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RE: Adding a label to search box

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Apr 13, 2006 12:40PM


Jukka K. Korpela:
>> WRONG! For form controls title is totally reliable.

> Now, what about the rest, constituting more than 99 % of users?

The title attribute should be used when there is inadequate on screen
information to be grabbed by the label element. The 99% get the infomration
not from the tooltip but some other visual indicators. If that is not true
then obviously the page needs fixing. Typical examples include a text entry
field followied by a "Search" button. The entry field needs title="search".
Other examples are a phone number in three fields with one prompt, a zip
code in two fields with one prompt and radio buttons spanning from stongly
agree to strongly disagree - their position indicating degrees between the
two. All of these are made accessible to someone who cannot see the screen
by adding title attrbutes to the input elements; they are accessible to
someone who can see the screen (you say 99%) independent of the tooltip.

> The point is that the title attribute is useless as an accessibility
> measure. It's a "page toy", which you can use for fun and for extra
> comfort to some users.

Sure is a matter of opinion. And I strongly disagree!

Jim

Accessibility Consulting: http://jimthatcher.com/
512-306-0931