RE: "tool tip" - alternate use of ALT

Jaap,
We put in the ALT ToolTip into IE3 to raise the "visibility" of the
importance of the attribute.  With IE4, we use the TITLE attribute if both
ALT and TITLE exist on the same element and ALT if TITLE is not present.

Using Active Accessibility, the same information is formatted into the Name
and Description properties of the MSAA interface.  Of course, the
information is also available through the Dynamic HTML object model.
-Chuck

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Jaap.van.Lelieveld@inter.NL.net
> [SMTP:Jaap.van.Lelieveld@inter.NL.net]
> Sent:	Saturday, October 18, 1997 12:10 PM
> To:	w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Subject:	"tool tip" - alternate use of ALT
> 
> Dear IPO/WAI working group members
> 
> I found out about something yesterday which I would like to share with
> you to ask for you comment:
> 
> In today's browsers the use of the so called "tool tip" is introduced.
> This is a a text that pops up as soon as your mouse pointer 'hits' an
> object e.g. an image. The Alt text attribute is used to store the
> text shown to you. This means several things:
> - This problem already exists for HTML 3.2 and currently
>   available browsers use it.
> - There is another reason for designers to use ALT texts.
>   This reason might easily conflict with the use of ALT text as
>   used in ALTernative ways of reading HTML.
> - The argument ALT text can so serve to targets does not work 
>   since designers will ONLY serve and follow their main group of
>   potential users and use local guidelines for the contents
>   of the text in the ALT-attribute.
> 
> What is your opinion on this as far as both HTML 3.2 and HTML 4.0 are
> concerned?
> 
> Best regards,
> Jaap
> 
> Message from: Jaap van Lelieveld      The Netherlands
>               Chairman of EBU commission on Technical Devices and Services
> E-mail:       Jaap.van.Lelieveld@inter.nl.net
> 
> USING: YARN V0.92 as an offline reader, and
>        UQWK / OLMENU under UNIX for mail and news transfer

Received on Tuesday, 21 October 1997 15:40:07 UTC