Techniques Baseline Exercise - HTML

Baseline assignments:

Enter in the Status column the category to which each technique belongs for your baseline. Categories are:

Enter any additional comments in the Comments column.

Num Technique SC Base Graphical Future
Status Comments Status Comments Status Comments
1.1 Use the !doctype statement to define the HTML or XHTML version of your document. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1  
S*
   * There are a number of techniques "do's and don'ts" that relate to following spec. Have identified them as sufficient followed by an asterisk, realizing that they are part of a group of related techniques that would be part of correctly implementing spec.  S   S  
1.2 Use the title element to describe the document. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1
S*
 also maps to 2.4 L3 SC4  S   S  
1.3 Use the address element to define a page's author. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1  
O
weak mapping - knowing page author information is not a functional req. in guidelines. should we remove this technique?  S   O  
2.1 Do not create a timed redirect. GL 2.2 Level 1 SC 1  
S
 recc. should be to use server-side  S#  likely will be combined with HTTP techs (if/when we have them)
 O Presuming UAs can override redirects
2.2 Do not cause a page to refresh automatically. GL 2.2 Level 1 SC 1  
S
   S   O Presuming UAs can override refresh
2.3 Provide a site map and a description of accessibility features of the site. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 1  
O
 weak mapping - technique is about sitemaps and SC is more granular  S   S  
3.1 Use HTML header elements h1 through h6 to define the structure of the document. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 S? 
This would not, by itself be enough for conformance to this criterion. Mapping should also point to 2.4 L2 SC1, which is a criterion that this technique would be sufficient for assuming that the document had 5 or more headings.  S   S  
3.2 Do not user headers solely for visual effects. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1  S
this type of technique (don't do X) doesn't fit this model real well - falls into the category of "things authors can do to fail."  S#  use with CSS font techs CSS fonts S  
4.1 Use the lang attribute of the html element to define the document's language. GL 3.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S  
4.2 Use the lang attribute to identify changes in the natural language. GL 3.1 Level 2 SC 3 S 
   S   S  
5.1 Use the strong and em elements, rather than b and i, to denote emphasis. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 2 S* 
   S   S People will debate if this should be optional
5.2 Use the abbr element to expand abbreviations where they first occur. GL 3.1 Level 1 SC 2 O/S 
Optional if they are expanded in text. Would be sufficient if well supported.  S   S I stand by my recommendation that it's only sufficient if all instances are marked.
5.3 Use the acronym element to expand acronyms where they first occur. GL 3.1 Level 1 SC 2 O/S 
 Optional if they are expanded in text. Would be sufficient if well supported.  S   S I stand by my recommendation that it's only sufficient if all instances are marked.
5.5 Do not create scrolling text with the marquee element. GL 2.2 Level 2 SC 2 , GL 4.1 Level 3 SC 1 S* 
 Assuming HTML 4 in reference to GL 4.1  S  alternative is to use JavaScript
S#  
5.6 Use the q element to mark up short inline quotations. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
A good idea, but almost universally not supported.  O  since it is marked as future
 S  
5.7 Use the blockquote element to mark up block quotations. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 S* 
   S   S  
5.8 Do not use the blockquote element for formatting effects such as indentation. GL 4.1 Level 3 SC 1 S* 
   S  alternative is to use CSS 9.3 Indenting text S  
5.9 Use the title attribute where appropriate. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
In this baseline (and others), authors can not rely on end users ability to access values of this attribute. @@ mapping should point to 4.1.  S  UA issues
 S#  
5.10 Use the span element with the title attribute to provide generic meaning cues. GL 3.1 Level 2 SC 1 Level 2 SC 2 Level 3 SC 1  O
see 5.10 comments above  S   S#  
5.11 Use structural markup instead of presentational markup, and use CSS for presentation. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1  O
   S#  use with CSS
 S  
5.12 If you must use HTML elements to control font information, use big and small, which are not deprecated. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1  S*
   S  I considered this as an  NR but felt that we can't force CSS
 NR In the perfect world, you do all presentation with CSS
5.13 Use structural elements as needed. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
very few of the elements listed here are well supported  S   S  
5.14 Ensure that color contrast is sufficient. GL 1.4 Level 2 SC 1 S 
   S   S General technique
5.15 Use relative size instead of absolute. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 ? 
Not enough info in technique. Use of relative vs. absolute units will vary by type of content.  S  UA issues
 O Assume UA can scale
6.1 Format ordered lists so their items can be followed logically. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 S* 
   S   NR This is a long-dead repair technique
6.2 Do not use list elements for presentational effects. GL 4.1 Level 3 SC 1 S* 
   S   S#  
7.1 Use the caption element to describe the nature of data tables. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
7.2 Use the summary attribute to describe the purpose and structure of data tables. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
7.3 Use the abbr attribute on th elements to provide terse substitutes for header labels. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
7.4 Use thead to group repeated table headers, tfoot for repeated table footers, and tbody for other groups of rows. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S  technique itself if marked optional
 S  
7.5 Use the colgroup and col elements to group columns. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S  technique itself is marked optional
 S  
7.6 Use the scope attribute to specify the set of data cells for which each header cell provides header information. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1

