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Re: coding attributes for image links

for

From: Jared Smith
Date: May 5, 2009 2:35PM

The title attribute is intended for advisory information. By my
interpretation, if the title text is necessary for accessibility,
that's probably more than 'advisory'. And if the title text is the
same as the visible text (or alt text), then this isn't really
advisory either - it's duplicated information.

So in the example you posted, as long as the necessary information to
make the image accessible is provided in the alt text, then you can
provide whatever other advisory information in the title attribute.

I would add the title attribute to either the link or the image. In
this case, the title seems to be more associated with the image rather
than the link. Just remember that title typically is not read by
screen readers, but it *could* be read, so it's a good idea to keep
that advisory information succinct.

IE shows alt text in a tooltip. It shouldn't. This is a misapplication
of alt text. An empty title does suppress this tooltip in IE, but I
wouldn't really worry about it.

Jared Smith
WebAIM.org