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Thread: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm

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Number of posts in this thread: 8 (In chronological order)

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 10:50AM
Subject: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a layout or data
table?

I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows that JAWS
thinks is a layout table, although the author intends it to be a data
table. It looks like all the cells have content of some type.

Thanks!
Tim

From: Chris Hoffman
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 11:00AM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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On Thu, 2008-03-13 at 09:45 -0700, Tim Harshbarger wrote:
> Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a layout or data
> table?
>
> I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows that JAWS
> thinks is a layout table, although the author intends it to be a data
> table. It looks like all the cells have content of some type.

Hi Tim,

I don't know for sure, but I imagine having thead, tbody and th elements
would make it an obvious data table, since layout tables are probably
going to be all td's.

Chris

From: Moore, Michael
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 11:10AM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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Is JAWS not announcing the table at all, or is it just not announcing
row and column headers? On my system, which is configured for JAWS not
to announce layout tables, JAWS will announce any table that includes TH
elements. I can also navigate to those tables using the "t" key.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Tim
Harshbarger
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:46 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm

Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a layout or data
table?

I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows that JAWS
thinks is a layout table, although the author intends it to be a data
table. It looks like all the cells have content of some type.

Thanks!
Tim

From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 1:00PM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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Mike said:
> On my system, which is configured for JAWS not
> to announce layout tables, JAWS will announce any table that includes TH
> elements. I can also navigate to those tables using the "t" key.

Wow! I shudder to think of how many data tables on our site have no TH elements. One of many things to put on the list for our developers to clean up!

Cliff Tyllick
Web development coordinator
Agency Communications Division
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
512/239-4516
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 1:50PM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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Chris,

Thanks for the suggestion. I just tried adding th elements. It
evidently already had a tbody element, but no thead. Unfortunately, its
still treating it like a layout table.

Thanks!
Tim


>-----Original Message-----
>From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of
>Chris Hoffman
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:53 AM
>To: WebAIM Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
>
>On Thu, 2008-03-13 at 09:45 -0700, Tim Harshbarger wrote:
>> Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a
>layout or data
>> table?
>>
>> I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows that
>> JAWS thinks is a layout table, although the author intends
>it to be a
>> data table. It looks like all the cells have content of some type.
>
>Hi Tim,
>
>I don't know for sure, but I imagine having thead, tbody and
>th elements would make it an obvious data table, since layout
>tables are probably going to be all td's.
>
>Chris
>
>

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 2:00PM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
← Previous message | Next message →

Mike,

Thanks for the suggestion. JAWS isn't announcing the table--like it
thinks it is a layout table. I tried adding in th elements and it seems
to ignore them.

I guess I might need to rebuild the table from scratch and keep adding
back items to it until I can recreate the problem.

Thanks!
Tim

>-----Original Message-----
>From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of
>Moore, Michael
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 12:04 PM
>To: WebAIM Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
>
>Is JAWS not announcing the table at all, or is it just not
>announcing row and column headers? On my system, which is
>configured for JAWS not to announce layout tables, JAWS will
>announce any table that includes TH elements. I can also
>navigate to those tables using the "t" key.
>
>Mike
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Tim
>Harshbarger
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:46 AM
>To: WebAIM Discussion List
>Subject: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
>
>Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a layout
>or data table?
>
>I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows
>that JAWS thinks is a layout table, although the author
>intends it to be a data table. It looks like all the cells
>have content of some type.
>
>Thanks!
>Tim
>

From: Vicki
Date: Thu, Mar 13 2008 4:50PM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
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Tim,

Are you using the caption element and the summary attribute? If not,
these may help identify the table as data not layout.

Vicki. :-)

From: Moore, Michael
Date: Fri, Mar 14 2008 8:00AM
Subject: Re: JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
← Previous message | No next message

Tim,

If you would like to send me a link, I will take a look and see if I can
figure out what's going on for you.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Tim
Harshbarger
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:55 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm

Mike,

Thanks for the suggestion. JAWS isn't announcing the table--like it
thinks it is a layout table. I tried adding in th elements and it seems
to ignore them.

I guess I might need to rebuild the table from scratch and keep adding
back items to it until I can recreate the problem.

Thanks!
Tim

>-----Original Message-----
>From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Moore,
>Michael
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 12:04 PM
>To: WebAIM Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
>
>Is JAWS not announcing the table at all, or is it just not announcing
>row and column headers? On my system, which is configured for JAWS not

>to announce layout tables, JAWS will announce any table that includes
>TH elements. I can also navigate to those tables using the "t" key.
>
>Mike
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Tim
>Harshbarger
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:46 AM
>To: WebAIM Discussion List
>Subject: [WebAIM] JAWS 9 and the Layout Table Algorithm
>
>Does anyone know how JAWS 9 determines if a table is a layout or data
>table?
>
>I seem to be looking at a HTML table with 2 columns and 3 rows that
>JAWS thinks is a layout table, although the author intends it to be a
>data table. It looks like all the cells have content of some type.
>
>Thanks!
>Tim
>