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Table footnotes <tfoot>, <figure> or <section> ?

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From: Rabab Gomaa
Date: May 16, 2013 8:53AM

Hello,

How to code table footnotes in HTML 5?
- HTML 5 example specifies <figure> to code table footnotes. However, we prefer not to use <figure> for data tables. We use <table> and <caption>instead.
http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/common-idioms.html#footnotes.
- On the other hand, WCAG working group WIKI has a failure of 1.3.1 for not including footnotes in TFOOT. [Bruce].
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/wiki/Techniques/HTML5
- In WebAIM thread (2011), Jared mentioned that TFOOT is not for footnotes.
http://webaim.org/discussion/mail_thread?thread=4985
- WET proposes the use of definition list for footnotes however the solution not mention data tables and how table and its footnotes can be combined together.
https://github.com/wet-boew/wet-boew/wiki/Footnotes

1) Is TFOOT the right thing to use for footnotes?

2) If TFOOT should not be used for footnotes, then I propose wrapping table and its footnotes with a <section> and coding the footnotes in definition list. What do you think? For example:


<section>
<table>
<!--TABLE HERE-->
</table>
<div role="note">
<section>
<h2 class="wb-invisible">Footnotes</h2>
<dl>
<!--FOOTNOTES HERE-->
</dl>
</section>
</div>
</section>


Rabab Gomaa