- From: Al Gilman <asgilman@access.digex.net>
- Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 08:53:40 -0400 (EDT)
- To: dsr@w3.org (Dave Raggett)
- Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
to follow up on what Dave Raggett said: > > If we want to change the name from axes, I strongly > recommend using a name that immediately reflects the allowed > attribute values. As these are generally headers it follows > that the name should be "headers". In my opinion, keep-with > is just as obscure as axes and would confuse authors. > > I therefore propose we rename axes to "headers" > I want to start with Len's idea for ALT and LONGDESC on table cells. In Scott Luebking's experience, table cells were comprehensible if the headers that govern a table cell were presented with the cell content. I think that this is the key requirement for long list-outs of tables as well as for interactive cell-by-cell navigation. We in the HC team, I would estimate, have been operating on the tacet assumption that it will be easier to get authors and author tools to trace these linkages to where the "documentation" of a table entry appears in the table than to get them to write extra documentation in ALT and LONGDESC areas. Further, as Jason pointed out, with the proposed broader usability of LINK and META one can put the functional equivalent of an ALT in a META on a table cell the functional equivalent of a LONGDESC on a table cell via a LINK element. That is the general plan: first use the information that the author has placed in view in the table cells better by making the connections clear with SCOPE (for simple cases) and AXES (for the exceptions). The name of the AXES attribute is a relatively smaller matter, even if it is a real burr under _my_ saddle. I have objected to the name "AXES" because as a recovering mathematician, I have expectations that go with the "axis in multidimensional space" concept that this attribute, when you figure out how it should really be used, doesn't comply with. To me, HEADERS would work. We can tell people to use this for both nominal and de-facto headers: what you would need to include in "a one-sentence explanation of what a table cell tells you." This may mean it points to things that are TD cells in their syntax; but I don't think the authors will be much confused by that. Which is a roundabout way to say: "HEADERS" captures what one should do with this attribute better than "AXES." "HEADERS" works for me. -- Al Gilman
Received on Thursday, 23 October 1997 08:54:00 UTC