- From: <Kurt_Mattes@bankone.com>
- Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 08:49:38 -0400
- To: <poehlman1@comcast.net>, <Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz>, <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
> <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential"> > *dp* this is not a full sentence and an alt tag should never be a full > sentance. Why? If the image an alt refers to contains a complete sentence, shouldn't the alt tag? Kurt Mattes Application Development Analyst Technical Lead - Web Accessibility [302] 282-1414 * Kurt_Mattes@BankOne.com -----Original Message----- From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of david poehlman Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 8:42 AM To: Rebecca Cox; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org Subject: Re: alt text & punctuation - best practice? see comments inline marked with *dp*. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rebecca Cox" <Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz> To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 10:38 PM Subject: alt text & punctuation - best practice? Hi all, I am working with some guidelines on alt text and just wanted to see what people feel is current best practice with regard to adding punctuation to force a pause - for example, in these situations what would be the preferred technique? 1. For short alt text on an image which may or may not be a link: Either, just the text, no extra punctuation: <a href="news.html"><img src="news.gif" alt="News"></a> *dp* extend the link to include a bit of text such as news before the closing marker. For alt texsts period which should be short at any rate, no punctuation should be required at all. Remember, some people are going to be transcribing this stuff into braille or printing it out on a printer in text form and also, the kiss factor, people will wonder as they look at this stuff, what is this punctuation mark here for? Most if not all user agent/at combinations can let us know that we are looking at a "graphic" "bmp" whatever they designate it as. Or with full stop and space, like so: <a href="news.html"><img src="news.gif" alt="News. "></a> *dp* I would go on to say that an image in an href which has a fully marked up container such as the above should be null alted because the text belongs in the link, not in the alt and the link text should stand for the alt in that there should be nothing in the image that conveys anything that cannot be put into the link text. 2. For longer alt text which should read like a sentence: Either: <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential"> *dp* this is not a full sentence and an alt tag should never be a full sentance. Or: *dp* no punctuation is required see above. <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential. "> 3. For alt text on an image which functions as a section heading: Either: <h2><img src="about.gif" alt="About the council"></h2> Or: <h2><img src="about.gif" alt="About the council. "></h2> *dp* Again, there are ways to find headings in current at and in some way back so punctuation is not necessary. Mark a heading up in the same way you would mark the beginning of a section in a text book since it may be brailled or printed. We've lived quite well with headings and alt tags being non differentiated in this way and this is the least of the auditory inaccessibility we have to contend with. Authors have enough to contend with as it is and if you want to raise the hackles of the balancers, start adopting things like this and you will. This is not to say that hackles should not be raised appropriately though. g'day! Cheers all, Rebecca Cox Production Designer INTERGEN - Intelligent Business Level 3, Intergen House, 44-52 The Terrace PO Box 5428, Wellington, New Zealand ********************************************************************** This transmission may contain information that is privileged, confidential and/or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information contained herein (including any reliance thereon) is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you received this transmission in error, please immediately contact the sender and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format. Thank you **********************************************************************
Received on Monday, 21 June 2004 08:50:39 UTC