Edit comment LC-2584 for Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

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Comment LC-2584: Comment Shortname:; Commenter: Charles Belov <charles.belov@sfmta.com>; Message-id:; Section of the document concerned:

or; Refinement of the section concerned:; Status:
assigned to; Type:; Resolution status:
Response drafted Resolution implemented Reply sent to commenter; Response status:
No response from Commenter yet Commenter approved disposition Commenter objected to disposition
Commenter's response (URI):; Comment:
The text only indicates that use of the proper tags will constitute an accessible simple table. There is nothing addressing:

1. What headings are sufficient.
2. Where they must go.
3. What must be in them.
4. What distinguishes the table as simple.

I have seen tables with an occasional blank column 1 in a body row, or with the same content repeated for several rows in column 1 where the contents of column 2, being unique, would be suitable for the row heading.

Also, I have encountered misunderstanding that the heading for a row is the contents of column 1 of that row; that is, the word "heading" in English, as opposed to in the specification, is taken to only mean what the specification would consider a column heading.

It would be better for the specification to be explicit.

Proposed Change:
Tests
Procedure

Add:

3. Check that row 1 column 1 is either blank or describes the contents of the entire column 1.
4. Check that row 1 subsequent columns are not blank (i.e. contain "column headings"), describe the contents of the entire column, and allow the reader to distinguish the difference in meaning between that column and immediately preceding and following columns.
5. Check that column 1 subsequent rows are not blank (i.e. contain "row headings"), describe the contents of the entire row, and allow the reader to distinguish the difference in meaning between that row and the immediately preceding rows.

Expected results

Add:

If tests 4 and 5 cannot be met, either a complex table may be required or this table would need to be broken into multiple simple tables.; Related issues: (space separated ids); WG Notes: We need to look at the HTML table techniques again. What is the relationship between H63, H43, and H51. Discussed on 12 April 2012 survey: https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35422/20120412misc/results#x2584. Reopened to provide response to commenter about why we are adding this clarification but not changing the test procedure.; Resolution: Those are all good practice but are not required by the success criterion. So adding them to the text and requiring them for this technique would make the technique narrower than required. They are good points though and should be brought to the readers attention. We are therefore incorporating the following text after the last paragraph of the description for H51: [DONE] Simple tables generally have only one level of headers for columns and/or one level of headers on the rows. Usually, for simple tables, row 1 column 1 is either blank or describes the contents of the entire column 1. Row 1 columns are not blank (i.e. they contain "column headings"), describe the contents of the entire column, and allow the reader to distinguish the difference in meaning between that column and other columns. Column 1 rows are usually not blank, they often contain "row headings" which describe the contents of the entire row, and allow the reader to distinguish the difference in meaning between that row and the other rows. Otherwise, the Column 1 would contain simple data.; (Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)