Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Andy Budd
On 12 Jan 2005, at 18:25, Mike Foskett wrote:
Creating a method of output without an equivalent method of input 
seems more than oversight.
Forms are a means of input. Tables are a means of displaying tabular 
data.

Input and output mechanisms rarely have to be the same. I input data to 
a computer using a keyboard. It's output to screen.

An input is a data object.
Data objects stacked neatly by row and file are by definition tabular.
Sorry, but that's utter rot. If you're going to get all OOP on my ass, 
input would be a data object method, whereas the data it's self would 
be a property of the object. Completely different things!

You can come up with as many ways to justify the use of layout tables 
for forms, but it doesn't make it right!

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Andy Budd
Ted Drake wrote:
I'm not one to say screw accessibility, I need my pages to look purty,
but the point of my question is: we may have 30 to 50 people
registering. If I include a label for each fieldset, the page is going
to be bulky and possibly less usable for those with sight. A table 
would
make life easy, but making life easy isn't justification enough to do 
it
wrong. I'd really like to make life easy and give some accessibility in
the process. Having 50 labels that say age1, age2, age2..age50 for the
50 age inputs doesn't seem appropriate for the average user.

I have to admit that I'm confused by what exactly your doing. Maybe 
posting up your form would help. It sounds like you're saying that 
you're creating one massive form intended to take the input of 50 
people which sounds like madness. Why not just create a form that takes 
the input from one person at a time like most forms do?

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Andy Budd
Pringle, Ron wrote:
I'm sorry, I'm coming onto this thread late, so I might be misinformed 
as to
what you're trying to accomplish. So you have a form with a variable 
number
of fields depending on how many travelers are to be insured, correct? 
With a
maximum of 50?
Ah, now I understand what Ted is trying to do.
Frankly, there is not going to be an easy way of doing this, 
regardless of
the accessibility issues. Thats a LOT of data to enter.

I would almost think you'd want to deal with each traveler separately, 
one
at a time, in some sort of paged form. For instance, if I fill out the
initial part of the form and indicate 5 travelers to be insured, the 
form
would be submitted, the initial form fields temporarily stored, and 
then the
next form presented with fields for traveler 1. Once that is filled and
submitted, on to traveler two.
Absolutely. Doing it any other way would be a usability nightmare.
In that case, your form is broken into smaller chunks and leaving the 
labels
on each field would be essential and not even an issue.
Exactly
This would seem to make it easier for both your sighted users and 
visually
impaired users.

My experience with forms has been that it is better to progressively 
present
large forms (along with an appropriate indication of where in the 
process
the user is). I would think that approach would increase your 
completion
percentage as opposed to presenting a huge form with up to 50 name, 
age,
etc. fields to be filled out at once.
Couldn't agree more. A huge form as described would scare the living 
daylights out of most people and would be ripe for errors. Much better 
to break these things down into easier to deal with chunks. Sounds like 
the problem is with Ted's form design and the accessibility 
issue/tables issue is just a symptom. Always better to treat the cause 
rather than the symptoms.

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Kornel Lesinski
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 18:01:38 +, Andy Budd [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I think that inputs in a table are ok.
This is tabular data, although not output, but input, but the
structure certainly is tabular.
To read a table user needs to understand its structure
(associate content with headings, navigate).
The same skill is needed to fill a form in a table.
I think that it is quite easy to remember four fields
and their labels don't need to be repeated every time,
especially when there is possibility of hearing
all labels twice (th+label)
Bobby and other accessiblity tools are just stupid programs
and don't rely on their judgement, if you know better.
If you give good explanation of layout and purpose of that form-table
in table summary I think that is going to be quite accessible.
--
pozdrawiam, Kornel Lesiski
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Mike Foskett
Sorry Andy,

I'll have to agree to disagree.
Personally speaking, the use of a table to layout tabular input is as valid as 
using a table to layout tabular output.
Though I have no issue with other semantically correct methods previously 
outlined.
In most scenarios I prefer them.

The conceptual model I use is not from OOP but database manipulation Sources  
Sinks.
Where data input and data output are conceptually the positive and negative of 
the same thing.
This does not change solely because of using (X)HTML to describe them.

As far as the original issue is concerned.
I completely concur that a more usable and accessible solution is bite-sizing 
the input, thereby escaping the need for tabular input completely.
Though inevitably the final solution remains in the hands of the developer.


Warm regards

mike 2k:)2
 
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-Original Message-
From: Andy Budd [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: 13 January 2005 09:55
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?



On 12 Jan 2005, at 18:25, Mike Foskett wrote:

 Creating a method of output without an equivalent method of input
 seems more than oversight.

Forms are a means of input. Tables are a means of displaying tabular 
data.

Input and output mechanisms rarely have to be the same. I input data to 
a computer using a keyboard. It's output to screen.

 An input is a data object.
 Data objects stacked neatly by row and file are by definition tabular.

Sorry, but that's utter rot. If you're going to get all OOP on my ass, 
input would be a data object method, whereas the data it's self would 
be a property of the object. Completely different things!

You can come up with as many ways to justify the use of layout tables 
for forms, but it doesn't make it right!

