Markup / CSS / XHTML

Judy Christianson <[email protected]> Tue, 3 Mar 2020 16:12:02 +0000
Newsgroups gmane.org.w3c.accessibility.general
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Hi,
I am not a web developer, but I am working with the accessibility of docume=
nt. Someone has commented on the accessibility of our website and wondered =
if I could get input and feedback from you regarding the comments received.=
 What I am looking for is the validity of the six statements below and what=
 you would suggest for fixes if you are able to. The website was developed =
by a third party service provider.
Comments received are listed below:

  1.  WCAG 2.0 indicates that websites must have correctly formed markup an=
d CSS, but testing today (2020-02-18) with W3C's markup and CSS validators,=
 I see a total of 447 errors and warnings:

Markup: https://validator.w3.org/nu/?doc=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.durham.ca%2Fen=
%2Findex.aspx
CSS: https://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator?uri=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.=
durham.ca%2Fen%2Findex.aspx
  2.  At the top of Durham.ca's markup, Durham.ca's webmaster has declared =
"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" as the website's XML namespace, which means =
that Durham.ca is claiming compliance with W3C's XHTML standard, even thoug=
h it isn't.  W3C created the XHTML standard in 1999, and finalized it in ea=
rly 2000, over seventeen years before Durham.ca was revamped in late 2017. =
 XHTML also predates the existence of Durham.ca, which wasn't created until=
 2007 as the replacement for Durham.on.ca.
  3.  CSS errors can cause significant usability problems in web browsers a=
nd in screen readers that can parse CSS.  If such software/hardware is unab=
le to parse a website's CSS due to errors in the website's CSS, then it wil=
l typically respond by not using any of the website's CSS to render its pag=
es.
  4.  Mozilla Firefox is a web browser with a feature that allows a user to=
 temporarily display a website without the website's CSS.  If you use Mozil=
la Firefox to access Durham.ca, and then go to "View" menu -> "Page Style" =
-> "No Style", you'll discover that Durham.ca would be extremely difficult =
to use without CSS.  You can enable CSS again by going to "View" menu -> "P=
age Style" -> "Basic Page Style".
  5.  While the web browsers and screen readers that Durham.ca's webmaster =
used to test Durham.ca may have been designed to work around Durham.ca's ma=
rkup and CSS problems, I'm not aware of any standards that require all web =
browsers and screen readers to do this, and there's no guarantee that the m=
ost popular web browsers and screen readers will continue to tolerate these=
 problems indefinitely.  More importantly, these problems are causing Durha=
m.ca to be non-compliant with AODA.
  6.  Fortunately, all these problems can be corrected fairly easily.  For =
example, Durham.ca's "meta" markup elements with attributes http-equiv=3D"C=
ontent-Style-Type" and http-equiv=3D"Content-Script-Type" are obsolete vest=
iges from HTML 4 that don't exist in XHTML, so Durham.ca's webmaster could =
eliminate two markup errors by simply removing these two elements.
Judy Christianson
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THE USE OF THE INTENDED RECIPIENT(S) ONLY AND MAY CONTA=
IN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY, CONFIDENTIAL, AND/OR EXEMPT=
 FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER ANY RELEVANT PRIVACY LEGISLATION. No rights to any p=
rivilege have been waived. If you are not the intended recipient, you are h=
ereby notified that any review, re-transmission, dissemination, distributio=
n, copying, conversion to hard copy, taking of action in reliance on or oth=
er use of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you are not the int=
ended recipient and have received this message in error, please notify me b=
y return e-mail and delete or destroy all copies of this message.

