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Re: Best way to set up links to documents

for

From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: Oct 6, 2008 11:40AM

Thanks, Mike! Most of our forms are available through a search function (probably completely inaccessible, but we're working on a replacement), and I'm working on adding pages that list all forms for a specific program (usually five or 10; sometimes up to several dozen). I'll see if I can get our developers to adopt the two-list model.

We also have a lot of pages that tell how to do something and link to one, two, or several forms needed to get that "something" done. Are there any good solutions for links that will occur within the narrative of the page and must point to more than one format?

(Why more than one format? Even when electronic submission is possible, we are required to get a paper copy. Ideally, all our forms would be in html with a print CSS option, but that's a long way off. Until something changes, our customers are all over the map with respect to the format they prefer and their reasons for that preference. We do our best to help them comply with the rules.)

Cliff Tyllick

>>> "Moore, Michael" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > 10/6/2008 8:27 AM >>>
Keith and Cliff

We use icons with alt text to display links to all of the forms in our
forms catalog. This is still cumbersome though. The full catalog
displays over 400 forms which means 1200 total links in a links list
(Word, PDF, and Instructions for each form). We have smaller lists by
agency division as well, but the lists are still very long.

We also have a search feature to aid in discovering the form. We have
not received any negative feedback from users about the need to add the
word download to the icon link. It seems intuitive enough for the users
since the pages are part of a forms catalog.

The title attribute is not a reliable way to convey the information.
Even when configured to read the title screen readers (JAWS versions) do
not always read the title on links, form fields, or images.

I like some of the other proposed methods such as creating separate
lists with only one format available per list.

Mike Moore

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Cliff Tyllick
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 1:57 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Best way to set up links to documents

Good question, Keith. This comes up all the time here, so I would also
like feedback. I wonder about these options:

1. As you first described, but adding the form name to the "title"
attribute:

Disability Verification Form (MS Word file)

Disability Questionnaire (MS Word file)

Application for Services (MS Word file)
Does having unique title attributes overcome the "same wording,
different target" issue?

2. Creating a data table, which I can only approximate here, and simply
use icons representing each file format as links. Approximation:

Form Name in MS Word in PDF
[<--- column headers]
[row headers in this column]
Disability Verification Form [Word icon] [PDF icon]
Disability Questionnaire [Word icon] [PDF icon]
Application for Services [Word icon] [PDF icon]

If the alt text for each image is the form name plus the format, then
people using JAWS would know what each is regardless of whether they
were in Tables mode. Also, people using screen magnifiers could tell
what each is even if the headings aren't in their field of view because
alt text should display on mouseover.

Thoughts? Preferences?

Cliff Tyllick
Web development coordinator
Agency Communications Division
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
512-239-4516
<EMAIL REMOVED>

>>> Keith Parks < <EMAIL REMOVED> > 10/3/2008 1:22 PM >>>
Hi folks.

I looking for recommendations/best practices for handling a list of
links to downloadable forms. Currently I have a page of links to Word
files, set up like this...


Disability Verification Form (MS Word file)

Disability Questionnaire (MS Word file)

Application for Services (MS Word file)


...where the name of the document is the hyperlinked text. The client
wants to add PDF version of the documents linked up.

One way I've seen would be something like...

Disability Verification Form (MS Word file, PDF file)

Disability Questionnaire (MS Word file, PDF file)

Application for Services (MS Word file, PDF file)

where the words "MS Word file" and "PDF file" were the links to the
documents. But then you have both non-descriptive link text plus
identical words on the page that link to different things. A real no-
no, yes?

What seems theoretically the most "correct" way would be...

Disability Verification Form (MS Word file)
Disability Verification Form (PDF file)

Disability Questionnaire (MS Word file)
Disability Questionnaire (PDF file)

Application for Services (MS Word file)
Application for Services (PDF file)

... where the entire text is the link. But some of the forms have
fairly long names, and the repetition of the names ends up confusing
to my eye, especially when they wrap.

Authorization for Release of Information from Student Disability
Services [MS Word file]
Authorization for Release of Information from Student Disability
Services [PDF file]

Authorization for Release of Information from Outside Agency [MS Word
file]
Authorization for Release of Information from Outside Agency [PDF file]

Has anyone tackled this sort of thing from a different angle that I'm
not thinking of?

TIA,
Keith

******************************
Keith Parks
Graphic Designer/Web Designer
Student Affairs Communications Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7444
(619) 594-1046
mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED>
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/communications

http://kparks.deviantart.com/gallery
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