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Re: column headings, labels, form elements

for

From: Carol Foster
Date: Aug 6, 2002 9:42AM

Related to this question, I have also been wondering about form labels for
forms in tables, e.g. where the column header really serves as the form
label for all the forms in that column. This conflicts with the HTML rules
that say one label goes with one form element only. I tried ignoring this
and using the column header/label for all the fields in that column because
maybe this is better for accessibility? But does this violate SEction 508
form criteria because the label/header is not adjacent to the elements, or
does a header count as being adjacent?

The complex form we were working with is at
http://www.umass-i495.net/registration/regform.cfm

Thanks,
Carol

P.S. Also related (in my mind at least) are questions about repeating the
same link text for links that go to different places when the links are
tabularized. The example I have in mind here is for campus links for
different Student Services at http://www.umassonline.net/services/. I know
this violates the WAI Priority 2 link text checkpoint; how would others
handle this? One possibility is the title field.


"Lori K. Brown" wrote:

> Dear WebAIM:
>
> I work on a web-based collaboration software product called SiteScape
> Forum. We are attempting to make the HTML that our product renders
> standards compliant and accessible in the coming version.
>
> In a number of instances we list entries in a table, and the first few
> columns of data include a checkbox that users can click to select the
> item for deletion. Currently, the column that contains that checkbox
> does not have any heading text above it, and there's really no logical
> (at least to us) space available in the table to render a label for each
> instance of the checkbox. Repetitive labeling ('this is the deletion
> checkbox') seems pretty pointless, and a waste of screen real estate.
>
> My questions:
>
> 1) Does every column of a data table HAVE to have some kind of text
> heading? I understand that column headings should be associated with the
> data they label, but do I in fact need to supply headings in the first
> place? (I think it's common sense, but we cannot come to agreement on
> this in my dept.)
>
> 2) Can I solve this problem by using a title attribute on the checkbox
> to label it for text reader users, since the purpose of the check box is
> readily apparent to sighted users?
>
> To make it easier to tell what the heck I'm talking about, I have
> uploaded a screen capture of the table I am talking about at:
> http://www.sitescape.com/other/tableslabels.gif
>
> The columns that do have headings above them are associated with their
> appropriate data with the tag scope="blah", as appropriate.
>
> Thanks in advance for any assistance.
>
> Lori K. Brown
> User Interface Engineer
> SiteScape, Inc.
>
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--
Carol Foster, Web Developer
Internet Publishing Group, Information Technology Services
University of Massachusetts, President's Office
phone: (413) 587-2130
fax: (413) 587-2148
mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED>
http://www.umass-its.net/ipg
--



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