Andy Budd

http://www.message.uk.com/

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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Andy Budd
Mike Foskett wrote:
Sorry Andy,
I'll have to agree to disagree.
Personally speaking, the use of a table to layout tabular input is as 
valid as using a table to layout tabular output.
and
Kornel Lesinski wrote:
I think that inputs in a table are ok.
This is tabular data, although not output, but input, but the 
structure certainly is tabular.
It seems to me that there is a lot of post rationalisation and spurious 
justification going on here. If you want to use tables to lay out your 
forms (or anything else for that matter) then go for it. It just seems 
odd to try and justify it in this manner.

I doubt very much if tables were created as a handy way of displaying 
forms even if we can post rationalise it now. I mean, if we're 
splitting hairs and getting semantic, isn't all information on a 
website really just data? So why can't present it all using tables?

Part of the point of using CSS for layout is it gives us the ability to 
separate the content from the presentation. Slapping a form into table 
cells doesn't allow this. It makes it much harder for instance to 
restyle the form so the labels appear above, rather than next to the 
form inputs.

It's like my girlfriend not wanting to order chips because they are 
fattening and then eating half on mine instead. The intention is good, 
but it doesn't make the calories go away :-)

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Kornel Lesinski

If you want to use tables to lay out your forms (or anything else for  
that matter) then go for it.
The point is that it is not layout table. It has semantic value.
It's a kind of table that can have summary, caption, headers and
contains repeating sets of data.
hairs and getting semantic, isn't all information on a website really  
just data? So why can't present it all using tables?
Because it is not *tabular* data, unlike the practicular form that this
discussion is all about.
--
regards, Kornel Lesiski
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RE: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-13 Thread Iain Gardiner
Hi David,

I didn't mean to sound quite so belligerent, I apologise, and I also take
your point: they are all equally valid at the moment.  In the future as
browsers come more into line with supporting things properly they may not
be.  No one knows, so maybe this discussion is all academic.  I do enjoy a
good discussion however.  ;)

I have too often seen people referring to the fact a browser supports a tag
as 'semantics' which is of course totally wrong.  I incorrectly read your
post as more of the same.  I just strongly believe in the difference between
semantics and code for code's sake.

Iain

--
Iain Gardiner
http://www.firelightning.com


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of David R
Sent: 12 January 2005 22:39
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a
form?)


Iain Gardiner wrote:
 They are only semantically correct when used within specific 
 contexts.
 
 Too many people confuse semantics (the implicit meaning of markup) 
 with valid html (correct code).  They are two completely different 
 sides of the same coin.  If it doesn't matter to you, then you're a 
 member of the wrong list.

Lets not start a flame war ;)

Tables are used to define data, data sets, results, and columnar 
information.

DefLists (dldtdd) are strictly for the listing of defintions, its 
generally accepted practice to use this element for information 
displayed in title/content pairs.

And fieldsets are used to group related input fields.

Consider that Tables are equally qualified to display information in 
title/content format, this is how databases store information, and 
from a glance, an Excel spreadsheet is no different from a database's 
dataview, or a table containing the same data.

Real-world(tm) forms, such as Tax Returns, are often layouted in a 
tabular manner... see for yourself, its tax-season in the states right 
now (AFAIK).

But at the same time, a dl could be used, as virtually all the 
questions on a tax return are in the Question: Write/Choose your 
answer format.

Don't accuse me of confusing semantics with valid code, I think I know 
the difference. It seems you're the one confusing me with a beginner in 
the field. I'm not an idealist, I'm a realist, and in the real world, it 
doesn't make a difference regarding semantics, accessibility, 
rendering/apperance or usability in general.

All are equally valid!

--
-David R
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Andy Budd
Kornel Lesinski wrote:
The point is that it is not layout table.
Of course it's a layout table. You're using a table so you can lay out 
your labels next to your inputs all nice and neat. It doesn't contain 
any data yet, just a bunch of form inputs. It's not data, it's a means 
of laying out a data input interface!

It has semantic value.
It's a kind of table that can have summary, caption, headers and
contains repeating sets of data.
I don't think that has anything to do with it as you could easily argue 
that certain types of site content could also benefit from these 
things. Forms already give you the ability to associate labels with 
inputs, group sets of form controls together and give them a cation. 
You don't need a table to give form controls semantic meaning.

hairs and getting semantic, isn't all information on a website really 
just data? So why can't present it all using tables?
Because it is not *tabular* data, unlike the practicular form that this
discussion is all about.
Why? How can you say that a bunch of empty form elements are tabular 
data even if there isn't any data? At least a page of news stories 
actually contains something that could reasonably be described as data?

When you apply for a bank load do they give you a table of blank data 
to fill in or do they give you a form to fill in?

Table:  An orderly arrangement of data, especially one in which the 
data are arranged in columns and rows in an essentially rectangular 
form

Form:  Document with blanks for the insertion of details or information
They seem distinctly different things to me.
Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Paul Connolley
On 13 Jan 2005, at 16:47, Kornel Lesinski wrote:
The point is that it is not layout table.
Well, to be pedantic, a table is all about layout. Layout of 
information.

It has semantic value.
I really hate that statement.
It's a kind of table that can have summary, caption, headers and
contains repeating sets of data.
Data (n.) - The plural of datum meaning information (lat. something 
given)

Everything is data. Even a list is data.
Because it is not *tabular* data, unlike the practicular form that this
discussion is all about.
Forms are about collation of information. For a second, I'd like people 
to stop thinking about HTML and consider the world of paper which still 
exists. As a student of statistics I had to collect information (data 
collation as my lecturer would put it of occasion) and analyse it. To 
collate the information I had to create a questionnaire. It would 
consist of a series of questions followed by answers. Upon finishing my 
analysis I would then open up a spreadsheet and type up the results. In 
order to qualify as passing, standard scientific form had to be 
followed. At no point did I use a table for anything other than a 
result. Processed information.

