example a map of Australia may have hotspots for each state. As a textual
alternative, the following code ould be added:

<form method="get" action="http://example.org/getAPage">

 <p>Select a state from the map, or choose from the menu
  list<noscript>&nbsp;and select "go"</noscript></p>

 <script language="javascript">
  document.write('<p><strong>Warning</strong>If you are automatically ');
  document.write('directed to the <abbr title="Australian Capital Territory">');
  document.write('ACT</abbr> when you try to select a state, try turning ');
  document.write('off script support, or reading your user manual to find ');
  document.write('an alternative method of selecting from a menu, or get a ');
  document.write('better browsing solution.');
 </script>

<!-- this is the original map... -->
 <p> <img src="ozmap.png" alt="Australia - select a state" usemap="#ozmap"/>
     <select name="state" onchange="javascript:do.the.nav.thing()">
       <option selected="selected" value="null">Select a State</option>
       <option value="act">ACT</option>
       <option value="nsw">New South Wales</option>
       <option value="qld">Queensland</option>
       <option value="sa">South Australia</option>
       <option value="tas">Tasmania</option>
       <option value="vic">Victoria</option>
       <option value="wa">West Australia</option>
     </select>

  <input type="submit" value="go there" />
 </p>

</form>

--end example

A live example that does something like this was available at the SNCF
(French National Railways) site at
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/hs_reservation?url_action=choix_horaires_seuls_reservation&langue=FR
as of 12 March 2001.

Charles

Received on Wednesday, 14 March 2001 13:17:47 UTC