RE: [#293] Summary for tables

I concur with John's statement that all tables should have summary tags.

Rationale:
1) It is much easier to test for the summary attribute than for the
machine to determine if the table is a layout table rather than a data
table.
2) Programmers will become acclimated to the requirement and will begin
to use it.
3) Null summaries will allow the programmer to use the summary without
the use of extraneous information on layout tables.
4) Data tables would become testable for a non-null summary upon the use
of header, scope, and axis.
5) A null summary would then expect to not see the use of header, scope,
and axis in the table coding.  Any use of header, scope, or axis with a
null summary would be easily identifiable as an error with machine
testers.

Lee


-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On
Behalf Of Michael Cooper
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 11:06 AM
To: WAI GL (E-mail)
Subject: [#293] Summary for tables



The old summary bugaboo. We need to resolve this in order to close the
table discussions. 

What should requirements be for "summary" attribute on data and layout
tables? Possible requirements are don't provide, provide null, provide a
genuine summary, or do whatever seems best for the situation. 

As a starting proposal I suggest that layout tables be required to have
no summary, and data tables be required to have a non-null summary. This
is by no means generally accepted and needs discussion.

Michael

Michael Cooper
Accessibility Project Manager
Watchfire
1 Hines Rd
Kanata, ON  K2K 3C7
Canada
+1 613 599 3888 x4019
http://bobby.watchfire.com/

Received on Friday, 6 June 2003 17:53:34 UTC