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Re: 2.4.4 Link purpose (In context)

for

From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Mar 7, 2020 3:04AM

On 07/03/2020 07:50, Birkir R. Gunnarsson wrote:
> With some "creative interpretation".
> The success criterion requires visible labels, it doesn't say "visible
> label when empty " or "visible labels when filled in", which I take to
> mean the form control labels have to be visible in both states.
> In other words, the visible labels have to be there when you load the
> page and they also have to be there after you've filled in the text
> inputs, the value of a text input is not a visible and descriptive
> label for the input (2.4.6 again).

Agree. By saying that it requires a visible label - without qualifiers
about how long the label remains visible, when it shows up, etc - the SC
is admittedly vague and left up to interpretation, but when considering
the intent that essentially says "user must know what they're actually
expected to put in" and imagining a scenario where a field is pre-filled
or the user set focus on a field, then got distracted/had to do
something else, and then returns to the page again...and they find that
none of the prefilled fields and the field that currently has focus show
any label, that would then fail.

See https://github.com/w3c/wcag/issues/864 where at least one other AGWG
agrees :)

> Theoretically, does it pass if visible label is only display on
> hover/focus? It's up to interpretation I guess (and possibly it could
> be argued that it would suffice).
> I choose not to believe it. *grin*
> I've seen a stronger argument in the past, I'm sure about it, but I
> also fail to find it now.

I've strongly argued against a particular example given in WCAG, but
opinion seems to be split https://github.com/w3c/wcag/issues/755

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

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