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Re: Empty <P> Tags For Spacing

for

From: Lars Ballieu Christensen
Date: Feb 8, 2022 10:36AM

Even if the p-element contains a Unicode character 000D, very few people would consider this to qualify as a paragraph.

In my opinion, there are two basic rules for creating accessible content: 1.. Use the tools/technologies/features as intended; and (2) Do not abuse tools/technologies/features for things that they were not intended for.

The p-element was never intended to create (visual) space; it is a structural element intended to span and identify a paragraph. Any other use is, in my humble opinion, abuse.

Venligst/Kind regards

Lars
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Lars Ballieu Christensen
Rådgiver/Adviser, Ph.D., M.Sc., Sensus ApS
Specialister i tilgængelighed/Accessibility Consultants
Tel: +45 48 22 10 03 – Mobil: +45 40 32 68 23 - Skype: Ballieu
Mail: <EMAIL REMOVED> – Web: https://www.sensus.dk

Vi arbejder for et tilgængeligt og rummeligt informationssamfund
Working for an accessible and inclusive information society



On 08/02/2022, 18.24, " <EMAIL REMOVED> on behalf of <EMAIL REMOVED> " < <EMAIL REMOVED> on behalf of <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

The <p> tag itself contains "real content" because it holds Unicode character 000D = CR/carriage return, which is part of the set of control characters in content and Unicode.

It may be invisible, but it's there nonetheless. Select a blank <P> tag in a PDF, expand it to show its yellow content container box, and the hidden character is highlighted in blue. Invisible or not, there's something there inside the <P> tag.

The purpose of our accessibility standards — WCAG, PDF/UA, EPUB, etc. — is to specifically define how to remove ALL barriers for those using assistive technologies. (And for all humans using any other technology, too.)

At a minimum, blank returns are a nuisance to the humans trying to read and navigate the document. But there are technologies where these blank returns cause reflow problems that in turn, create full-blown accessibility barriers to some users.

It's the responsibility of BOTH the accessibility standards AND the assistive technologies to deal with these. Therefore, ban them in the standards and require the A T manufacturers to also deal with them for their users.

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