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RE: "scope" question regarding tables

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From: julian.rickards@ndm.gov.on.ca
Date: Mar 2, 2004 7:29AM

From what you have shown, I don't think scope would be sufficient. Yout
table is what I describe as a complex table and would therefore need
id/headers attributes but it could be simplified to use only scope or not
even scope.

Take out the table header row and make that text the <caption>.

Combine the "spicyness" name with the rating using either Mild (0-3) or
Mild<br>0-3 and that would reduce rows 2 and 3 to a single row.

The text "Special Price on Select Items" does not describe either the header
cells to the right or the cells below, I would suggest moving this text to
either the <caption> or outside of the table such as a heading preceding the
table (if you use both a heading and a caption, you could put "special
price..." as the caption and salsa sauces as the heading).

You may then wish to replace "Special Price ... " with "Product Names" or
something similar to describe the products below. Considering that the cells
to the right do not relate to each other well (Regular/Sale Price may to
each other but not in combination with Mild/Medium/Spicy: the only
similarity they have is to describe the cell contents below each).

Finally, you are left with one row of headers and data below. This is now a
simple table and, in my books, as long as you mark up the top row with <th>,
you don't really need scope at all although I believe Paul, in another
posting, recommended using it anyway and I don't have a problem with that.

Jules

---------------------------------------------------------
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-----
From: Kharmen Roman [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 7:29 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: "scope" question regarding tables


Hello,

I'm unsure of the "scope", i.e.scope="col", scope="row", that is needed to
be defined if I have a table of the following format:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|Salsa Sauces
| table header
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|Special Price on Select Items | Regular Price | Sale Price | Mild | Medium
| Spicy | row 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|
| 0-3 | 4-7 | 8-10 | row 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|Tex-Mex | 2.99 | n/a
| x | row 4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|Chi-Chipotle | 4.50 | 3.50 |
x | row 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
|Happy Habanero | 5.25 | 4.50 |
x | row 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
| Too Hot to Handle (for us) | | |
x | row 7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

"Salsa Sauces" is the table header with scope="col"
Row 2:
* Does a scope="row" belong in the first table cell of that row, in this
case "Special Price on Select Items"
* The remaining cols in row 2 are the next level of table headers
Row 3: Spiciness ratings
* These cells are the next level of table headers.
Row 4:
* Can the scope="col" from row 3 pertain to data in a nested table (needed
for formatting) that contains the "x", which depicts where on the scale of 0
- 10 level of spiciness? And is the scope="row" in the nested table valid?

The "x" would be an image with alt text indicate the numeric value on the
scale.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Kharmen


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