If I can possibly allow you to stretch your imaginations for a moment. 
Imagine me presenting you with a set of axes on some graph paper for a 
line/scatter plot and asking you to put your information onto it. It 
just wouldn't happen would it.

I would almost think you'd want to deal with each traveler separately, 
one
at a time, in some sort of paged form. For instance, if I fill out the
initial part of the form and indicate 5 travelers to be insured, the 
form
would be submitted, the initial form fields temporarily stored, and 
then the
next form presented with fields for traveler 1. Once that is filled and
submitted, on to traveler two.
This seems to be the most usable method.
--
Paul Connolley
--
Paul Connolley
SQL/Systems Programmer
Egocentric - http://egocentric.co.uk
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-13 Thread Ben Curtis
On Jan 13, 2005, at 10:01 AM, Andy Budd wrote, in part:
hairs and getting semantic, isn't all information on a website 
really just data? So why can't present it all using tables?
Because it is not *tabular* data, unlike the practicular form that 
this
discussion is all about.
Why? How can you say that a bunch of empty form elements are tabular 
data even if there isn't any data?
...
When you apply for a bank load do they give you a table of blank 
data to fill in or do they give you a form to fill in?

Table:  An orderly arrangement of data, especially one in which the 
data are arranged in columns and rows in an essentially rectangular 
form

Form:  Document with blanks for the insertion of details or information

Null values for named data fields *are* data; empty form fields contain 
data, and those data are null. They still have meaning, and the meaning 
is contained within the rows (groups) and the three columns (age range, 
# of travelers, trip cost per person). A bank form rarely includes 
tabular data; mostly, it includes a number of questions that relate to 
you, but not to each other in a columnar way. This author wanted to 
create a form that applies identically to a number of groups, not just 
a single group.

Allow me to quote the initial request:
We have a use for a table inside a form. We want to sell a group 
travel insurance product and many of the questions are simple entries 
and their may be a large number of people on a trip.
...
You have three fields to input for each group: age range, # of 
travelers, trip cost per/person. My first instinct is to put each sub 
group into a fieldset and repeat the labels and inputs.
To use fieldsets would destroy the semantic declaration of a 
relationship between groups; even though each fieldset would contain a 
field that represents the number of travelers, there would be nothing 
in the markup that declares these data as related in the same way to 
their respective group. In short, you could not pull from fieldsets the 
answer to the question Which group has the most travellers? That is 
why marking it up as a table is useful.

--
Ben Curtis
WebSciences International
http://www.websciences.org/
v: (310) 478-6648
f: (310) 235-2067

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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Mike Foskett
Using a table is not an issue, form data is tabular.

For accessibility I'd suggest using a label on each input but hide it visually 
using one of the standard techniques.

table id=grouptravel summary=Group travel quote border=0
  thead
  tr
th class=hidden scope=colGroup/th
th scope=colAge Range/th
th scope=colNumber of travellers/th
th scope=colTrip cost per person/th
  /tr
  /thead
  tbody
  tr
th scope=rowGroup 1/th
td
  label for=agerange1Age Range/label
  select id=agerange1
optionblah/option
...
  /select
/td
td
  label for=numberoftravellers1number of travellers/label
  input type=text id=numberoftravellers1 value= size=4 
maxlength=4 /
/td
td
  label for=costpertraveller1cost per traveller/label
  input type=text id=costpertraveller1 value= size=4 maxlength=4 
/
/td
  /tr

... Etc

  /tbody
/table

style type=text/css
  #grouptravel {width:500px}
  #grouptravel label {width:0; height:0; overflow:hidden}
  #grouptravel .hidden {width:0; height:0; overflow:hidden}
/style

Reasoning:
Hardly anyone using a screen reader switches on table headings to be read per 
table cell.


Hope it helps

mike 2k:)2
 
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Andy Budd
Mike Foskett wrote:
Using a table is not an issue, form data is tabular.
You say that like it's fact when it's really a matter of opinion.
Personally I'd argue that a form is not a means of displaying tabular 
data, it's an input mechanism.

It seems crazy to me that people will come up with spurious arguments 
simply to justify using a table. If you want to use a table, just do 
it.

For accessibility I'd suggest using a label on each input but hide it 
visually using one of the standard techniques.
Um, how is hiding the label going to improve accessibility?
Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Mike Foskett

Andy Budd wrote: 
Personally I'd argue that a form is not a means of displaying tabular 
data, it's an input mechanism.

Er... Agreed.
I was of the opinion, perhaps incorrectly, that the form in question was 
intended to input tabular data hence the table.


Andy Budd wrote: 
how is hiding the label going to improve accessibility?

The use of a label on such a table would be to aide screen readers specifically.
Yes they can read headers but in practice this feature is rarely switched on.
So by using a hidden label the screen reader states the label text, while the 
display remains uncluttered.



mike 2k:)2
 
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-Original Message-
From: Andy Budd [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: 12 January 2005 10:18
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?


