[WSG] Proper use of alt, title, longdesc

2005-06-17 Thread Ben Curtis


I'm trying to create easy-to-follow guidelines for my team. Regarding 
alt, title, and longdesc attributes for img tags, I'd like to know if 
my summary below could use some correcting. Also, URLs of concise 
guidelines on the matter would be appreciated.


1. When possible, images that are not part of the content (i.e., the 
user came to this page to view the content) should be placed in the CSS 
when possible.

2. ALL remaining img tags must have an alt attribute.
3. The alt text should be an empty string if the image conveys no 
information.
4. If the image has text in it, that text MUST be in the alt text. 
(Exception: CAPTCHAs)
5. If the image conveys information without words, compose a 1-5 word 
descriptive phrase to serve as an alternative to viewing the image, and 
use this as the alt text. Alternative does not mean descriptive; it 
means it serves the same purpose as the image. E.g., if the pictures 
help people identify people, use their names (Bob Downes, CFO), not 
description (man smiling in tweed suit).
6. If 5 words cannot convey the required information because details 
are important to understanding (e.g., a figure or illustration 
discussed in the accompanying text), use the longdesc attribute to link 
to a longer description of the image.
7. If additional information is desired (typically, meta information 
about the image, e.g., name of photographer), and does not need to be 
visible, use the title attribute. (Rare.)



Regarding the longdesc, I read with interest the idea of longdesc 
footnotes, and may try to standardize on this.

http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/archives/accessibility_footnotes.html

--

Ben Curtis : webwright
bivia : a personal web studio
http://www.bivia.com
v: (818) 507-6613


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Re: [WSG] Proper use of alt, title, longdesc

2005-06-17 Thread Terrence Wood

Looks like a pretty good set of guidelines to me =).

The stuff and nonsense foot notes idea is a good one, which also works 
for providing inline help instead of using pop-up windows.



regards
Terrence Wood.


On 18 Jun 2005, at 6:07 AM, Ben Curtis wrote:

I'm trying to create easy-to-follow guidelines for my team. Regarding 
alt, title, and longdesc attributes for img tags, I'd like to know if 
my summary below could use some correcting. Also, URLs of concise 
guidelines on the matter would be appreciated.


1. When possible, images that are not part of the content (i.e., the 
user came to this page to view the content) should be placed in the 
CSS when possible.

2. ALL remaining img tags must have an alt attribute.
3. The alt text should be an empty string if the image conveys no 
information.
4. If the image has text in it, that text MUST be in the alt text. 
(Exception: CAPTCHAs)
5. If the image conveys information without words, compose a 1-5 word 
descriptive phrase to serve as an alternative to viewing the image, 
and use this as the alt text. Alternative does not mean descriptive; 
it means it serves the same purpose as the image. E.g., if the 
pictures help people identify people, use their names (Bob Downes, 
CFO), not description (man smiling in tweed suit).
6. If 5 words cannot convey the required information because details 
are important to understanding (e.g., a figure or illustration 
discussed in the accompanying text), use the longdesc attribute to 
link to a longer description of the image.
7. If additional information is desired (typically, meta information 
about the image, e.g., name of photographer), and does not need to be 
visible, use the title attribute. (Rare.)



Regarding the longdesc, I read with interest the idea of longdesc 
footnotes, and may try to standardize on this.

http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/archives/accessibility_footnotes.html

--

Ben Curtis : webwright
bivia : a personal web studio
http://www.bivia.com
v: (818) 507-6613


**
The discussion list for  http://webstandardsgroup.org/

See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
for some hints on posting to the list  getting help
**


**
The discussion list for  http://webstandardsgroup.org/

See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
for some hints on posting to the list  getting help
**