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Re: Using a definition list for footnote/asterisked items

for

From: Langum, Michael J
Date: Nov 1, 2010 8:57AM

As long as we're discussing footnotes. Wouldn't a screen reader user want to be able to follow a footnote, and then return to the text (where he left)?

From a usability point of view (for AT) I've always considered it good practice to have a "back-link" at the close of the footnote that will take me back to the place in the main body where the initial footnote link was located.

Opinions or Comments?

-- Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Pete Fairhurst
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 10:30 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Using a definition list for footnote/asterisked items

On 1 November 2010 13:05, Chris Hoffman < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> You could make a tenuous argument that sources "describe" the
> quotations attributed to them, but that's IMHO a very square peg in a very round hole.
>

I suspect you're probably right, but can't help being curious. :)

On 1 November 2010 13:09, Pratik Patel < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Can you share some example code that would typify the approach you're
> proposing. While I think I understand what you're trying to
> accomplish, I want to be absolutely certain.


The code I had in mind - for my asterisk example - was roughly as follows (apologies if this makes any of you cringe--just me kicking around a sketchy idea in code):

<!-- start of example -->

<p>A passage of text in the main body of the page content which may make one<a href="#footnote1">*</a> or perhaps two<a href="#footnote2">**</a> references to related information or clauses, using asterisks. More content would proceed after this, etc.</p>
<!-- ... -->

<!-- then, at the base of this main content, you'd have something like...
-->
<dl>
<dt id="footnote1">*</dt>
<dd>This is one example of a footnote, wrapped in a definition list and using asterisks for notation.</dd> <dt id="footnote2">**</dt> <dd>A second example of a footnote using asterisk notation.</dd> </dl>

<!-- end of example -->

That's it, basically. Nothing more complicated than that. Probably not a great idea though, I suspect, as it won't provide the sort of semantic/relational benefits I was hoping it might.

- Pete

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"Haste in art is almost always vulgarisation." H.G. Wells