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Re: Forms and Section 508

for

From: Leo Smith
Date: Mar 26, 2002 7:41AM

I sometimes place a form elements's label directly in the element
as default text (value="") or as a selected item, as this label is
guaranteed to be associated with the form control. I do this when
providing a text label before or after the control, with appropriate
<label> markup is not possible. The only disadvantage with doing
this for text fields is that the user has to delete the entry first. For
list boxes (also used as drop down link menus) this isn't an issue:
<option value="" selected>quick links</option>

I got this idea from Jim Thatcher's online tutorials which I have
found to be very useful, although I cannot get the link to work this
morning.

http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse8.htm/

Leo.



On 25 Mar 2002, at 15:08, Kevin Spruill wrote:

Hello all,  In the midst of a methodology debate, and am
interested in practical feedback. The Section 508 guidelines state:
 "(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-
line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to
access the information, field elements, and functionality required
for completion and submission of the form, including all directions
and cues." - and the training materials then go on to discuss
proper use of labels, etc. to assure accessibility. The training
materials also say:  "Don't configure the fields with default text
entry, since an AT user expects to encounter blank space for a
field so he can enter his own information"  Which is fine except
for the fact that it contradicts the W3C recommendation which
states:  "10.4 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly,
include default,
place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas."  Now,
without getting into a spirit vs. letter of the law argument, I'm
wondering just which approach is best for the user? Any
thoughts?  Thanx in advance!


Leo Smith
Web Designer/Developer
USM Office of Publications and Marketing
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4774


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