Er, that should be: The long and short of how I understand it, it gives the screen reader something to read so the user knows where they're going, as many of the screen readers won't(?) read the hyperlinked text.
[a href="google.com" alt="link to google.com"]go to google![/a]
(There's also the title attribute title=" ", which is basically what gives you hovertext, for a little bit more non-essential info, but (again, as I understand it) alt is preferred, and most programmes will read it instead of title if both are present.
There's also also longdesc, which links to a separate page with a much longer description, but I think browser support for that is patchy, and also, if you need to link to a separate page to describe where your link is going, you're doing it wrong. Title and longdesc are generally, I think, more common for images than links anyway.)
No, you don't need alt tags on anchors, just on images. <img src="url" alt="harry necking with marcone" />
In an anchor, some people put title attributes, but they don't actually help with most common adaptive tech settings. So don't worry about it. Screenreaders will read the text wrapped in the element, eg: <a href="url">screenreaders will read this part</a>
Haha, hilarious. It's actually in the web guide for my work-- which, arguably, also looks like most of it hasn't been updated since html4. Luckily, I'm the only one who has to use it, and at least I have the internet to tell me when it's doing things wrong.
I imagine someone, sometime, taught a few people that way, and it's spread out to various manuals and guides and training classes and has never been effectively blocked or, if relevant, updated.
Basically, use alt on images, and you're fine. Use meaningful linktext on anchor tags (eg: <a href="url">screenreaders will read this part</a>), and you're fine. :D
How do screenreaders handle what happens to links in anon comments? I usually do bare links in anon comments because the anchor links get twisted up anyway, but is it better for screenreaders if I still use them?
That is, do screenreaders like "the Dresden Files Wikia (http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com)" better than "here's the Dresden Files Wikia: http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com "? Because if so I'll go back to using anchor tags.
(And note to the hapless anon commenter who spawned this discussion: none of the stuff posted above will work if you're posting anon, because DW/LJ will make a link look like the bold bit in this comment, and inline images will get swapped out with a placeholder. It's a spamfighting thing.)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: See the Truth
What does the alt tag do? Should it say where the link goes? :confused:
Re: See the Truth
[a href="google.com" alt="link to google.com"]go to google![/a]
(There's also the title attribute title=" ", which is basically what gives you hovertext, for a little bit more non-essential info, but (again, as I understand it) alt is preferred, and most programmes will read it instead of title if both are present.
There's also also longdesc, which links to a separate page with a much longer description, but I think browser support for that is patchy, and also, if you need to link to a separate page to describe where your link is going, you're doing it wrong. Title and longdesc are generally, I think, more common for images than links anyway.)
Re: See the Truth
In an anchor, some people put title attributes, but they don't actually help with most common adaptive tech settings. So don't worry about it. Screenreaders will read the text wrapped in the element, eg: <a href="url">screenreaders will read this part</a>
Re: See the Truth
Re: See the Truth
Re: See the Truth
I imagine someone, sometime, taught a few people that way, and it's spread out to various manuals and guides and training classes and has never been effectively blocked or, if relevant, updated.
Re: See the Truth
In an anchor, some people put title attributes, but they don't actually help with any common adaptive tech settings. So don't worry about it.
Re: See the Truth
I... will wait until I see LGI on Twitter and ask her about it, since I know she uses a screen reader. 8D
Re: See the Truth
Re: See the Truth
(Anonymous) 2011-02-24 01:51 am (UTC)(link)That is, do screenreaders like "the Dresden Files Wikia (http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com)" better than "here's the Dresden Files Wikia: http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com "? Because if so I'll go back to using anchor tags.
(And note to the hapless anon commenter who spawned this discussion: none of the stuff posted above will work if you're posting anon, because DW/LJ will make a link look like the bold bit in this comment, and inline images will get swapped out with a placeholder. It's a spamfighting thing.)
Re: See the Truth
Re: See the Truth
(Anonymous) 2011-02-24 02:00 am (UTC)(link)Re: See the Truth
Re: See the Truth