Design Forums - UK Graphic Design & Web Design Forum

No worries, well the thing is it may be a lot of info but you wont need everything all the time, and when you start using it it's like second nature, and the benefits are huge, they don't just make sure you are legally safe.

But I'm glad you found some of it some use.

JavaScript
Now this section can make massive improvements to your site and will be one of the areas were you are more than likely will get sued because of inaccessible web coding.

Even though like screen readers, search engines read some JavaScript they wont read all of it and if you have links that only operate with JavaScript then the search engines may not be able to, or can have difficulties, following them and thus have issues with indexing the content on those URL's.

The simple answer to writing accessible JavaScript is finish the site with no JavaScript, this is how I do it, then add JavaScript to enhance the page afterwards that way you know it works for all users first.

For example if you have a link like either of these ~

<a href="#" onclick="window.open("path/to/file.htm","windowName","listOfAttributes")">Click here to open a new window</a>

<a href="javascript:window.open("path/to/file.htm","windowName","listOfAttributes")">Click here to open a new window</a>

The problem is both will open new windows but neither would be accessible to the search engines nor a blind user.

Now to get around that you change the A tags HREF attribute to the same file you are opening and then include the new window in the ONCLICK attribute and set the link to return false. That way the new window does not load in the same window you are viewing and gives you the same effect, but accessible.

So it would look something like ~

<a href="path/to/file.htm" onclick="window.open("path/to/file.htm","windowName","listOfAttributes");return false">Click here to open a new window</a>

Now again the other main benefit is that the search engines can now get to file.htm and index it whereas before they couldn't.

The same technique can be used for any link they don't just have to open windows.

Now the other main area where there may be an issue is with submitting forms that relie on JavaScript's ONCLICK event to submit it. The way around it is either to apply the same function with in the ONKEYUP event on the button or to move the whole event to the top of the form.

On the top of the FORM tag add the ONSUBMIT event and place the same function in there. That way when screen readers who access links by keying them, rather than clicking them, will still be able to send you the information.

What I personally do is add a browser sniffer to the page then test to see if it is FireFox, Safari, IE or Opera and if it is not turn off JavaScript. Because the other area that can get a non sighted user stuck is when you dynamically add content to the page. This is because screen readers will not know where the new content gets added and it is up to the user to go back to the top of the page and go through it word by word to see if it has.

But if you make sure you build your sites with JavaScript disabled then once it is finished add it you will allow the Search Engines to access more as well as getting rid of trouble areas for screen readers at the same time.

Again hope this helps.
Jaz

Key:
Purple ~ XHTML

Some great info there again Jaz. Maybe we could make this a sticky?

Good thinking Soren, and yes great thread Jaz, I think accessibility is something that can be easily overlooked. Thread is now be a sticky

No worries I'll get on to adding the html table 1 tomorrow I reckon, thanks for the feedback guys.

Jaz

All htrsy info to know

Thanks Jaz!


Accessibility 101 is actually the title of an article in this month's Web Designer mag.

I never even realised this existed until recently. And people keep undermining the problems which is getting boring, because it's only them who they're making a liability.

Ha really not a subscriber, lol.
Bet mines more intensive though, , but what ever you can read about it is got to be a good thing IMO.

Jaz

Jaz do you not have a blog, so you can put all these gem's out for the world to see?

Yeah it is called DF.

haha, I'll make you one if you ask nicely :-P