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Thread: Is a label element helpful here?
Number of posts in this thread: 5 (In chronological order)
From: Celeste Mackintosh
Date: Mon, Jun 28 2010 5:57PM
Subject: Is a label element helpful here?
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Hi everyone,
I'm looking at making a tool like this one http://maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm for our library (this is a free tool available through the American Library Association, created by the Massachusetts Library Association).
My question is, since in the last column of this table/form, user input isn't actually what's being sought, is having a label element here helpful? Here's an example of a row - check out the final table cell to see the input I'm talking about:
<tr>
<td><input type="text" name="child" id="child" size="5" onchange="doCalculator()" tabindex="3" /></td>
<td><label for="child">Children Books Borrowed</label></td>
<td><label for="childResult">$
<input type="text" id="childResult" size="5" value="0.00" /></label></td>
</tr>
We're also going to link to a non-javascript straight table of relative values or a spreadsheet. Does this last label element need to be there? Having the label element for the first input seems useful, since it means a wider area where people can click to get access to that input, but the last one the label seems not so helpful...
Any help would be really appreciated! :)
Many thanks,
Celeste
From: Info LearnAccessibility
Date: Mon, Jun 28 2010 9:15PM
Subject: Re: Is a label element helpful here?
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Hi there,
Although, the form field is not meant for customer, it is still
essential to provide label attribute as this is a field by library
office and they may be user with assistive technology.
Regards,
On 6/29/10, Celeste Mackintosh < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm looking at making a tool like this one
> http://maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm for our library (this is a free
> tool available through the American Library Association, created by the
> Massachusetts Library Association).
>
> My question is, since in the last column of this table/form, user input
> isn't actually what's being sought, is having a label element here helpful?
> Here's an example of a row - check out the final table cell to see the input
> I'm talking about:
>
> <tr>
> <td><input type="text" name="child" id="child" size="5"
> onchange="doCalculator()" tabindex="3" /></td>
> <td><label for="child">Children Books Borrowed</label></td>
> <td><label for="childResult">$
> <input type="text" id="childResult" size="5" value="0.00"
> /></label></td>
> </tr>
>
> We're also going to link to a non-javascript straight table of relative
> values or a spreadsheet. Does this last label element need to be there?
> Having the label element for the first input seems useful, since it means a
> wider area where people can click to get access to that input, but the last
> one the label seems not so helpful...
>
> Any help would be really appreciated! :)
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Celeste
>
From: deblist
Date: Mon, Jun 28 2010 9:21PM
Subject: Re: Is a label element helpful here?
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Info LearnAccessibility wrote:
> Although, the form field is not meant for customer, it is still
> essential to provide label attribute as this is a field by library
> office and they may be user with assistive technology.
While I want to give a shout out to this valuable insight (I can't count the number of times I've had to respond to those writing webpages in my office when they explained that it was okay that the back-office interface wasn't accessible, because the customer-facing interface was), I don't think that's what Celeste meant here. It looks like the final column of the form auto fills based on JavaScript, and isn't for user input.
Still, Celeste, surely users reading assistive technology still need to know what the information in the final column is for, right? How will they know that if the field isn't labeled? Or am I misunderstanding?
-deborah
From: Celeste Mackintosh
Date: Mon, Jun 28 2010 10:15PM
Subject: Re: Is a label element helpful here?
← Previous message | Next message →
Thanks Deborah and Info LearnAccessibility.
Yes Deborah - the final column of the form does auto fill based on Javascript - it isn't for user input.
I guess I'm a little confused about JavaScript and screen readers - will the updated content appear for screen reader users? Or would a link above the table to a spreadsheet document containing all the values etc. the table calculates off be more useful?
I guess my question is: are screen reader users able to use this table - if they are, then definitely the labels are important. If not, is there any added value in having them here? Also, since at the moment if you look at this library's version of the calculator, the label text in that last row is just a $ sign - is this helpful?
Sorry about all of this - just trying to work this all out!
Thank you all :)
From: David Farough
Date: Tue, Jun 29 2010 10:51AM
Subject: Re: Is a label element helpful here?
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Hi Celeste:
It would be better if the updated values were written directly into the
last cell of the table. You are right, since user input is not required
for this field it would be better if that field was not an edit field in
the tab order. I found on occasion, that I sometimes got stuck in this
area and that pressing tab did not take me to the next user input field
in cell 1 of the table. Instead I was going to the cell below the
update value.
another thing I should point out is that if you are going to have this
as an edit field, that it should be a read only edit field. This way, a
user will not inadvertently erase the highlighted value.
This table was coded properly so that moving from cell to cell would
cause the screen reader to speak the column header as well as the text
contained in the cell.
My screen reader was speaking the updated values in Cell 3 if I moved
back up a row after tabbing to the next user input area.
However in earlier versions of Jaws, the user needs to turn off forms
mode before moving up to the updated data.
David Farough
Application Accessibility Coordinator/coordonateur de l'accessibilité
Information Technology Services Directorate /
Direction des services d'information technologiques
Public Service Commission / Commission de la fonction publique
Email / Courriel: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Tel. / Tél: (613) 992-2779
>>> Celeste Mackintosh < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > 06:57 PM
Monday, June 28, 2010 >>>
Hi everyone,
I'm looking at making a tool like this one
http://maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm for our library (this is
a free tool available through the American Library Association, created
by the Massachusetts Library Association).
My question is, since in the last column of this table/form, user input
isn't actually what's being sought, is having a label element here
helpful? Here's an example of a row - check out the final table cell to
see the input I'm talking about:
<tr>
<td><input type="text" name="child" id="child" size="5"
onchange="doCalculator()" tabindex="3" /></td>
<td><label for="child">Children Books
Borrowed</label></td>
<td><label for="childResult">$
<input type="text" id="childResult" size="5"
value="0.00" /></label></td>
</tr>
We're also going to link to a non-javascript straight table of relative
values or a spreadsheet. Does this last label element need to be there?
Having the label element for the first input seems useful, since it
means a wider area where people can click to get access to that input,
but the last one the label seems not so helpful...
Any help would be really appreciated! :)
Many thanks,
Celeste