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<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US">Hi,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US">I am not a web developer, but I=
 am working with the accessibility of document. Someone has commented on th=
e accessibility of our website and wondered if I could get input and feedba=
ck from you regarding the comments received.
 What I am looking for is the validity of the six statements below and what=
 you would suggest for fixes if you are able to. The website was developed =
by a third party service provider.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span lang=3D"EN-US">Comments received are listed be=
low:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ol style=3D"margin-top:0cm" start=3D"1" type=3D"1">
<li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l1 level1 =
lfo3"><span lang=3D"EN-US">WCAG 2.0 indicates that websites must have corre=
ctly formed markup and CSS, but testing today (2020-02-18) with W3C's marku=
p and CSS validators, I see a total of
 447 errors and warnings:<br>
<br>
Markup: </span><a href=3D"https://validator.w3.org/nu/?doc=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2F=
www.durham.ca%2Fen%2Findex.aspx"><span lang=3D"EN-US">https://validator.w3.=
org/nu/?doc=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.durham.ca%2Fen%2Findex.aspx</span></a><span=
 lang=3D"EN-US"><br>
CSS: </span><a href=3D"https://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator?uri=3D=
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.durham.ca%2Fen%2Findex.aspx"><span lang=3D"EN-US">https:/=
/jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator?uri=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.durham.ca%2F=
en%2Findex.aspx</span></a><o:p></o:p></li><li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" st=
yle=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span lang=3D"EN-US">At the=
 top of Durham.ca's markup, Durham.ca's webmaster has declared &quot;</span=
><a href=3D"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span lang=3D"EN-US">http://www.w=
3.org/1999/xhtml</span></a><span lang=3D"EN-US">&quot;
 as the website's XML namespace, which means that Durham.ca is claiming com=
pliance with W3C's XHTML standard, even though it isn't. &nbsp;W3C created =
the XHTML standard in 1999, and finalized it in early 2000, over seventeen =
years before Durham.ca was revamped in
 late 2017. &nbsp;XHTML also predates the existence of Durham.ca, which was=
n't created until 2007 as the replacement for Durham.on.ca.</span><o:p></o:=
p></li><li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l1 =
level1 lfo3"><span lang=3D"EN-US">CSS errors can cause significant usabilit=
y problems in web browsers and in screen readers that can parse CSS. &nbsp;=
If such software/hardware is unable to parse a website's
 CSS due to errors in the website's CSS, then it will typically respond by =
not using any of the website's CSS to render its pages.</span><o:p></o:p></=
li><li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l1 leve=
l1 lfo3"><span lang=3D"EN-US">Mozilla Firefox is a web browser with a featu=
re that allows a user to temporarily display a website without the website'=
s CSS. &nbsp;If you use Mozilla Firefox to access
 Durham.ca, and then go to &quot;View&quot; menu -&gt; &quot;Page Style&quo=
t; -&gt; &quot;No Style&quot;, you'll discover that Durham.ca would be extr=
emely difficult to use without CSS. &nbsp;You can enable CSS again by going=
 to &quot;View&quot; menu -&gt; &quot;Page Style&quot; -&gt; &quot;Basic Pa=
ge Style&quot;.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=
=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span lang=3D"EN-US">While the=
 web browsers and screen readers that Durham.ca's webmaster used to test Du=
rham.ca may have been designed to work around Durham.ca's markup and CSS pr=
oblems,
 I'm not aware of any standards that require all web browsers and screen re=
aders to do this, and there's no guarantee that the most popular web browse=
rs and screen readers will continue to tolerate these problems indefinitely=
.... &nbsp;More importantly, these problems
 are causing Durham.ca to be non-compliant with AODA.</span><o:p></o:p></li=
><li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0=
cm;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span lang=3D"EN-US">Fortunately, all these problems can be corrected fairl=
y easily. &nbsp;For example, Durham.ca's &quot;meta&quot; markup elements w=
ith attributes http-equiv=3D&quot;Content-Style-Type&quot; and http-equiv=
=3D&quot;Content-Script-Type&quot; are obsolete vestiges from HTML 4 that d=
on't
 exist in XHTML, so Durham.ca's webmaster could eliminate two markup errors=
 by simply removing these two elements.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ol>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"margin-top:0cm">Judy Christianson<span lang=
=3D"EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THE USE OF THE INTENDED RECIPIENT(S) ONLY AND MAY CONTA=
IN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY, CONFIDENTIAL, AND/OR EXEMPT=
 FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER ANY RELEVANT PRIVACY LEGISLATION. No rights to any p=
rivilege have been waived. If you
 are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, r=
e-transmission, dissemination, distribution, copying, conversion to hard co=
py, taking of action in reliance on or other use of this communication is s=
trictly prohibited. If you are not
 the intended recipient and have received this message in error, please not=
ify me by return e-mail and delete or destroy all copies of this message.
</body>
</html>

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