This is a DRAFT resource that supports Working Drafts of WCAG 3. Content in this resource is not mature and should not be considered authoritative. It may be changed, replaced or removed at any time.
🔙 WCAG 3.0 (Silver) Guidelines (Text alternatives)
Method: Author control of text alternatives
Platform
Authoring tools create digital content that allow images to be inserted in the content. Examples include:
- web page authoring tools (e.g. WYSIWYG HTML editors)
- software for directly editing source code
- software for converting to web content technologies (e.g.
Save as HTML
features in office document applications) - integrated development environments (e.g. for web application development)
- software that generates web content on the basis of templates, scripts, command-line input or
wizard
-type processes - software for rapidly updating portions of web pages (e.g. blogging, wikis, online forums)
- software for generating/managing entire websites (e.g. content management systems, courseware tools, content aggregators)
- email clients that send messages using web content technologies
- multimedia authoring tools
- software for creating mobile web applications
Note: This method only applies when non-text content is specified by authors (e.g. inserting an image). When non-text content is automatically added by the authoring tool, see ATAG 2.0 Guideline B.1.1.
Note: An exception can be made when the non-text content is known to be decoration, formatting, invisible or a CAPTCHA.
Technology
- Any
Summary
Improperly generated text alternative content can create accessibility problems and interfere with accessibility checking. Authors need the ability to add and edit text alternative content to more closely describe the image in context, or to mark it as decorative.
This method illustrates that Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 can be included in WCAG 3.0. Much of the material in this method has been adapted directly from ATAG 2.0 without attempting to update it from 2015.
How it solves user need
The text alternative describes the image for people who are unable to see the image itself. When the authoring tool gives the author the ability to edit the text alternative, it can increase the accuracy of the alternative text to suit the context that the author wants to illustrate.
Outcome
This method supports the outcome Text alternatives available.
Detailed description
The intent of this method is to ensure that authors can add alternative content for non-text content and modify that alternative content in the future.
If the type of alternative content (e.g. alternative text) is not typically displayed on screen by user agents, then WYSIWYG editing-views may not display it. This is acceptable as long as another mechanism is provided for modifying that alternative content (e.g. an Image Properties
dialog).
The mechanism for adding or editing alternative text can vary by the type of authoring tool. A simple source code editor could allow editing of the source code. A more sophisticated source code editor could highlight the alternative text when the image is selected. A WYSIWYG editor can display a properties dialog box that allows editing of the image properties including the alternative text. It is important that the ability to edit the alternative text is at least as prominent as other image properties.
Dependencies
None
Source content editing-view
In a source editing-view, alternative content within the source is always available, regardless of what user agents might render. If alternative content is referenced from an external location (e.g. HTML4 longdesc), then that resource can be opened for editing.
Properties dialog
In a WYSIWYG editing-view, alternative content is not displayed, since the editing-view is designed to mimic typical user agents. However, the alternative content can be accessed and edited via a properties editor that displays the properties for the content that currently has focus
Atomic Tests
Unit Tested
Application or tool subsection of an app. If there are a variety of mechanisms for inserting or editing alternative text, each mechanism must be tested.
Test Procedure
- Use the tool to insert an image as appropriate for the app.
- Use the tool to modify the text alternative. In a WYSIWYG authoring tool, text alternatives can be modified in the source view or in a properties editor that displays the properties for the content that currently has focus.
- The alternative text can be edited by the author and that edited version can be published.
Expected Results
Check #3 is true.
Holistic Tests
- Still to be developed. We will include this in a future working draft.