RE: HTML5 DL Element vs. WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria

Hi Steve,

> 	do we continue to use the correct element and let the
> 	screen reader makers know about the issues?

Of course, feedback is essential for bug fixing.

> In this case I think this is the correct course of action, definition
lists have been
> in HTML since 1997 [1]
> 
> [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html32.html#dl

Haven't seen <dir> in a while (next element after dl on that page).

And yet: If dl is styled to look as a table or if dl is used for tab panels
etc. and if the original (scientific) definition list is hardly used, then
we hardly need dl. There is usually a better way to code most dl structures,
at least from a screen reader point of view. With WAI-ARIA emerging there
are even more alternatives, although screen reader compatibility needs even
more improvement there than with dl.

The statement referred to claimed that a two column table is better off with
a dl. I disagree with that. A dl may be a logical solution, but it is harder
to use in a screen reader, and has been so for quite some time.

Jan


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Jan Eric Hellbusch 
Tel.: +49 (231) 33005825 oder +49 (163) 3369925
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Received on Friday, 7 February 2014 19:30:00 UTC