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RE: Length of Alt Tags

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Dec 13, 2002 5:43PM


I apologize. I was completely wrong (again). I find no limitation on the
length alt text either in the HTML document or with current versions of
Window-Eyes, HPR or JAWS. So the issue is only what is appropriate - and I
still (with head hanging low) recommend that alt text be kept as short as
possible.

Jim
Accessibility Consulting
http://jimthatcher.com
512-306-0931
508 Web accessibility Tutorial: http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: MacKay, Graham (JUS) [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 3:28 PM
To: ' <EMAIL REMOVED> '; ' <EMAIL REMOVED> '
Subject: RE: Length of Alt Tags


Jim:

Could you please provide your reference stating the alt text is limited to
255/256 characters? I have NEVER heard of such a limitation. I have heard
many people make SUGGESTIONS and give OPINIONS on what they consider "too
long". But this is the first technical limit I have heard of. I would be
very interested to read your source for this.

I quote: http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/objects.html#h-13.8 which
specifies no such limit.

And: Yucca (in a recent UseNet post) at
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=html+alt+text+character+limit&;hl=en&lr=&ie
=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns92884B7FF1B60jkorpelacstutfi%40193.229.0.31&rnum=2

Please advise.
GM


-----Original Message-----

Jim then told me:

"The alt text should be the text of the image. That
text is limited to 256(maybe 255) characters, and JAWS
used to have its limit at 150, as I remember."



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