Re: Alt attribute for unimportant images

On Tue, 11 Jul 2000, Walter Ian Kaye wrote:

> At 08:53p +0200 07/11/2000, Jan Roland Eriksson didst inscribe upon 
> an electronic papyrus:
> >On Tue, 11 Jul 2000 14:40:16 -0400, Alf Inge Myhre Tunheim
> ><tunheim@operamail.com> wrote:
> >
> >  >Are there any guidelines about what text string (if any) that should be
> >  >specified in the alt attribute of images that only have a visual design
> >  >purpose?
> >
> >Yes, it's right there in the HTML4.01 specification...
> >
> >Section "13.8 How to specify alternate text" has this...
> >
> >   "Do not specify irrelevant alternate text when including
> >    images intended to format a page, for instance, alt="red ball"
> >    would be inappropriate for an image that adds a red ball for
> >    decorating a heading or paragraph. In such cases, the alternate
> >    text should be the empty string (""). Authors are in any case
> >    advised to avoid using images to format pages; style sheets
> >    should be used instead.
> >
> >So the answer to your question would be  ALT=""
> 
> I *strongly* DISagree, for the following reasons:
> 
>    * MSIE displays "(Image)" instead of "" (when image loading is off)
>    * Lynx does not show <A HREF><IMG ALT=""></A> links

Lynx (Version 2.8.1rel.2) can display something like

[bla.gif]-[bla.gif]
^1)       ^2)

1) Link to link anchor
2) Link to Image source

if you press '*'.

-- 
Johannes Koch                        http://waldbaer.home.pages.de/
In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum.
                                        (from: Tedeum, 4th century)

Received on Wednesday, 12 July 2000 04:00:26 UTC