"alt" attributes; redux

On Twitter, the markup:

        <A
           title="microformats"
           rel="contact"
           class="url"
           href="http://twitter.
com/microformats"
        >

                <IMG
                     width="24"
                     height="24"
                    
src=".../microformats-logo_mini.png"
                     id="profile-image"
                     class="photo fn"
                     alt="microformats"
                />

        </A>

is rendered by Operator as an XFN with:

        "undefined (contact)"

because the "alt" attribute is not parsed. I've no
doubt that other
parsers do something similar (rel-lint seems to barf on
them).


Where several such graphic links exist, this results in a
list of
contacts:

        "undefined (contact)"
        "undefined (contact)"
        "undefined (contact)"
        "undefined (contact)"

each of which refers to someone or something different; they
are thus of
little use to human or machine consumers.


As I have pointed out previously, this is contrary to the
intentions of
the writers of the HTML specification:

        alt = text [CS]

        For user agents that cannot display images, forms,
or applets,
        this attribute specifies alternate text [...]

        Several non-textual elements [...] let authors
specify alternate
        text to serve as content when the element cannot be
rendered
        normally.

        <http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/objects.html#h-13
.8>


The alt attribute should be parsed, and the above example
rendered as:

        "microformats (contact)"

This applies to all microformat properties, where the
content is
expected to be text.

-- 
Andy Mabbett
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Andy Mabbett wrote:
> As I have pointed out previously, this is contrary to
the intentions of
> the writers of the HTML specification:
looks like a bug, I suggest submitting it to the author,
http://www.kapl
y.com/weblog/operator/


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Andy Mabbett wrote:
> It's not just in Operator; as I said in my original
post, rel-lint for 
> one has the same problem.
>
Then surely it's just a common bug? If the specs say it
should be so 
then it's an oversight on the developers part and someone
should kindly 
let them know.

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In message <47BA1758.6080007ts0.com>, Thom Shannon
<thomts0.com> 
writes

>
>Andy Mabbett wrote:
>> It's not just in Operator; as I said in my original
post, rel-lint 
>>for  one has the same problem.
>>
>Then surely it's just a common bug? If the specs say it
should be so 
>then it's an oversight on the developers part and
someone should kindly 
>let them know.

They don't; that's the problem.

-- 
Andy Mabbett
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In message <47B9BC5E.5020107ts0.com>, Thom Shannon
<thomts0.com> 
writes

>Andy Mabbett wrote:

[alt attribute ignored in some cases]

>> As I have pointed out previously, this is contrary
to the intentions of
>> the writers of the HTML specification:
>looks like a bug

It's not; it's been discussed here before.

>, I suggest submitting it to the author,
>http://www.kapl
y.com/weblog/operator/

It's not just in Operator; as I said in my original post,
rel-lint for 
one has the same problem.

-- 
Andy Mabbett
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ts-discuss