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RE: design/web standards

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From: julian.rickards@ndm.gov.on.ca
Date: Nov 14, 2003 12:39PM

Some accessibility checkers will flag any use of <script> but these programs
really can't know what is performed with the JavaScript. Image rollovers are
simply decorative and despite any flagging by accessibility checkers, no
harm is done by using them (as long as the image tag has an appropriate
alt). There may be other decorative uses or non-essential uses of JavaScript
- again, just igmore these. The problem is when you are using JS to generate
content - if JS is disabled, will a non-JS user get less information than a
JS user? This is where the <noscript> comes into play.

For example, we have a JS jumpmenu on our site. Using the onChange, when a
person selects a location from the list, JS will "jump" the person to that
location. The jumpmenu is a select list in a form. When JS is disabled, the
<noscript> comes into play and a form button appears which then submits the
option to an ASP page which redirects the user to the page selected. In this
way we have accomodated JS users and non-JS users because the functionality
is important. We used to use image rollovers on the navbar but we prefer to
use CSS hover instead but in that case, we wouldn't bother with <noscript>
because even without JavaScript, the link is still present, the original
graphic is still present and as long as the graphic had a valid alt, we
would be fine.

Helps?

---------------------------------------------------------
Julian Rickards
Digital Publications Distribution Coordinator
Publications Services Section
Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Phone: (705) 670-5608
Fax: (705) 670-5690


> -----Original Message-----
>
> What is the recommended practice when a particular <scrip>
> tag does not
> require any non-JS counterpart at that particular location in
> the document?
> For example when loading an external JS file, calling a JS
> function etc.
> Should you just add an empty <noscript> just to keep
> accessibility checkers
> happy?


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