WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Hiding mailto: links

for

From: Peter Krantz
Date: Feb 27, 2007 2:00AM

On 2/27/07, Emma Duke-Williams < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> However, it is a useful point, as I can review what I tell my students
> now! (I used to tell them to avoid mailto: links primarily because of
> the problems of spam - though I did tell them there was a chance that
> mailto doesn't work. I'll emphasise more the Mailto probably won't
> work anyway).

In my experience most OS:es come with a default email client
configured. However, to make sure as many as possible can send an
email you have to put the email address information in the page
content (not only in the mailto link).

I have been struggling to find a decent solution. Currently I am
looking at an unobtrusive javascript that turns constructs like these:

<span class="email">user dot <EMAIL REMOVED> </span>

...into

<a href="mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> "> <EMAIL REMOVED> </a>

This is nothing new, but what do you think? Obvious drawback is the
javascript requirement. Some advantages include that it is possible to
understand what the email adress is without javascript (although more
difficlut, especially for users with cognitive disporders I guess).

In many cases I would argue that from a user perspective you should
put the email address in the content without obfuscation and get a
decent spam filter instead.

Regards,

Peter Krantz
http://www.standards-schmandards.com