UNIT 2 > MODULE 5

Lesson 1: Creating a Data Table

Overview

Tables were introduced to the web with the original purpose of displaying data in rows and columns. In time they came to be used for an additional purpose: page layout. This lesson will focus on their original purpose. Page layout will be explored later in this course.

In this lesson you'll add a simple data table to your portfolio.

Learner Outcomes

At the completion of this exercise:

Activities

  1. Earlier in this course, in the lesson titled How People with Disabilities Access the Web, you learned how certain web design strategies and techniques can create barries for people with disabilities and others. In the current lesson, you will use an HTML table to create a web accessibility checklist that you can refer to later as you design websites, to assist you in ensuring that your web content doesn't needlessly exclude anyone. Before you begin to code your table, review the following section How to Create an HTML Table.
  2. Create a sketch of how your table will be organized, referring to the section below titled Instructions for Creating Your Table.
  3. Create a new web page consisting of all the essential tags.
  4. Save the new web page as table.htm.
  5. Using XHTML, create the table you have sketched. The final table should have two columns and seven rows (including the top row, which contains the column headers).
  6. Be sure to include a summary and caption with your table, as described below.
  7. Save your work, and check it in your web browser to be sure it looks like you expect it to. Don't worry about spacing between and within cells: We'll be addressing that in a future lesson.

How to Create an HTML Table

  1. HTML tables begin and end with table elements: <table></table>.
  2. The opening table element should include a summary attribute, which is read by screen readers in order to give blind users an overview of what the table contains and how it's organized. Being informed of this information up front helps blind users to more easily navigate the table and understand what they're hearing. Example: <table summary="Your brief table description here">
  3. A table's caption (brief descriptive text, usually displayed above the table) begins and ends with caption elements: <caption>
  4. Each row in a table begins and ends with table row (tr) elements: <tr></tr>
  5. Each cell in the table begins and ends with either table header (th) elements or table data (td) elements, depending on what type of information the cell contains.
    • If a cell contains headers, it begins and ends with th elements: <th></th>
    • If a cell contains data (not headers), it begins and ends with td elements: <td></td>
  6. Table header elements (th) should also include a scope attribute, which is either scope="row" or scope="col". This instructs screen readers as to which headers apply to which cells. Screen readers read tables row by row from left to right, and without this extra markup blind users would have a difficult time the header applies to the column

Compare the following table with the code that was used to create it:

School Lunch Menu
  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Carnivores Sausage pizza Corn dogs Sloppy Joe Beef taco Chicken and dumplings
Herbivores Veggie pizza Veggie dogs BBQ tempeh Bean burrito Tofu teriyaki
<table summary="Two school lunch menu choices in two rows, with columns corresponding to school days Monday through Friday">
<caption>School Lunch Menu</caption>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<th scope="col">Monday</th>
<th scope="col">Tuesday</th>
<th scope="col">Wednesday</th>
<th scope="col">Thursday</th>
<th scope="col">Friday</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Carnivores</th>
<td>Sausage pizza</td>
<td>Corn dogs</td>
<td>Sloppy Joe</td>
<td>Beef taco</td>
<td>Chicken and dumplings</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Herbivores</th>
<td>Veggie pizza</td>
<td>Veggie dogs</td>
<td>BBQ tempeh</td>
<td>Bean burrito</td>
<td>Tofu teriyaki</td>
</tr>
</table>

Not sure how the HTML table markup works? Ask your instructor to walk you through it. Be sure you understand the above markup before proceeding to the next section.

Instructions for Creating Your Table

The table should have two columns, with the following headers:

  1. User characteristic
  2. Accessible design tip

In the first column (the column with header "User characteristic"), list the following user characteristics related to web accessibility, in the order in which they're presented below.

  1. Unable to see
  2. Unable to perceive colors
  3. Unable to use mouse
  4. Unable to hear
  5. Prone to having seizures
  6. Distractable

In the second column (the column with header "Accessible design tip"), the following web design issues correspond with the same-numbered user characteristic from the first column.

  1. Code all images with ALT text
  2. Avoid using color alone to convey information
  3. Be sure all website features can be accessed using keyboard
  4. Add captions to multimedia
  5. Avoid content that "flashes"
  6. Keep the design simple

Resources/Online documents

All done?

Have your instructor view the code for your table and see how it looks in a browser. You are now ready for the next unit.