Re: Tables or CSS for forms?

> Laura Carlson

> A. Consider it a data table and use structural table mark up?
> B. Consider it a layout table and not use structural data
> table markup
> and have it make sense when linearized.

Sailesh:
A JAWS user can navigate a table containing a form in table navigation mode
when not using data-entry mode. The column and row headers are announced
(for a simple 2-dimension table) correctly. But as one needs to use the
title attribute for the input controls[*], the title is also announced by
JAWS besides the row and column headers. This results in duplication.

WinEyes and HPR on the other hand do not let one navigate such a table in
table-navigation mode and regard the table as a layout table. Such a table
is essentially a layout table and should not use structural markup.

  [*] The reference here is to a table with more than two columns with the
first column  containing a row header and the first row containing a column
header. A 2-column table with one column containing labels and the other
containing the input controls does not need to use a title attribute. A form
with a 2-column layout can perhaps be rendered with CSS.

Sailesh Panchang
Senior Accessibility Engineer
Deque Systems (www.deque.com)
11180 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite #400
Reston VA 21091
E-mail: sailesh.panchang@deque.com
Tel: 703-225-0380 (ext 105)

Received on Monday, 26 September 2005 16:14:10 UTC