O

(S = 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.8)  

 note: (S = 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.8) indicates that one of these three would be sufficient. UA support info on these techniques should incidate which is best supported.  S   S  
7.7 Use the headers attribute on each data cell to associate a list of header cells that provide header information. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1

O

(S = 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.8)

   S
   S  
7.8 Use the axis attribute to place a cell into a conceptual category. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1

O

(S = 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.8)

 
   S   S  
7.9 Do not use the pre element to create tabular layout. GL 4.1 Level 3 SC 1 S* 
   S   S  
7.10 Use the th element to indicate which cells in data tables contain header information. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 S* 
   S   S  
8.1 Avoid layout tables. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
8.2 Only use the td, table, and tr elements and the border, cellspacing, and cellpadding attributes in layout tables. Do not use th, tbody, caption, colgroup, tfoot, and thead in layout tables. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1 S* 
   NR  could argue as S or O since layout tables are not banned outright
 S  
8.3 If the summary is used on a layout tables, the value must be null (summary="). GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   NR  could argue as S or O since layout tables are not banned outright S#  
8.4 Create a logical reading order of cells in layout tables. Instead of providing a linear text alternative, ensure that the table can be linearized. GL 2.4 Level 3 SC 1 S 
   NR  could argue as S or O since layout tables are not banned outright S  
9.1 Provide useful link text. GL 3.1 Level 3 SC 2  S
   S  
 S  
9.2 Where appropriate, use the title attribute of the a element to clarify links. GL 3.2 Level 2 SC 6 O 
 conditional content issue  S   S#  
9.5 Group links structurally and identify the group with the title attribute. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 3 O 
 related to CG thread on recc. way to identify navbars.  S   S  
9.6 Use the HTML 4.01 tabindex attribute to allow users to jump to an anchor after the set of navigation links. This attribute is not yet widely supported. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 3 NR 
UA issues confound this technique in many places.  S  UA support issues
 O  
9.7 Include a link that allows users to skip over grouped links. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 3 S 
   S#  can style it for keyboard users using CSS
 O  
9.8 Provide a style sheet that allows users to hide the set of navigation links. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 3 O 
   S#   O  
9.9 Use the accesskey attribute of navigational elements to allow rapid keyboard access. GL 2.1 Level 1 SC 1 NR 
problematic UA support  O  UA support issues
 S  
9.11 Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user. GL 3.2 Level 2 SC 4 S 
   S   O  
9.12 Use the target attribute to open new windows, not scripts. GL 3.2 Level 1 SC 1  S
   O  as long as user is notified of new window
 O  
10.1 Use the alt attribute of the img element to provide a text alternative for images. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 5 S 
   S   S  
10.2 Use null alternative text for decorative or spacer images. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S Unsure if in the perfect world these images do not exist, or do not need to be marked
10.3 Do not use alt for any purpose other than to provide a meaningful text alternative. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1  S*
   S   S  
10.4 Use the body of the object element to provide a text alternative for image objects. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 NR 
Support for accessing alternatives in this case is very limited.  S  UA issues
S  
10.5 Provide text alternatives for object elements in the page. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 S 
   O  assuming full support for <object>
 O  
10.6 For images using the img element, describe detailed information in a separate file, and use the longdesc attribute to direct users to that file. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 3 Level 1 SC 5 ? 
 If targetting older UA and AT, this would be NR. Not clear whether this should be in addition to 10.8 or instead of.  S  still UA issues?
 O Optional in the optional sense, not in the don't bother sense as most of my optionals are
10.7 For images using the object element, describe detailed information in the body of the tag, providing links to other content where appropriate. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 3 Level 1 SC 5 NR 
   S   S  
10.9 Describe images in document text as needed. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 3 S 
   S   O  
10.10 Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art. GL 2.4 Level 2 SC 3 S 
   S   O Unsure if ASCII art would exist, or if grouping makes it skippable
10.11 Use emoticons and other ASCII symbols judiciously. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
10.12 Use HTML-structured text plus CSS to achieve styled text, not text in images. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 5 , GL 1.4 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S#  use with CSS
 S  
10.13 Do not use background images. GL 1.4 Level 3 SC 1 S 
while not using background images would be sufficient, in some cases it may be overkill as there may be cases where background images don't create the issue described in the SC  S  I would have marked as NR since can use CSS except that this is a negative technique
O  
11.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 , GL 2.1 Level 1 SC 1 , GL 3.2 Level 2 SC 6 S 
@@ technique needs example that describes how this would address each of the criterion included in the mapping.  S   S  
11.4 Provide alternative text for the area element. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 , GL 3.2 Level 2 SC 6 S 
   S   S  
12.1 Wherever possible, use markup rather than images to convey information. GL 4.2 Level 1 SC 1 , GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 NR 
 For this baseline, support for MathML, TeX, SVG, etc. is not likely.  S# use with CSS
S  
12.2 Ensure that pages are usable when programmatic objects are disabled. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O   O  
12.3 Create text alternatives for programmatic objects that actually work. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
@@ needs work - similar to 1.5 and 10.8.

