WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: proper use of labels

for

From: CFIT@list.webaim.org:Joshue O Connor
Date: Jun 16, 2005 5:55AM

Thanks Jukka for the interesting response.

For the record:

My comments were about the validity of using of the title attribute to
provide additional information to the user - and whether its use is
appropriate or not. The dates example is not my own - I just used it -
and I don't wish to enter into a debate about suitable date formats- it
sounds like you would win anyway.

My purport was:

<label for="info_field">Some Text : <input type="text" id="info_field" title="Some additional information that the user may find useful" /></label>

Is this not an appropriate use of the title attribute??

On your other points:

>In this case, the title attribute does not help much. Anyone who needs the
>information in it should instead see it as normal text before the field.
>
Absolutely. So the title attribute shouldn't be used at all if the
information is *needed* by the user.

>I would say that title attributes are useful for links, properly used,
>and mostly useless or worse for other elements.
>

Thats very interesting. How do others feel? Is the title attribute
redundant outside of providing additional "advisory" information for
links or does it have other positive applications?

>ttempts at explaining things so often turn
>into confusing distractions.
>
That is a very good point - but often clarification is needed.

>When a user mouses over a
>link, it is quite natural to expect that some advisory information about
>the destination is given, so that the user can make a better decision on
>following the link and can prepare herself for the page to come.
>
And it should work the same for non visual users by providing the same
"advisory information" (if the user has chosen to activate it in their
screenreader for example).

This brings up another interesting issue - As Jukka points out it is

>it is quite natural to expect that some advisory information about
>the destination is given
>
So why cant a screen reader user expect the same thing?? I know that its
a User Agent issue and the user *can* configure their UA to do this but
many screen reader users think that the HTML configuration options are
total overkill and there are many JAWS power users who don't go near
them at all!!!

Joshue O Connor

Web Accessibility Consultant

**Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT)* *
National Council for the Blind of Ireland

<EMAIL REMOVED> +353 1 8821915