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W3C

Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

Working Draft 24 November 2001

Section 2: implementation techniques for guideline 2

This version:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/WD-ATAG10-TECHS-20011124/imp2
Latest version:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/ATAG10-TECHS/imp2
Previous version:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/WD-ATAG10-TECHS-20010801/imp2
editors of this chapter:

Charles McCathieNevile

Jan Richards

Copyright ©1999 - 2001 W3C® (MIT, INRIA, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C liability, trademark, document use and software licensing rules apply.

Brief table of contents

Guideline 2. Generate standard markup.

ATAG 2.1 Use the latest versions of W3C Recommendations when they are available and appropriate for a task. [Priority 2] (Checkpoint 2.1)
  • T0082 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Programming tools technique When creating documents or markup languages, make full use of W3C Recommendations (see WCAG 11.1, P2). For example, when creating mathematical content for the Web use MathML [MATHML] rather than another markup language. Use applicable HTML 4 [HTML4] structures.[Required] @@
  • T0083 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Programming tools technique Do not publish Web content in markup languages that do not allow for equivalent alternative information to be included for media-specific presentations (such as images or video, sound, etc). Where this cannot be avoided, make the information directly available from the content generated. For example, convert the text equivalent of an image to a caption for the image, or provide a "base" page that includes links to alternative versions of content.[Required] @@
  • T0084 Markup tools technique Content tools technique When inserting objects such as spreadsheets or word processor documents, offer the option of providing a Web-formatted version. For example, a spreadsheet or a word processor document in a proprietary format could also be published as an HTML document. Tools that dynamically generate Web content may use HTTP content negotiation to facilitate this.[Required] @@
  • T0085 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Programming tools technique A modular design that allows for the inclusion of languages will permit tools to have a language "available" later in their development cycle, or may allow tools to use languages which are not specified at the time of development. Specifications that become W3C Recommendations after an authoring tool's development cycles permit input are not considered "available" in time. (Suggested)
Reference:

As of 18 September 2000 @@-update this list the following languages are W3C Recommendations (latest versions given):

ATAG 2.2 Ensure that the tool automatically generates valid markup. [Priority 1] (Checkpoint 2.2)
  • T0086 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Programming tools technique Ensure that the markup produced by the tool, in any of its supported languages, is valid.[Required] @@
  • T0087 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Publish proprietary language specifications or DTDs on the Web, to allow documents to be validated.[Required] @@
  • T0088 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique Use namespaces and schemas to make documents that can be automatically transformed to a known markup language.[Required] @@
Reference:
  • Validation tools are available. For example, [HTML-XML-VALIDATOR].
  • WAI Protocols and Formats draft notes on creating accessible markup languages [XMLGL].
ATAG 2.3 If markup produced by the tool does not conform to W3C specifications, inform the author. [Priority 3] (Checkpoint 2.3)
  • T0089 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique To minimally meet this checkpoint, a tool must somehow inform the author that the markup produced does not conform to W3C specifications. This might be done with a statement on the saving dialog or with an alert that is displayed following a save.(Suggested)
  • T0090 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Invalid markup can be highlighted through the use of style sheets.(Suggested)
  • T0091 Markup tools technique Multimedia tools technique Content tools technique If the tool produces inaccessible markup, whether it is valid or not, see ATAG 4.1 for checking techniques.(Suggested)

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