Re: img alt text, links and titles

> I understand your reasoning for using "image" in alt but it is still not
> representing the image.

Sure it is -- it is representing the function of the image as the
placeholder for the longdesc link.  Ergo, it should be written with the
longdesc function in mind.  To do otherwise would be more harmful than
simply calling it an "Image".

The argument has been made that labeling it an "image" is like saying
"here's an image and you can't look at it!" -- but that's exactly what
a longdesc is for, saying "here's an image, you can't look at it, but
I have described it!"  There is no way to stick to a strict rule of
"don't acknowledge it's an image" and also provide a meaningful clue
that there is a longdesc.

Therefore, anything which has a longdesc SHOULD be explicitly
identified as an image, and thus the user should expect to look for
further description of that image via longdesc links.

--Kynn

(original message quoted below)

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <kynn-eda@idyllmtn.com>
> There's no real good solutions to this; I would say that if you have
> image content such as this which _is_ meaningful and _cannot_ be
> replaced by text, then you probably _should_ put in ALT text which
> calls attention to the fact it's an image.  For example:
> 
>      <div class="image">
>        <img src="ski034.jpg" alt="(Image of Woman Skiing)"
>             title="Image of Woman Skiing (LongDesc available)"
>             longdesc="longdesc/ski034.html">
>        <div class="copyright">
>          Image &copy; Copyright 1999 by Kynn Bartlett
>        </div>
>      </div>
> 
> Whenever you have a longdesc, you probably _do_ want to point out
> that it is an image because then the user will expect there is a
> longdesc.  This then makes the copyright notice sensical instead of
> nonsensical.  The longdesc page also should contain the copyright
> notice.
> 
> --Kynn

Received on Wednesday, 16 January 2002 14:18:52 UTC