Mike Foskett wrote:

 Using a table is not an issue, form data is tabular.

You say that like it's fact when it's really a matter of opinion.

Personally I'd argue that a form is not a means of displaying tabular 
data, it's an input mechanism.

It seems crazy to me that people will come up with spurious arguments 
simply to justify using a table. If you want to use a table, just do 
it.

 For accessibility I'd suggest using a label on each input but hide it
 visually using one of the standard techniques.

Um, how is hiding the label going to improve accessibility?


Andy Budd

http://www.message.uk.com/

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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Andy Budd
On 12 Jan 2005, at 10:47, Mike Foskett wrote:
Andy Budd wrote:
	Personally I'd argue that a form is not a means of displaying tabular 
data, it's an input mechanism.

Er... Agreed.
I was of the opinion, perhaps incorrectly, that the form in question 
was intended to input tabular data hence the table.
I thought what I said was pretty clear so I'm a little confused how you 
can agree with it and then contradict it in the next sentence.

What I'm saying is that tables are meant to display tabular data 
however a form is an input mechanism, not data itself. Thus in my 
opinion it would be incorrect to use a table to layout a form.


The use of a label on such a table would be to aide screen readers 
specifically.
Yes they can read headers but in practice this feature is rarely 
switched on.
So by using a hidden label the screen reader states the label text, 
while the display remains uncluttered.
What I'm saying is that there is no reason to hide the labels. Many 
screenreaders ignore hidden elements and allowing people to see what 
they are supposed to enter by use of a label could hardly be described 
as clutter.

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Patrick Lauke
 From: Andy Budd 
[...]
 What I'm saying is that tables are meant to display tabular data 
 however a form is an input mechanism, not data itself. Thus in my 
 opinion it would be incorrect to use a table to layout a form.

Yup, that's how I've usually looked at it as well.

 allowing people to see what 
 they are supposed to enter by use of a label could hardly be 
 described 
 as clutter.

It can be visually if the table is there to let you input a few separate
rows in one go (i.e. a spreadsheet-like layout, with headers at the top,
and then 10-20 rows for separate entries).

Maybe this (extreme?) scenario could be solved by using heavily styled
fieldsets to act - visually - as rows that lay out the contained inputs
horizontally...I may have to have a play around with CSS later tonight,
I think.

But yes, as a general principle I'd avoid this type of multi-row form
anyway if at all possible.

Patrick

Patrick H. Lauke
Webmaster / University of Salford
http://www.salford.ac.uk
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Ted Drake
I have tried hiding labels in the past. But I came across very inconsistent 
behavior. Some labels would show, some wouldn't. I was using display:none. I'm 
sure there was something else going on in my code, but it seemed like the 
inconsistency in browsers treating forms made the label hiding an iffy 
proposition.  Has anyone else had this problem?

Currently, our forms do not validate as AAA WAI because I don't have individual 
labels on a group of ten age inputs. I read somewhere a person suggested 
placing objects within the label. Could I have all of the ages on one row and 
wrap the td's inside the label?
That doesn't sound like valid coding.

Perhaps I protesteth too much. 

Ted
 

-Original Message-
From: Patrick Lauke [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 5:38 AM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?


 From: Andy Budd 
[...]
 What I'm saying is that tables are meant to display tabular data 
 however a form is an input mechanism, not data itself. Thus in my 
 opinion it would be incorrect to use a table to layout a form.

Yup, that's how I've usually looked at it as well.

 allowing people to see what 
 they are supposed to enter by use of a label could hardly be 
 described 
 as clutter.

It can be visually if the table is there to let you input a few separate
rows in one go (i.e. a spreadsheet-like layout, with headers at the top,
and then 10-20 rows for separate entries).

Maybe this (extreme?) scenario could be solved by using heavily styled
fieldsets to act - visually - as rows that lay out the contained inputs
horizontally...I may have to have a play around with CSS later tonight,
I think.

But yes, as a general principle I'd avoid this type of multi-row form
anyway if at all possible.

Patrick

Patrick H. Lauke
Webmaster / University of Salford
http://www.salford.ac.uk
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Andy Budd
On 12 Jan 2005, at 16:42, Ted Drake wrote:
I have tried hiding labels in the past. But I came across very 
inconsistent behavior. Some labels would show, some wouldn't. I was 
using display:none. I'm sure there was something else going on in my 
code, but it seemed like the inconsistency in browsers treating forms 
made the label hiding an iffy proposition.  Has anyone else had this 
problem?
Don't hide your labels. You may be able to trick bobby in giving you a 
AAA rating but hiding them won't help the accessibility of your site.

Currently, our forms do not validate as AAA WAI because I don't have 
individual labels on a group of ten age inputs. I read somewhere a 
person suggested placing objects within the label. Could I have all of 
the ages on one row and wrap the td's inside the label?
That doesn't sound like valid coding.
How do people know what to put into these inputs? Surely each one needs 
a label of some kind?

Andy Budd
http://www.message.uk.com/
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Alex Katechis
What you're suggesting (putting TDs in a table) sounds like using tables for
layout, which we all know we're not supposed to do... I found an article
that discusses CSS alternatives to the non-standards uses of tables for
layouts... This article from alistapart
(http://www.alistapart.com/articles/practicalcss/) discusses how one might
use Divs and Spans to lay out a form. Hopefully you can adapt it to suit
your needs... The example is in the section titled FORM(s) and Function

---Excerpt---

Another common use for table layout is lining up FORM elements with their
labels. While it could be argued that this is an appropriate use of TABLEs,
the CSS technique that I describe below will prove to be useful for other,
similar layout needs, as we will see.

