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Re: Using Tables

for

From: Sailesh Panchang
Date: Feb 15, 2012 8:03AM

Well there is another useful technique (via CSS) off-screen text that
provides extra text to make links and form controls accessible
essentially only to users relying on screen reading/magnifying
technologies.
No one objects to that and in fact overuses / misues it at times in
places not suggested by accessibility guidelines.
In effect invisible text rendered by off-screen technique is not
much different from invisible text rendered by an HTML attribute to
fix an accessibility barrier.
Why does one not say throw off the off-screen technique out of the window?
In truth extensive incorrect application and misuse of the table
summary technique for tables that really do not need them has given
one the general impression that it is a nuisance and serves no
purpose. So use it correctly and only where required.
And that brings me to a favorite point I like to make and have
conveyed to the WCAG-WG: misuse of, or incorrect / inconsistent
application of accessibility technique itself becomes a barrier for
users of Web content.
Sailesh Panchang
www.deque.com



On 2/10/12, Jared Smith < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 12:23 PM, Ted wrote:
>> Definitely need a summary for complex tables.
>
> I disagree. A few reasons why I think summary is almost universally a bad
> idea:
>
> 1. If the table is so complex that its structure needs to be explained
> to the user, it's too complex. Period.
>
> 2. Summary is screen-reader only and is forced upon the screen reader
> user each time the table is encountered. With proper table markup, the
> user should be able to quickly navigate the table to determine its
> content and structure, in the same way that sighted users must scan a
> table to determine its content and structure.
>
> 3. Summary is currently not part of HTML5.
>
> 4. Summary is NOT for presenting the purpose or content of the table.
> It's for describing its structure, when necessary (see #1). Probably
> 90% of summary attributes on the web get this wrong. If it's important
> that the purpose or content of the table be presented, this should be
> done in a way that is accessible to everyone (e.g., <caption>, etc.).
>
> It's a rarity to find a summary attribute that does much good. They
> are almost always a waste of time or an excuse for presenting an
> overly complex table. Or both.
>
> And no, I don't have strong feeling on the subject. :-)
>
> Jared
>