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From: julian.rickards
Date: Wed, Oct 08 2003 12:02PM
Subject: RE:
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I disagree on some of the material there and someone else I wrote to
recently agreed with me.

The problem with the tutorial are the examples where the top row and left
column both have headings - at the intersection of the the two is the top
left cell which has a heading ("Name"). To what does the heading refer? Is
it a heading for the column headers to its right or is it a heading for the
row headers below? One needs to read the content to determine the answer. As
far as I am concerned, there are three solutions.

(1) Use only column headers much like a database where the top row
identifies the type of information found in the cells below.

(2) The top left cell should be left blank (empty) then the row headers
would apply to the cells to the right and the column headers would apply to
the cells below. The headers need the scope attributes to ensure that the
headers are handled in the correct direction.

(2) Add an additional layer of headers which are spanned across the other
row or column headers. Take the first example shown in the tutorial,
information about Shelly's daughters. Again, like #2 above, left the top
left corner cells empty. Create a spanned cell above "Age" and "Birthday"
and insert "Properties" (not a good phrase but the point should come
across). Create a spanned cell to the left of "Jackie" and "Beth" and insert
"Names". Add markup with the header and id attributes so that "January 14"
is associated with "Name", "Beth", "Properties" and "Birthday".

---------------------------------------------------------
Julian Rickards
Digital Publications Distribution Coordinator
Publications Services Section
Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Phone: (705) 670-5608
Fax: (705) 670-5690