alt text head-desk (hey, that almost rhymes)!

[capri0mni]

arg. I'm trying, to make my blog more accessible to the visually impaired, to insert alt texts into my url (Which can be read by automatic screenreaders when pictures cannot). According to every instruction that I've read online, the code should follow this format:

< a href="URL.Addressh.ere" alt="text" > Blue Clicky Words </ a>

... except without the spaces.

I try that, and hover my cursor over the link; the Link works fine, but I can never get the alt text to appear. What am I doing wrong?

Comments

[meloukhia]

Should be <a title="something descriptive" href="linkydoodle">clicky words</a>

ETA: Though this would more properly be title text describing the link, as alt text is for images...as long as your actual link text is descriptive, you don't really need title text. Like, 'here' is unhelpful anchor text, while 'this article at the New York Times about squid' is sufficient.

[capri0mni]

Okay. Thanks! I probably don't need it then, for this particular entry. But it's good to know for the future.

BTW, "Thumbling" (AKA "Tom Thumb") is a very cheering story about living an accessible life in an inaccessible world. Just so you know.

[jesse_the_k]

There's alt text, there's title text, there's longdesc -- as HTML moved from a kludge to a standard, a variety of ways were proposed to serve similar purposes.

As always the WebAIM site provides excellent background on the issues

Easiest strategy is to make one size fit all. Include a description (with a cut) in plain text. Blind and sighted celphone readers will appreciate it equally.

Finally, there's no standard way for alt or title text to be displayed to sighted users. One may show "tool tips," while another puts the text in the status bar.