A typical layout for FORMs has the labels on the left, flush right, with the
form elements on the right, flush left, with everything meeting in the
middle:

[example form is displayed here]

The form above was created without the use of TABLEs. Once again we are
using FLOAT to accomplish the positioning. The trick is to create a DIV that
works like the TABLE row that we are used to using. Then we'll create two
SPANs: one for the labels and the other for the form elements. Float the
label SPAN left and the form element SPAN right. For the label SPAN, align
the text right, and give the form element SPAN left-aligned text.

The CSS looks like this:

div.row {
  clear: both;
  padding-top: 10px;
  }

div.row span.label {
  float: left;
  width: 100px;
  text-align: right;
  }

div.row span.formw {
  float: right;
  width: 335px;
  text-align: left;
  }

The CSS above also gives widths for the SPANs. These can be absolute values
like the example, or percentages that add up to 100% or slightly less,
depending on padding and borders (and the box model you are designing for).
In the example I have wrapped the form in another DIV to give it a border
and a background.

The example HTML looks like:

div style=width: 350px; background-color: #cc9;
border: 1px dotted #333; padding: 5px;
margin: 0px auto;
  form
div class=row
  span class=labelName:/spanspan
class=formwinput type=text size=25 //span
/div
div class=row
  span class=labelAge:/spanspan
class=formwinput type=text size=25 //span
/div
div class=row
  span class=labelShoe size:/spanspan
class=formwinput type=text size=25 //span
/div
div class=row
  span class=labelComments:/spanspan
class=formw
textarea cols=25 rows=8
Go ahead - write something...
/textarea
  /span
/div
  div class=spacer
  nbsp;
  /div
 /form

/div

---End of Excerpt---

Hope this helps you out a bit...

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of Ted Drake
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 11:43 AM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?


I have tried hiding labels in the past. But I came across very inconsistent
behavior. Some labels would show, some wouldn't. I was using display:none.
I'm sure there was something else going on in my code, but it seemed like
the inconsistency in browsers treating forms made the label hiding an iffy
proposition.  Has anyone else had this problem?

Currently, our forms do not validate as AAA WAI because I don't have
individual labels on a group of ten age inputs. I read somewhere a person
suggested placing objects within the label. Could I have all of the ages on
one row and wrap the td's inside the label?
That doesn't sound like valid coding.

Perhaps I protesteth too much.

Ted


-Original Message-
From: Patrick Lauke [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 5:38 AM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?


 From: Andy Budd
[...]
 What I'm saying is that tables are meant to display tabular data
 however a form is an input mechanism, not data itself. Thus in my
 opinion it would be incorrect to use a table to layout a form.

Yup, that's how I've usually looked at it as well.

 allowing people to see what
 they are supposed to enter by use of a label could hardly be
 described
 as clutter.

It can be visually if the table is there to let you input a few separate
rows in one go (i.e. a spreadsheet-like layout, with headers at the top,
and then 10-20 rows for separate entries).

Maybe this (extreme?) scenario could be solved by using heavily styled
fieldsets to act - visually - as rows that lay out the contained inputs
horizontally...I may have to have a play around with CSS later tonight,
I think.

But yes, as a general principle I'd avoid this type of multi-row form
anyway if at all possible.

Patrick

Patrick H. Lauke
Webmaster / University of Salford
http://www.salford.ac.uk
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 See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Mike Foskett
Ted:
Don't hide labels with display:none. Screen readers don't see it either.
I'd suggest something more like:
.hidden {width:0; height:0; overflow:hidden; font-size:1px}
Or use a method that shifts the text off screen to the left.

Maybe consider the approach below even if it has too many repeated labels.
Personally for thirty rows of four columns I'd use a table with table headings 
with hidden labels on each input.
To each their own.




Andy:
If forms were meant to be tabular they'd have fr's and fd's.
Therefore data output in tabular form is okay but data input is not.

I would have to disagree with the later statement. 
Creating a method of output without an equivalent method of input seems more 
than oversight.

An input is a data object.
Data objects stacked neatly by row and file are by definition tabular.





So a standards approach to tabular input?
How about this:

style type=text/css
#tabularform * {padding:0; margin:0}
#tabularform fieldset {background:#eee}
#tabularform label {margin:0 20px; white-space:nowrap}
#tabularform input.input-c1 {width:15%; padding:3px}
#tabularform input.input-c2 {padding:3px}
#tabularform input.input-c3 {width:100px; padding:3px}
#tabularform input.input-c4 {padding:3px}
/style

form id=tabularform

  fieldset
h1Group 1:/h1
label for=description_r1description input class=input-c1 
id=description_r1 type=text //label
label for=style_r1style
select class=input-c2 id=style_r1
optionstyle 1/option
optionstyle 2/option
optionstyle 3/option
/select
/label
label for=name_r1name input class=input-c3 id=name_r1 type=text 
//label
label for=check_r1input class=input-c4 id=check_r1 type=checkbox 
/ delete/label
  /fieldset

  fieldset
h1Group 2:/h1
label for=description_r2description input class=input-c1 
id=description_r2 type=text //label
label for=style_r2style
select class=input-c2 id=style_r2
optionstyle 1/option
optionstyle 2/option
optionstyle 3/option
/select
/label
label for=name_r2name input class=input-c3 id=name_r2 type=text 
//label
label for=check_r2input class=input-c4 id=check_r2 type=checkbox 
/ delete/label
  /fieldset

p .. repeat until funny/p

/form

Very neat, tabular and accessible. 
Now the issue is how many inputs per row and will they fit on the users display.




