[html5] r3542 - [a] (0) Move summary text to table section.

[whatwg at whatwg.org]

Author: ianh
Date: 2009-08-05 16:16:09 -0700 (Wed, 05 Aug 2009)
New Revision: 3542

Modified:
   source
Log:
[a] (0) Move summary text to table section.

Modified: source
===================================================================
--- source	2009-08-05 22:19:06 UTC (rev 3541)
+++ source	2009-08-05 23:16:09 UTC (rev 3542)
@@ -29400,6 +29400,51 @@
   <p>Authors may also use other techniques, or combinations of the
   above techniques, as appropriate.</p>
 
+  <p>The <dfn title="attr-table-summary"><code>summary</code></dfn>
+  attribute on <code>table</code> elements was suggested in earlier
+  versions of the language as a technique for providing explanatory
+  text for complex tables for users of screen readers. One of the <a
+  href="#table-descriptions">techniques</a> described <!--in the
+  <code>table</code> section--> above should be used
+  instead. <!--Authors should not specify the <code
+  title="attr-table-summary">summary</code> attribute on
+  <code>table</code> elements. --> <!-- 2.65% pages --></p>
+
+  <p class="note">In particular, authors are encouraged to consider
+  whether their explanatory text for tables is likely to be useful to
+  the visually impaired: if their text would not be useful, then it is
+  best to not include a <code
+  title="attr-table-summary">summary</code> attribute. Similarly, if
+  their explanatory text could help someone who is not visually
+  impaired, e.g. someone who is seeing the table for the first time,
+  then the text would be more useful before the table or in the
+  <code>caption</code>. For example, describing the conclusions of the
+  data in a table is useful to everyone; explaining how to read the
+  table, if not obvious from the headers alone, is useful to everyone;
+  describing the structure of the table, if it is easy to grasp
+  visually, may not be useful to everyone, but it might also not be
+  useful to users who can quickly navigate the table with an
+  accessibility tool.</p>
+
+  <!--
+  <p class="note">Use of the <code
+  title="attr-table-summary">summary</code> attribute is discouraged
+  because in practice it is poorly understood. Because the attribute
+  is not exposed in visual user agents, authors who have included it
+  have typically not been able to test it, and have therefore set the
+  attribute to values that are of no use to users of accessibility
+  tools. This has lead to accessibility tools introducing heuristics
+  to try to avoid exposing such usage of the attribute to users. Even
+  the few authors who have made the best use of the attribute have
+  often misused it, for example by including text that would in fact
+  be useful for all users, or that is redundant with other information
+  on the page separate from the table.</p>
+
+  <p class="XXX">It has been suggested that the summary="" attribute
+  should not be obsolete, and the working group may vote on the matter
+  at some future point.</p>
+  -->
+
   <div class="impl">
 
   <p>If a <code>table</code> element has a <code
@@ -83805,33 +83850,11 @@
   attribute. The <code title="attr-id">id</code> attribute should be
   used instead.</p>
 
-  <p>Authors should not specify the <dfn
-  title="attr-table-summary"><code>summary</code></dfn> attribute on
-  <code>table</code> elements. <!-- 2.65% pages --> This attribute was
-  suggested in earlier versions of the language as a technique for
-  providing explanatory text for complex tables for users of screen
-  readers. One of the <a href="#table-descriptions">techniques</a>
-  described in the <code>table</code> section should be used
-  instead.</p>
+  <p class="note">The <code title="attr-table-summary">summary</code>
+  attribute, defined in the <code>table</code> section, will also
+  trigger a warning.</p>
 
-  <p class="note">Use of the <code
-  title="attr-table-summary">summary</code> attribute is discouraged
-  because in practice it is poorly understood. Because the attribute
-  is not exposed in visual user agents, authors who have included it
-  have typically not been able to test it, and have therefore set the
-  attribute to values that are of no use to users of accessibility
-  tools. This has lead to accessibility tools introducing heuristics
-  to try to avoid exposing such usage of the attribute to users. Even
-  the few authors who have made the best use of the attribute have
-  often misused it, for example by including text that would in fact
-  be useful for all users, or that is redundant with other information
-  on the page separate from the table.</p>
 
-  <p class="XXX">It has been suggested that the summary="" attribute
-  should not be obsolete, and the working group may vote on the matter
-  at some future point.</p>
-
-
   <div class="impl">
 
   <h4>Warnings for obsolete but conforming features</h4>