in HTML-only baseline, this one

 O
   O  
12.4 Provide a text alternative inside the object element. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 3 Level 1 SC 2 Level 1 SC 5 O 
Not clear whether we want to say "it isn't supported today, so don't bother" or "do what the specs say, it should work" - Technique overlaps with 10.4. S 
  still a good practice
 O  
12.5 Provide alternative content inside the applet element. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 2 O 
 recc. 12.3 instead or in addition  S  considered O
O  
12.6 Use the alt attribute to label an applet. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 O 
 recc. 12.3 instead or in addition  S   O  
12.7 Provide alternative content for embed with noembed. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
 recc. 12.3 instead or in addition  S  considered O
 O  
12.8 Provide alt for embed. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 O 
 recc. 12.3 instead or in addition  S   O  
12.9 Use the embed element within the object element for backward compatibility. GL 4.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   O  
12.10 Provide a link to download accessible plugin viewers GL 4.2 Level 1 SC 1 S 
 @@ tech. needs to reflect "if inaccessable plug-ins are avail."  S   O  
13.1 Use CSS, not HTML, to style documents. GL 1.3 Level 1 SC 1 O 
 for this baseline some CSS may be appropriate in that it enhances experience for parts of audience, but not for others.  S#  use with CSS
 S  
14.1 Use the title attribute of the frame element. GL 2.4 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S  
14.2 Provide a meaningful name to identify frames. GL 2.4 Level 1 SC 1 S
   S   O  
14.3 Using the longdesc attribute of the frame element, describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone. GL 2.4 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   O  UA issues
 O  
14.4 Use the noframes element to support user agents that don't support frames. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 S 
   O  assuming graphical baseline supports frames
 O  
14.5 Use only HTML documents as frame sources. GL 4.2 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O  tentative - assuming there are other ways to provide accessibility info
S Translate to "accessible documents"
14.7 Provide accessible alternative content for the iframe element. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 5 Level 1 SC 2 S 
   O  iframe is now well supported
 O  
14.8 Don't use longdesc on iframe. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 5 Level 1 SC 2 S 
   S   O  
15.1 Use the label element to associate form elements with their labels. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S
   S   S  
15.2 Do not use the label element implicitly. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S  
 O I don't like implicit labels but with UA support to spec they should be permitted
15.3 Use title to label form controls that can't be individually labeled. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S  
15.4 Use the fieldset and legend elements in HTML 4 to group form controls logically. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S#  use with CSS to style as desired although could be just S since CSS isn't required
 S This should be used when grouping logical
15.5 Use the optgroup to group options logically under the select element. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S This should be used when grouping logical
15.6 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects. GL 2.4 Level 3 SC 1 NR 
preference is to create the content so that default tab order is understandable - tabindex has multiple UA issues  S   S  
15.7 Provide a text alternative for images used as "submit" buttons. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 Level 1 SC 5 S 
   S   O  
15.8 Label tabular form elements with title when a unique form label is not possible. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   S   S Duplicate of 15.3?
16.1 Use noscript when using script. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O   O  
16.2 Do not use the javascript URL protocol. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O   O Still good practice but optional if script supported
16.3 Do not require script support to submit forms GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O   O Still good practice but optional if script supported
16.4 ??? GL 2.1 Level 1 SC 1 NR 
   S  I think?
 S  
16.5 When device dependent event handlers are used, provide another device-dependent fallback. GL 2.1 Level 2 SC 1 S 
   S   S  
16.6 Use abstract, not device-specific, event handlers. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S
   S   S  
16.7 Do not use auto submit combo boxes. GL 3.2 Level 2 SC 3 S 
   O  with caveats - auto submit it not good but onchange can be used within the page safely
 O  
1.2 Make plugin content directly accessible. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 O 
   S   S  
1.3 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. GL 2.4 Level 3 SC 1 S 
   O  considered S since this is still good practice
 O I guess technically this is optional is assume CSS support but it pretty much makes basic sense still
1.4 Ensure labels for form controls are properly positioned. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 S 
   O  most graphical UA handle any placement when id and for attributes are used
 O  
1.5 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas. GL 1.1 Level 1 SC 1 NR 
 depends on audience, but UA issues cause contradictory advice about this depending on which UA is in use.  NR   S The deprecated status of this technique is what is sufficient