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Re: using "label for=" on things other than inputs

for

From: Steve Faulkner
Date: Feb 19, 2016 5:12PM

FYI the list of labelable elements in HTML5 includes
- button <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-button-element>;
- input <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-input-element>; (if the
type <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#attr-input-type>; attribute is
*not* in the hidden
<http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#hidden-state-(type=hidden)> state)
- keygen <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-keygen-element>;
- meter <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-meter-element>;
- output <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-output-element>;
- progress <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-progress-element>;
- select <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-select-element>;
- textarea <http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#the-textarea-element>;

http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#category-label


On Friday, 19 February 2016, Detlev Fischer < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> Short question: When checking forms for a11y, I often see that 'label'
> with an explicit association via the 'for' attribute is used on things
> other than input elements. For example, on a button that will add a user
> via a pseudo popup dialog, or on text that is read-only because a user may
> not have permission to input data at this point.
> The label does not activate the button so using it does not extend the
> click area for mouse users as is the case with checkboxes or radio buttons.
> The proper label of the button is of course given via the value of the
> button (or link text of links made to look like buttons).
>
> So the question I have come up with is whether
> (A) I should dissuade developers from using label on content that is
> not suitable
> as a labeled control even though the use may be harmless
> (B) Whether this unintended use of label for="" would violate 4.1.2 or
> is actually harmless
>
> One reason for using label for developers is of course that they can apply
> the same styling to label elements regardless of whether they are labels of
> inputs or labels of other stuff that is not an input (read-only content,
> buttons etc.). There can also be different variants of a form where
> depending on the rights of the user an element may be a proper input or
> read-only content, so it is probably unreasonable to expect developers to
> create different variants of the same form mark-up depending on permission
> rights.
>
>
> --
> Detlev Fischer
> testkreis - das Accessibility-Team von feld.wald.wiese
> c/o feld.wald.wiese
> Thedestraße 2
> 22767 Hamburg
>
> Mobil +49 (0)157 57 57 57 45
> Fax +49 (0)40 439 10 68-5
>
> http://www.testkreis.de
> Beratung, Tests und Schulungen für barrierefreie Websites
>
>
>
>
>
> > > > >


--
--

Regards

SteveF
Current Standards Work @W3C
<http://www.paciellogroup.com/blog/2015/03/current-standards-work-at-w3c/>;