"Provide a caption via the CAPTION element. A table caption describes the nature of the table in one to three sentences. Two examples:
If a CAPTION is not provided, use the "title" attribute on the TABLE element to describe the nature of the table in a few words.
Provide a summary via the "summary" attribute. Summaries are especially useful for non-visual readers. A summary of the relationships among cells is especially important for tables with nested headings, cells that span multiple columns or rows, or other relationships that may not be obvious from analyzing the structure of the table but that may be apparent in a visual rendering of the table. A summary may also describe how the table fits into the context of the current document. If no caption is provided, it is even more critical to provide a summary. Two examples:
"This table charts the number of cups of coffee consumed by each senator, the type of coffee (decaf or regular), and whether taken with sugar."
"Total required by pollution control standards as of January 1, 1971. Commercial category includes stores, insurance companies and banks. The table is divided into two columns. The left-hand column is 'Total investment required in billions of dollars'. The right--hand column is 'Spending' and is divided into three sub-columns. The first sub-column is titled '1970 actual in millions of dollars', the second is '1971 planned in millions of dollars', and the third is 'Percent change, 1970 versus 1971.' The rows are industries." [...].
Provide terse substitutes for header labels with the "abbr" attribute on TH. These will be particularly useful for future speaking technologies that can read row and column labels for each cell. Abbreviations cut down on repetition and reading time." [13]
Copyright © 2001-2003 by Rainer Hillebrand and Thomas Wierlemann