HTML and XHTML
This technique relates to:
Some current assistive technology provide feedback to the user when form fields have title attribute content available.
Some graphical user agents will display a tool tip when the mouse hovers above a form field containing a title attribute. However, current user agents do not provide access to the title attribute content via the keyboard.
The tool tip in some common user agents disappears after a short period of time (approximately 5 seconds). This can cause difficulty accessing title attribute content for those users who can use a mouse but have fine motor skill impairment, and may result in difficulties for users who need more time to read the tool tip.
It is difficult for most users to resize, adjust background colors, reposition or otherwise control the presentation of title attribute content in many current user agents.
This technique can only be used when the element has an explicitly associated label. In the absence of a label, the title will be used as the Name in the accessibility API of current user agents that support one. The help text described below makes a poor name.
The objective of this technique is to provide context sensitive help for users as they enter data in forms by providing the help information in a title attribute. The help may include format information or examples of input.
Note: Current user agents and assistive technologies do not always provide the information contained in the title attribute to users. Avoid using this technique in isolation until the title attribute has wide-spread support.
A mapping application provides a form consisting of a label "Address:", an input box and a submit button with value "Find map". The input box has a title attribute value with an example of the address format the user should enter.
Example Code:
<label for="searchAddress">Address: </label>
<input id="searchAddress" type="text" size="30" value="" name="searchAddress"
title="Address example: 101 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia" />
A form that allows users to pay their bill online requires the user to enter their account number. The input box associated with the "Account number" label has a title attribute providing information on locating the account number.
Example Code:
<label for="accNum1">Account number: </label>
<input id="accNum1" type="text" size="10" value="" title="Your account number
can be found in the top right-hand corner of your bill." />
Identify form controls that require text input.
Check that each form control has an explicitly associated label
Check that each form control has context-sensitive help provided in the title attribute.
Checks #2 and #3 are true.
If this is a sufficient technique for a success criterion, failing this test procedure does not necessarily mean that the success criterion has not been satisfied in some other way, only that this technique has not been successfully implemented and can not be used to claim conformance.
Techniques are informative—that means they are not required. The basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria from the WCAG 2.0 standard—not the techniques. For important information about techniques, please see the Understanding Techniques for WCAG Success Criteria section of Understanding WCAG 2.0.