- From: Markku Hakkinen <mhakkinen@acm.org>
- Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:44:03 -0500
- To: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
MH to Write a proposal encompassing for both alert and prompt [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2009/02/12-ua-minutes.html#action04] Existing wording: alert To make the user aware of some event information, without requiring acknowledgment. For example, the user agent may alert the user that new content is available on the server by displaying a text message in the user agent's status bar. prompt [ATAG 2.0] Any user agent initiated request for a decision or piece of information from users. Discussion: Prompt and Alert can function as both nouns and verbs. Only alert is really used as such in the document (e.g., "alert the user"), while prompt is used as a noun (e.g., "responds 'yes' to a prompt"). Prompt is a type of interaction, and typically a specific type of dialog, requiring a user response (though the response interval may be timed so that the prompt is removed after an author-specified period of time elapses). Alert has a historical association with the alert box. Alert further implies some urgency (from its broader usage beyond the Web). In the context of safety and security, alerts have a specific meaning. What follows are the two instances in which alert is used with the current document: 3.10.7 Open on Request: The user has the option of having "top-level" viewports (e.g., windows) only open on explicit user request. In this mode, instead of opening a viewport automatically, alert the user and allow the user to open it with an explicit request (e.g., by confirming a prompt or following a link generated by the user agent). (Level AA)@@5.3 in UAAG10@@ 4.6.4 No Match: The user is alerted when there is no match or after the last match in content (i.e., prior to starting the search over from the beginning of content). (Level AA) @@9.8 in UAAG10@@ Proposal: Remove alert. No change to Prompt is being proposed (at this moment). I would argue that alert be dropped in favor of the terms notify and notifications. In contrast to alert, notifications can be seen to apply to a broader class of high and low urgency information. Notifications may be conveyed in conjunction with a prompt. In the 3.10.7 section above, the word alert would be replaced with notify, and in 4.6.4 section, alerted would be replaced with notified. I can see a more in depth description of notification approaches in the techniques document. Following draft text is proposed as a replacement: Notify User Agents may notify users of events or status changes through the use of a message displayed within content, within the framework of the User Agent user interface (e.g., status bar), or through a pop-up window generated from the content or from the User Agent user interface. Notifications may be passive and not require user acknowledgment, or they may be presented in the form of a prompt requesting a user response (e.g., a confirmation dialog). Short form of proposed text: Notify To make the user aware of events or status information, without requiring acknowledgment. For example, the user agent may notify the user that new content is available on the server by displaying a text message in the user agent's status bar.
Received on Thursday, 19 February 2009 20:44:42 UTC