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RE: using table headers as form labels

for

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Oct 8, 2003 2:12PM

Paul,

I have asked the question before. I finally drew the conclusion that there
is no good solution.

The only other idea I might suggest is to use the title attribute to label
all the controls.

I think as long as someone insists the labels must appear in a tabular
format, it is a difficult problem to solve. I do believe it can be solved
with the fieldset, legend, and label elements, but then you don't end up
with the table format people seem to prefer.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 2:33 PM
>To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
>Subject: RE: using table headers as form labels
>
>
>All of the responses to the original question about forms and
>tables have provided some good information, but I don't think
>that any of them directly addressed the problem that was
>originally asked.
>
>The problem is not so much with tables per se, but with form
>labels. The original query referenced a page that was using
>table headers to perform the function of form labels. This
>makes sense to most visual users, but it does create problems
>for those who use screen readers.
>
>It is a problem that I have seen before, and which others have
>wondered about, but I don't recall ever seeing a satisfactory answer.
>
>I created a test page at
>http://www.webaim.org/temp/table-form.htm to see if I could
>come up with a good solution, but, to be honest, none of the
>solutions that I came up with are good enough.
>
>Please visit the test page and read my comments about each of
>the tests, then see if you can come up with something better.
>I'm hopeful that either someone else has already thought of a
>solution, or that we can come up with one as a result of this
>discussion.
>
>Thanks for your input.
>
>Paul Bohman
>Technology Coordinator
>WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
>www.webaim.org
>Center for Persons with Disabilities
>www.cpd.usu.edu
>Utah State University
>www.usu.edu
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kremers, Lindsay M. [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 11:28 AM
>To: ' <EMAIL REMOVED> '
>Subject:
>
>
>
>
>I am writing to you because Bobby is causing the current
>problem I am having and I hope you can assist me in overcoming
>it. I have been browsing through the discussion forum and am
>not finding results to my question. I have a page that has
>multiple input fields and limited text to use as labels. It is
>set up in a table with the checkboxes and text boxes listed in
>a separate columns. Is it possible to set a label tag in the
><th> and connect all the following input fields to that label?
> Here is an example of what I am trying to create... <<labels.html>>
>Obviously there is issues with the labeling on this page. I
>read in different forums that people place a display:none in
>the label tag, but I feel that defeats the purpose
>Accessibility. What do you suggest for this page? I read
>fieldsets can be used but I feel that is not the case in this
>page. Please help. Thanks!
>
>
>
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>


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