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RE: Flash problem--and Contribute problem....

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From: Bob Regan
Date: Nov 1, 2005 7:40AM

Hi there,

First, the question here is about handling of the Object element in
HTML. Ideally, you would be able to provide a text equivalent for your
embedded content (i.e. Flash) by adding content to the Object element.
This will allow pages to validate with Bobby. However, the bad news is
that content delivered using the Object element is unevenly supported by
the browsers and assistive technology.

With DW, you have a preference that will prompt you for an equivalent as
Flash content is inserted. This preference is enabled in DW8 by default.
You can turn it on in MX and MX04. Equivalents are then stored in the
title attribute of the Object element. This is a valid technique in
HTML. I am not certain if Bobby will flag it as an issue or not. These
equivalents are read by Window Eyes, but not JAWS.

The alternative would be to place the alternative within the content of
the Object element. The problem here is that IE (still a popular
browser) will display this as content.

Given the complexities, we decided not to prompt for this equivalent in
Contribute. It needs to be much simpler for the average Contribute
customer.

IMHO, the easiest thing to do is to place the equivalent at the root
level of the Flash movie itself. It has the widest support and does not
disrupt the visual design.



Cheers,
Bob


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bob regan | macromedia