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Re: Title Attribute (was Re: IMG with a caption?)

for

From: John Foliot - WATS.ca
Date: Mar 11, 2005 11:22AM

webmaster29 wrote:

> So I can not use tool tips if I build a BUI (browser user interface)
> application. It is the news for me.

That is not *exactly* what I said, but close enough. The real issue is not
to *DEPEND* on the tool tip function to provide information that is not
available in another fashion. Subtle, but important difference.

> In general my opinion is that the browsers are to support
> some universal
> basic standards. Even TITLE attribute IE and Firefox display
> differently. Worse than that the length of the displayed text
> is different.

Right, but that assumes that all browsers (user agents) are installed and
running on a standard tower or laptop configuration. But what of other
devices? Or Adaptive Technology browsers? I constantly go on about the
fact that universal accessibility is so much more than just blind users, but
what of them? If they can't "see" the tool tip, they had better be able to
still get to the important information, no?

>
> In an ideal world the Safari, IE, Firefox, Opera people seat together
> once in a while and agree on some basic standard features.

Well, the W3C has set the standards, but left the implementation to the
developers to best deliver the intent to their focus users. Title attribute
is an important and useful attribute, but *mandating* that it do one thing
over another is wrong... Mandating IBM HomePageReader to show a tool tip is
just plain foolish (although it can, and I believe does, as they use IE's
rendering engine). However, since most blind users I know don't use a mouse
anyway , it's kind of a mute point don't you think?

> It would
> prevent appearance of such code just to figure out what
> browser user has:
>
> if (document.all){
> ...
> }else if (window.sidebar){
> ...
> }else if( window.opera && window.print ) {
> ...
> }

But why are you doing such hacks in the first place. Why do we, as
developers, need to hijack the client's user agent? Let the client
configure their agent as they require... Stop trying to tell the end user
you know better than them how to set up and run their machines.

>
> I do not think that, if there is, for example, the standard way to
> display TITLE or a clear function to indicate what browser user has,
> say, whatbroswer();, that it would hinder innovation.

Well... A) you have not yet made a clear case as to why the title attribute
"must" display a tool tip. B) there are other cross browser solutions which
could deliver this type of "visual functionality" that could still address
accessibility... Roughly speaking here I'm thinking of a with display
properties set via CSS that could create a show and hide scenario based upon
the :hover selector... (but don't have the time to hack it out here).

>
> We will see how it goes further this summer when IE7 comes out.

Relying on a specific user agent to deliver functionality that is not
available to other user agents is contrary to the accessible design
principle. (Besides, I hope IE expends more time/effort on security than it
does on "pretty", or "whiz-bang" tricks).

JF

--
John Foliot <EMAIL REMOVED>
Web Accessibility Specialist / Co-founder of WATS.ca
Web Accessibility Testing and Services
http://www.wats.ca 1.866.932.4878 (North America)