mike 2k:)2
 
marqueeblink
   e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
   site: http://www.webSemantics.co.uk
/marquee/blink
 


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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Ted Drake
I'm not one to say screw accessibility, I need my pages to look purty,
but the point of my question is: we may have 30 to 50 people
registering. If I include a label for each fieldset, the page is going
to be bulky and possibly less usable for those with sight. A table would
make life easy, but making life easy isn't justification enough to do it
wrong. I'd really like to make life easy and give some accessibility in
the process. Having 50 labels that say age1, age2, age2..age50 for the
50 age inputs doesn't seem appropriate for the average user.

I have little experience with screen readers. How does the column scope
work? When someone tabs from cell to cell, does it repeat the column
header? How does the scope connect the cells?  If I put a title on the
input, that says enter age of traveler and put a column header with
the label Age of Traveler, will their be any feedback to the screen
reader that the input is meant to handle the age of a traveler? 

-Original Message-
From: Andy Budd [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 10:02 AM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?



On 12 Jan 2005, at 16:42, Ted Drake wrote:

 I have tried hiding labels in the past. But I came across very 
 inconsistent behavior. Some labels would show, some wouldn't. I was 
 using display:none. I'm sure there was something else going on in my 
 code, but it seemed like the inconsistency in browsers treating forms 
 made the label hiding an iffy proposition.  Has anyone else had this 
 problem?

Don't hide your labels. You may be able to trick bobby in giving you a 
AAA rating but hiding them won't help the accessibility of your site.

 Currently, our forms do not validate as AAA WAI because I don't have 
 individual labels on a group of ten age inputs. I read somewhere a 
 person suggested placing objects within the label. Could I have all of

 the ages on one row and wrap the td's inside the label?
 That doesn't sound like valid coding.

How do people know what to put into these inputs? Surely each one needs 
a label of some kind?


Andy Budd

http://www.message.uk.com/

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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Terrence Wood
A group of related form controls really belong together in a fieldset 
with a legend. Each control can then be labelled correctly. Additional 
'how to use' instructions can be provided in the title attribute of each 
form control.

Example:
fieldsetlegendPlease select your age/legend
label for=agegroup1
input type=radio name=age id=agegroup1 title=select this if you 
are aged between 18 and 24/ 18-24
/label
label for=agegroup2
input type=radio name=age id=agegroup2 title=select this if you 
are aged between 25 and 34/ 25-34
/label
fieldset

@Ted
...perhaps you can make a two part form. Get the number of travellers 
first, and then return that number of fields to get the ages?

Terrence Wood.
Andy Budd wrote:
On 12 Jan 2005, at 16:42, Ted Drake wrote:
I have tried hiding labels in the past.
Don't hide your labels. You may be able to trick bobby in giving you a 
AAA rating but hiding them won't help the accessibility of your site.

How do people know what to put into these inputs? Surely each one needs 
a label of some kind?
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Pringle, Ron
 
 I'm not one to say screw accessibility, I need my pages to look purty,
 but the point of my question is: we may have 30 to 50 people
 registering. If I include a label for each fieldset, the page is going
 to be bulky and possibly less usable for those with sight.

snip

 Having 50 labels that say age1, age2, age2..age50 for the
 50 age inputs doesn't seem appropriate for the average user.

Ted-

I'm sorry, I'm coming onto this thread late, so I might be misinformed as to
what you're trying to accomplish. So you have a form with a variable number
of fields depending on how many travelers are to be insured, correct? With a
maximum of 50?

Frankly, there is not going to be an easy way of doing this, regardless of
the accessibility issues. Thats a LOT of data to enter.

I would almost think you'd want to deal with each traveler separately, one
at a time, in some sort of paged form. For instance, if I fill out the
initial part of the form and indicate 5 travelers to be insured, the form
would be submitted, the initial form fields temporarily stored, and then the
next form presented with fields for traveler 1. Once that is filled and
submitted, on to traveler two.

In that case, your form is broken into smaller chunks and leaving the labels
on each field would be essential and not even an issue.

This would seem to make it easier for both your sighted users and visually
impaired users.

My experience with forms has been that it is better to progressively present
large forms (along with an appropriate indication of where in the process
the user is). I would think that approach would increase your completion
percentage as opposed to presenting a huge form with up to 50 name, age,
etc. fields to be filled out at once.

HTH

Regards,
Ron 
application/ms-tnef

Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Patrick H. Lauke
Alex Katechis wrote:
[...]
 http://www.alistapart.com/articles/practicalcss/
[...]
  span class=labelName:/spanspan
class=formwinput type=text size=25 //span
That's just rubbish. What the heck...span class=label?
This sort of thing really is just replacing one inappropriate markup 
(tables) for another (divs and spans with css styling) and actually 
*diminishing* the structure...if anything, proper label elements 
should be used...
The author can be excused, as the article dates back to 2001, but still...

