Re: <address> For Style [was: Re: www-watchdog?]

On Tue, 8 May 2001, Sean B. Palmer wrote:

> "Henrik Edlund" <mailto:henrik@edlund.org> wrote:-
>
> > If I look at the use of the address element it seems to be
> > more of a way to make text italic [...]
>
> Please don't. If you want to make text italic, at least use the <i>
> element, but really you are probably wanting to add emphasis to the
> text, in which case you should be using <em>. cf. WCAG 1.0 [1]:-

Yes of course. I am always using <em> and never <i> as I follow the
specification as by law. What puzzled me is that I often turn to W3C's
website for examples how some of stuff in HTML 4 is used "in real life"
when the examples in the specification is not enough, and it was then I
came across this weird usage of <address> by the W3C.  Hence why I took
the oppurtunity to ask on this list.

> [[[
> Using markup improperly -- not according to specification -- hinders
> accessibility. Misusing markup for a presentation effect (e.g., using
> a table for layout or a header to change the font size) makes it
> difficult for users with specialized software to understand the
> organization of the page or to navigate through it. [...]
> ]]]

All my web pages are Triple-A verified for accessability, so don't worry.
:-)

> Using <address> to make text italic, you are confusing people who's
> browsers don't display as italic for a start, and confusing anyone who
> interpret the semantics of the <address> element as intended - e.g.
> people who are extracting data about a page using XSLT, or people who
> use screen readers and have it set up to read address differently
> (perhaps with a prompt).

Yeah, I know, and hence the <address> is so vaguely specified and
vaguely used by W3C themselves I am not currently using it at all.

Regards,

   Henrik

-- 
Henrik Edlund <henrik@edlund.org>
http://www.edlund.org/

  "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Naturally they became heroes."
                  Leia Organa of Alderaan, Senator

Received on Tuesday, 8 May 2001 10:24:30 UTC