Re: Attributes with no value

pdf@bizfon.com wrote:
> 
> I have noticed that the Microsoft Visual Interdev 6.0 editor will occasionally
> replace my code with it's own.  For example, it tends to remove the value of
> attributes with empty values.
> 
> <img alt="" src="someimage.gif">
> 
> would be replaced with:
> 
> <img alt src="someimage.gif">
> 
> I don't know why it does this (I've tried asking Microsoft support if there was
> a way to disable this useless feature, but they were no help).  Apparently the
> generated code is not valid?!  Is that right?  When I try to validate a document
> (as HTML 4.01 Transitional) with this modified code I get:
> 
> Error: "ALT" is not a member of a group specified for any attribute
> 
> Followed by:
> 
> Error: required attribute "ALT" not specified
> 
> What does it mean about "not a member of a group specified for any attribute"?
> It seems to me that instead of being invalid, this should be considered as an
> attribute with no value (the same as alt="").  Is there some fundamental
> principle of HTML that I'm missing?  If not, then is it possible to modify the
> validator to see these as the same thing, therefore allowing my document to
> validate even after Microsoft has mutilated it?

For the record, that would mean that this editor does not satisfy
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 checkpoint 2.1 [1], 
which states:

  1.2 Ensure that the tool preserves all accessibility information
      during authoring, transformations, and conversions. [Priority 1] 

[1]
http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/#check-leave-access-content

 - Ian

-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                         +1 831 457-2842
Cell:                        +1 917 450-8783

Received on Wednesday, 8 November 2000 16:38:35 UTC