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Re: Link Titles

for

From: Steve Faulkner
Date: Jul 3, 2012 12:08PM

Hi David,

I have written on the subject of title attribute use:
Using the HTML title attribute
http://www.paciellogroup.com/blog/2010/11/using-the-html-title-attribute/

which may be helpful.

regards
steveF

On 3 July 2012 18:32, David Ashleydale < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Hi,
>
> The HTML 4.0 spec says this about the TITLE attribute: "This attribute
> offers advisory information about the element for which it is set." My
> question has to do with non-mouse users that have no visual impairments.
> I've never seen a user agent that displays link TITLEs visually to anyone
> other than mouse users. Even if you can Tab to an element that has a TITLE,
> it doesn't visually display on the screen.
>
> Does this mean that web page authors should steer clear of using TITLEs?
>
> I sometimes use TITLEs on links to add some extra, advisory info. I
> wouldn't use it for essential information, but it seems like a "nice to
> have" in some cases. For example, I have a link that says "Small Business"
> with a TITLE that says, "Small Business. Serving businesses with up to $20
> million in annual revenue." This advisory info was deemed informative for
> people that happen to come across it, but not important enough to display
> as regular text on the page. The page owner figured that if some people saw
> it by using their mouse or heard it with their screen reader (if they had
> the right settings), great; if they didn't see it, whatever.
>
> I always try to do things semantically correct and I believe that I am
> using the TITLE attribute as it was meant to be used. However, I think user
> agents dropped the ball on this one. Until such a time as all of the user
> agents I support handle TITLEs correctly for non-mouse users, does TITLE
> need shoring up using things like JavaScript to display it on focus?
>
> Or would this be a case where the advisory info is not deemed essential, so
> if some people can access it and others can't, then so be it?
>
> Which of these do you think is the best current guideline for the use of
> link TITLEs?:
>
> 1. Only use for non-essential information. Keep in mind that some people
> will never encounter it. Even though mouse users can see it, most of
> them
> don't because they don't linger on the link -- they just click and go.
> 2. Whenever you use TITLEs on links, also add JavaScript to display the
> info on focus.
> 3. Don't use TITLE at all. If the info is truly non-essential, no one
> will miss it.
>
> Thanks,
> David
> > > >



--
with regards

Steve Faulkner
Technical Director - TPG

www.paciellogroup.com | www.HTML5accessibility.com |
www.twitter.com/stevefaulkner
HTML5: Techniques for providing useful text alternatives -
dev.w3.org/html5/alt-techniques/
Web Accessibility Toolbar - www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html