--
Patrick H. Lauke
_
re·dux (adj.): brought back; returned. used postpositively
[latin : re-, re- + dux, leader; see duke.]
www.splintered.co.uk | www.photographia.co.uk
http://redux.deviantart.com
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Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread Michael Wilson
Andy:
If forms were meant to be tabular they'd have fr's and fd's.
Therefore data output in tabular form is okay but data input is not.
Hi,
Sorry if I quoted you out of context Andy (I don't have the original 
message), but I have a question regarding why forms should or should not 
be considered tabular data. Suppose we are presenting the user with a 
form where the inputs are pre populated with data; for example a form 
used to edit an entry in a database. In your opinion (or anyone else's), 
should this impact whether the form should be considered tabular or not?

First Name  [Michael]
Last Name   [Wilson]
Age [Old]
Although the data is contained within form elements, technically this is 
data output.

I haven't formed an opinion on the subject, so please don't take my 
comment as some kind of troll. I've avoided the use of tables for forms 
for some time now--some times it works out, sometimes it does not. It 
just occurred to me as I was reading the responses here that, within the 
argument, the question of data input versus data output seemed to be the 
(or part of the) crux. Is this the case or does the argument hinge on 
the fact that the input element itself is not data; therefore, not 
tabular. If this is the premise, then couldn't one argue that the p 
element is not data; therefore, not tabular?

--
Best regards,
Michael Wilson
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RE: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread Ryan Nichols
To me tabular means...tabular. Take a look at most real-world forms.
DMV, tax forms, you name it. Mostly all tabular. The form is broken up
into logical groups / cells indicating a relationship of relationship
through the structure. 

Yes I know fieldsets also create a group/relationship of form fields,
but point being the motif of forms in a tabular format has been around
and used for a long time.


Ryan Nichols
Graphic Design / Web Development
 
Matrixwebs.com
1.800.711.2829
 
18330 Sutter Blvd.
Morgan Hill, CA 95037

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Michael Wilson
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 12:13 PM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a
form?)

 Andy:
 If forms were meant to be tabular they'd have fr's and fd's.
 Therefore data output in tabular form is okay but data input is not.

Hi,

Sorry if I quoted you out of context Andy (I don't have the original
message), but I have a question regarding why forms should or should not
be considered tabular data. Suppose we are presenting the user with a
form where the inputs are pre populated with data; for example a form
used to edit an entry in a database. In your opinion (or anyone else's),
should this impact whether the form should be considered tabular or not?

First Name  [Michael]
Last Name   [Wilson]
Age [Old]

Although the data is contained within form elements, technically this is
data output.

I haven't formed an opinion on the subject, so please don't take my
comment as some kind of troll. I've avoided the use of tables for forms
for some time now--some times it works out, sometimes it does not. It
just occurred to me as I was reading the responses here that, within the
argument, the question of data input versus data output seemed to be the
(or part of the) crux. Is this the case or does the argument hinge on
the fact that the input element itself is not data; therefore, not
tabular. If this is the premise, then couldn't one argue that the p
element is not data; therefore, not tabular?

--
Best regards,
Michael Wilson

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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Wong Chin Shin
I tried the approach below. Only works if there's only one input tag on
the right column. If there're more input fields in a row (even if it's just
2 input type=radio, the following row just keeps on indenting itself to
the right.

For me, I settled the matter by using definition lists. Sponged the method
off Simplebits.com. Labels in dt, inputs in dd. Not sure how it works
out semantically though.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Alex Katechis
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 2:24 AM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

What you're suggesting (putting TDs in a table) sounds like using tables for
layout, which we all know we're not supposed to do... I found an article
that discusses CSS alternatives to the non-standards uses of tables for
layouts... This article from alistapart
(http://www.alistapart.com/articles/practicalcss/) discusses how one might
use Divs and Spans to lay out a form. Hopefully you can adapt it to suit
your needs... The example is in the section titled FORM(s) and Function



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Re: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread David R
Ryan Nichols wrote:
To me tabular means...tabular. Take a look at most real-world forms.
DMV, tax forms, you name it. Mostly all tabular. The form is broken up
into logical groups / cells indicating a relationship of relationship
through the structure. 

Yes I know fieldsets also create a group/relationship of form fields,
but point being the motif of forms in a tabular format has been around
and used for a long time.

Here's a better thought:
Does it matter?
Fieldsets, DefLists, and Tables are ALL semantically correct, and they 
don't make a difference to way both graphical and accessible agents 
render the content.

Can we call this resolved now?
--
-David R
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RE: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread Iain Gardiner
They are only semantically correct when used within specific contexts.

Too many people confuse semantics (the implicit meaning of markup) with
valid html (correct code).  They are two completely different sides of the
same coin.  If it doesn't matter to you, then you're a member of the wrong
list.

--
Iain Gardiner
http://www.firelightning.com


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of David R
Sent: 12 January 2005 21:28
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a
form?)


Ryan Nichols wrote:
 To me tabular means...tabular. Take a look at most real-world forms. 
 DMV, tax forms, you name it. Mostly all tabular. The form is broken up 
 into logical groups / cells indicating a relationship of relationship 
 through the structure.
 
 Yes I know fieldsets also create a group/relationship of form fields, 
 but point being the motif of forms in a tabular format has been around 
 and used for a long time.


Here's a better thought:

Does it matter?

