RE: Guideline 1.2

Server side image maps do not contain actual link information within the
browser.  The areas are defined by coordinates and these coordinates are
passed to the server when clicked.  Then, the server identifies what to do
(where to go) for those coordinates.  So, a screen reader program can't pick
up anything since it isn't there in the first place.  Client-side is the
preferred solution and is easy to do.

The redundant text links for server-side maps actually are not redundant
since the image in the browser contains no links.  If you use a server-side
map, the 1.2 guideline requires links separate from the image which allows
persons to skip the map alltogether.

Hope this helps.

Jim Fitzgerald

-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Gaine [mailto:fgaine@frontend.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 12:15 PM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Guideline 1.2



Hi All,

I'm new to this interest group and I don't know if you've covered the
following at sometime in the past but here goes anyway. I would like to ask
a question in relation to Guideline 1.2 - it sets out that redundant text
links should be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.
What specific difficulties do server-side image maps present for screen
readers and text only browsers? Does 'redundant text links' mean completely
seperate (duplicate in fact) hypertext links?

Thank You
Frank

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Received on Tuesday, 9 January 2001 12:25:30 UTC