Fieldsets, DefLists, and Tables are ALL semantically correct, and they 
don't make a difference to way both graphical and accessible agents 
render the content.

Can we call this resolved now?

--
-David R
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Re: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread David R
Iain Gardiner wrote:
They are only semantically correct when used within specific contexts.
Too many people confuse semantics (the implicit meaning of markup) with
valid html (correct code).  They are two completely different sides of the
same coin.  If it doesn't matter to you, then you're a member of the wrong
list.
Lets not start a flame war ;)
Tables are used to define data, data sets, results, and columnar 
information.

DefLists (dldtdd) are strictly for the listing of defintions, its 
generally accepted practice to use this element for information 
displayed in title/content pairs.

And fieldsets are used to group related input fields.
Consider that Tables are equally qualified to display information in 
title/content format, this is how databases store information, and 
from a glance, an Excel spreadsheet is no different from a database's 
dataview, or a table containing the same data.

Real-world(tm) forms, such as Tax Returns, are often layouted in a 
tabular manner... see for yourself, its tax-season in the states right 
now (AFAIK).

But at the same time, a dl could be used, as virtually all the 
questions on a tax return are in the Question: Write/Choose your 
answer format.

Don't accuse me of confusing semantics with valid code, I think I know 
the difference. It seems you're the one confusing me with a beginner in 
the field. I'm not an idealist, I'm a realist, and in the real world, it 
doesn't make a difference regarding semantics, accessibility, 
rendering/apperance or usability in general.

All are equally valid!
--
-David R
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RE: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?)

2005-01-12 Thread Ryan Nichols
I agree. I quite sweating these a while ago, because it's all up to some
measure of interpretation. 
(Raises mug)

Ryan Nichols
Graphic Design / Web Development
 
Matrixwebs.com
1.800.711.2829
 
18330 Sutter Blvd.
Morgan Hill, CA 95037

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of David R
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 2:39 PM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: Are forms tabular data? (was Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in
a form?)

Iain Gardiner wrote:
 They are only semantically correct when used within specific
contexts.
 
 Too many people confuse semantics (the implicit meaning of markup) 
 with valid html (correct code).  They are two completely different 
 sides of the same coin.  If it doesn't matter to you, then you're a 
 member of the wrong list.

Lets not start a flame war ;)

Tables are used to define data, data sets, results, and columnar 
information.

DefLists (dldtdd) are strictly for the listing of defintions, its
generally accepted practice to use this element for information
displayed in title/content pairs.

And fieldsets are used to group related input fields.

Consider that Tables are equally qualified to display information in
title/content format, this is how databases store information, and
from a glance, an Excel spreadsheet is no different from a database's
dataview, or a table containing the same data.

Real-world(tm) forms, such as Tax Returns, are often layouted in a
tabular manner... see for yourself, its tax-season in the states right
now (AFAIK).

But at the same time, a dl could be used, as virtually all the
questions on a tax return are in the Question: Write/Choose your
answer format.

Don't accuse me of confusing semantics with valid code, I think I know
the difference. It seems you're the one confusing me with a beginner in
the field. I'm not an idealist, I'm a realist, and in the real world, it
doesn't make a difference regarding semantics, accessibility,
rendering/apperance or usability in general.

All are equally valid!

--
-David R
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-12 Thread Bert Doorn
G'day
  span class=labelName:/spanspan
class=formwinput type=text size=25 //span
That's just rubbish. What the heck...span class=label?
This sort of thing really is just replacing one inappropriate markup 
(tables) for another (divs and spans with css styling) and actually 
*diminishing* the structure...if anything, proper label elements 
should be used...
I'd have to side with Patrick on this one - using lots of spans 
with classes to mimic a table layout is (IMHO) even worse than 
using a table to lay out the form (and more spaghetti code)

div class=rowor tr ?
span class=label or td ?
span class=formw or td ?
But why not style the label to float left?
Quick HTML snippet (incomplete):
fieldset
  legendContact Details/legend
  p
label for=NameName:/label
input id=Name name=Name /
  /p
  !-- more fields here --
/fieldset
CSS snippet:
label {
  clear: left;
  float: left;
  width: 14em;
  /* Add whatever formatting you want */
}
I use something like this on the forms on my own site (which 
probably aren't perfect either, but I try).

Regards
--
Bert Doorn, Better Web Design
http://www.betterwebdesign.com.au/
Fast-loading, user-friendly websites
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Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-11 Thread Jeffrey Hardy
Ted Drake wrote:
How can I use a table and still validate for accessibility? Will it be a problem with xhtml?
Ted, try here:
http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp?type=table
Jeff
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RE: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?

2005-01-11 Thread Ted Drake
Hi Jeffrey
Thank you for the link. This helps create a table that lays out a form. I 
probably wasn't clear enough in my original question. I want to have a table 
for a series of three questions that could involve many rows, let's say 30. I 
don't want to repeat the label for each input, I'd prefer to put the label in 
the table headers and not repeat label/input in each individual cell.  Will 
this work for accessibility? 

Ted


-Original Message-
From: Jeffrey Hardy [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 3:01 PM
To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org
Subject: Re: [WSG] Can I use a table in a form?


Ted Drake wrote:
 How can I use a table and still validate for accessibility? Will it be a 
 problem with xhtml?

Ted, try here:
http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp?type=table

Jeff
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